MG5 2024 - how to use the USB for music

[peterp]

I am trying to play music from a USB stick. The car is recognising the stick but saying there is no music on it. The stick plays music on many other devices just not the car.

anyone got any pointers please

 

[Technonotice]

Gemini to the rescue...

Even if the drive is FAT32, the MG5 often refuses to read it if it was formatted with a GPT partition (common on newer high-capacity sticks) instead of MBR.

• How to check: On a Windows PC, right-click "Start" > "Disk Management." Find your USB drive. If it says "GUID Partition Table (GPT)," that's your culprit.
• The Fix: You’ll need to re-format the drive specifically selecting MBR as the partition scheme. Note: This will wipe the drive, so move the music to your computer first.

3. "Folder Depth" and File Naming​

The MG5's software can be quite "shallow." It sometimes ignores folders if they are nested too deep.

• The Fix: Move your music files so they are closer to the "Root" (the main screen of the USB).
• Avoid: Music > Rock > 90s > Nirvana > Nevermind > Song.mp3.
• Better: Nirvana > Song.mp3.
• Also: Ensure your file names don't have weird characters like emojis, slashes /, or non-standard symbols (e.g., #, %, &amp. Stick to letters, numbers, and spaces.

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A 60-Second Test​

To prove if it's the drive or the files, try this:

1. Take a different, smaller USB stick (8GB or 16GB if you have one).
2. Format it to FAT32.
3. Put just 3 MP3 files directly onto the stick (no folders at all).
4. Plug it into the car.

If the car plays those 3 songs, then the issue is the "metadata" or "folder depth" on your original stick. If it still doesn't see them, the car likely needs a software reset (hold the Home button or Power button for 10-15 seconds until the screen reboots).