- Reading Duration: 3-5 Minutes
- Applies to: Fix used and new hard drive not showing up, internal or external HDD/SSD not detected on Windows PCs.
Are your hard drives, be it new or old, internal or external, not showing up in File Explorer or Disk Management? Follow this guide, you'll learn why is your hard drive not showing up and how to make your hard drive showing up again in Windows 10/8/7 without losing data:
Your Problems | Applicable Fixes |
---|---|
(New) Hard Drive Not Showing Up | Fix 1. Check & Change Hard Drive Connection Fix 2. Format Hard Drive to NTFS Fix 3. Recover Data and Create Partition.Full steps |
External Hard Drive Not Showing Up | Fix 1. Change USB Cable, USB Port Fix 2. Format External Hard Drive to NTFS.Full steps |
Open the Start menu and type 'disk management,' and press Enter when the Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions option appears. Once Disk Management loads, scroll down to see if your disk appears.
Why Is My Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows
Note: If your hard drive is physically damaged or broken, send it to a local repair center or its manufacturer for repair. Fixes that shown below only work to fix logical errors that prevent your drive from showing up on computers.
If your hard drive is not detected or not showing up in Disk Management, it may have one of the following symptoms. It could be a connection issue, driver issue, faulty BIOS settings, etc., as shown below:
A co-worker's Lacie Drive stopped appearing on his My Computer the other day for some reason. He's got a Dell Precision on XP 32bit. → External hard drive not showing up in File Explorer but in Disk Management Press “ Windows ”+ “ R ”, type “diskmgmt.msc” and hit “ Enter ”, you will access Disk Management interface. When the hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer but appears in Disk Management, you can try the following methods.
Symptoms of Disk Not Showing Up | Causes of Hard Drive Not Showing Up |
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Part 1. Fix (Old/New) Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 10
Applies to: Fix internal or new hard drive not showing up, not recognized, or not detected errors in Windows 10/8/7.
In this part, we collected 6 ways for you to try. Pick up the right method according to the current state of your hard drive, and follow the tutorial to make your drive showing up again: https://site-3987026-8940-3045.mystrikingly.com/blog/cloud-ftp-amazon.
For the used hard drive, Fix 1, 2,3, 4, 5 are good for you to try. If your new hard drive is not showing up, try Fix 3 and Fix 6. Let's start fixing the hard drive not showing up error on your own now.
Fix 1. Change Disk Connection - Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Up in File Explorer
Applies to: Fix internal hard drives or new hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer or Disk Management error.
Connection issues may result from a problematic cable or loose connection. Here's how to change your hard drive connection and make it show up on your computer:
Step 1. Check the cables. If the power cable or SATA cable is broken, change the cable with a new one.
Step 2. Unplug and replug in your hard drive via the SATA cable and power cable tightly.
Step 3. Restart your PC to check if the hard drive shows up.
Fix 2. Format Hard Drive to NTFS - Fix Not Showing Hard Drive with RAW or Corrupted File System
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up caused by an unsupported, RAW, or corrupted file system.
When your hard drive is displaying as RAW, or it shows as '*Others' in disk management, it means that your hard drive contains a file system error.
The best solution is to format the drive to a supported file system. Here is how to do it:
Step 1. In Windows 10/8, Press Windows + X keys, click 'Disk Management'.
In Windows 7, right-click the Start icon, select 'Search'. Type disk management and click on it.
Step 2. Find and right-click on your hard drive, select 'Format'.
Step 3. Set the file system as NTFS, tick 'Perform a quick format', and click 'OK' to start formatting the drive.
Note: As formatting will cause data loss, don't forget to turn to data recovery software in Fix 3 to bring back all your hard drive data after making the drive show up.
Fix 3. Restore Data and Create New Partition - Fix Not Showing Unallocated Hard Drive
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up but displays as unallocated or unknown, new hard drive show as not initialized in Disk Management.
If a used hard disk may suddenly become unallocated, it could be accidental deletion, virus attack, or other unknown reasons that cause partition loss on your disk.
In this case, you should recover data from the unallocated space first. And then create a new volume(s) on the disk to make the hard drive show up.
# 1. Recover Data from Unallocated Hard Drive
Professional hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can fully scan a lost partition and bring back your files from unallocated hard drive space.
It will mark the unallocated space in your disk as a lost partition that you can directly select to scan and find everything on the drive:
Step 1. Select and scan hard drive.
On EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, select the drive where you lose your data and click 'Scan'. Wait patiently until this program finishes the scanning, it will find all your lost data on the drive.
Step 2. Find and preview found files on the selected drive.
Check 'Deleted Files', 'Lost Files' or use 'Filter', 'Search' to find the lost files on the selected hard drive. You can double-click to open and check the found files.
Step 3. Recover and save lost hard drive data.
Select all found lost hard drive files, click 'Recover' and browse another secure location to save them. Click 'OK' to confirm and finish the recovery process.
Remember to save the found files to another secure location before making the hard drive showing up, and safe to save files again.
#2. Create a New Partition to Make Hard Drive Show Up
After retrieving all your precious files, now you can create a new partition to make your hard disk show up and usable again on the computer.
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC', choose 'Manage', and click 'Disk Management'.
Step 2. Right-click the unallocated space of your hard drive and choose 'New Simple Volume.'.
Step 3. In New Simple Volume Wizard, click 'Next' to continue.
Step 4. Set the volume size, assign a drive letter to the volume, and set NTFS as the file system by clicking 'Next'.
Step 5. Click 'Finish' when Disk Management shows it has created a new volume on your hard drive.
Fix 4. Change Hard Drive Letter - Fix Not Showing Disk with Drive Letter Conflict
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up in File Explorer error caused by conflicted drive letter or hard drive has no drive letter.
When the drive letter of your hard drive is conflicted with another one on the computer, the hard drive will show as New Volume in Disk Management. As a result, it won't show up in File Explorer.
So the best way to make your hard drive show up is to change its drive letter. Here are the steps:
Step 1. In Disk Management, right-click the hard drive marked as New Volume or the partition doesn't have a drive letter.
Step 2. Select 'Change Drive Letter and Paths'. In the new window, click 'Change'.
Step 3. Assign a new drive letter to your external or internal hard drive and click 'OK'.
Fix 5. Update Disk Drivers - Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Up with Outdated Disk Driver
Applies to: Fix hard drive not showing up in File Explorer, hard disk has a yellow exclamation mark in Disk Management.
If your hard drive has a yellow exclamation mark in Disk Management under the Disk Driver section, it means that the drive driver is outdated. It will neither show up in Windows File Explorer nor in Disk Management.
The only solution is to update the device driver, and here are the steps for you to try:
Lacie Drive Not Detected
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Click 'Device Manager' then expand 'Disk drives'.
Step 3. Find and right-click the problematic external or internal drive and select 'Update driver'.
Step 4. Click 'automatically search for driver software online'.
Wait for the driver to be updated, then reboot your computer. Afterward, you can check whether the hard drive shows up or not.
Fix 6. Initialize Disk, Create Volume, and Enable in BIOS - Fix New Hard Drive Not Showing Up
Applies to: Fix new hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer issue.
Mostly, if your hard drive is a brand new disk, you need to initialize it first. Then create a new partition on it and enable it in BIOS. By doing so, you'll make your new hard drive showing up on Windows 10/8/7.
#1. Initialize Disk and Create Volume on New Hard Drive
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' (in Windows 10) and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Go to 'Disk Management', right-click your new hard disk, and choose 'Initialize Disk'.
Step 3. Select the disk and choose MBR or GPT as its partition style, click 'OK' to start.
Step 4. Right-click on the unallocated space in your new hard drive and select 'New Simple Volume.'.
Step 5. Set the volume size, drive letter, and file system as NTFS to the new hard drive.
Step 6. Click 'Finish' when the process completes.
#2. Enable Hard Drive in BIOS
If the hard drive is disabled in BIOS, the OS won't be able to detect it, not showing up in Windows. Hence, checking whether your hard drive is disabled in BIOS is also necessary.
Step 1. Restart your computer and press F2 or Del until you enter BIOS.
Step 2. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to choose 'Integrated Peripherals' and hit 'Enter'.
Step 3. Use the arrow keys to select 'USB Controller'.
Activate macdrive 9 standard. If it is disabled, change the option to 'Enabled'.
Step 4. Save and exit BIOS.
Afterward, restart your computer and see whether your hard drive is detected.
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If you are having a similar issue on a USB flash drive or external disk, the provided fixes above can all help. Or, you can also follow the links below for help.
Part 2. Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up - 4 Fixes
Works to: Fix external hard drive not showing up or not detected by Windows PC error.
Mostly, when your external hard drive fails to show up on Windows 10/8/7, first, connect your new hard drive correctly to your computers.
Then you can pick up the proper fix to make your external hard drive show up on PC and work normally again:
So the solutions are quite clear now. Just follow the right method to make your new hard drive detestable and show up on your computer again.
Fix 1. Change USB Cable, USB Port, Reconnect External Hard Drive
Change the connection between the external hard drive and computer, you can make the external disk showing up.
Step 1. Change a new USB cable if the old one is damaged and connect the drive to the PC.
Step 2. Change the USB port if the external hard drive doesn't show up, and reconnect the drive to the PC.
Step 3. Switch and connect the external hard drive to another computer. Matt powder foundation.
If nothing shows up, it's the external hard drive itself having a detection issue on your PC. Try the following 3 fixes to make the drive show up again. Is today my lucky day horoscope.
Fix 2. Format External Hard Drive to NTFS/exFAT
If the external hard drive displays as RAW or '*Other', it won't show up correctly on your computer.
Step 1. Keep the external hard drive connected to the PC.
Step 2. Open Disk Management and right-click the external hard drive with the RAW or unknown file system.
Step 3. Select 'Format' and set 'NTFS' or 'exFAT' for the external hard drive.
Step 4. Select 'OK' to finish the formatting.
If you lost files after formatting the external hard drive, turn to EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for help. Let it scan and find all your lost files.
Fix 3. Reinstall Disk Drivers - Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing UP with Yellow Exclamation
Applies to: Fix external hard drive not showing up and has a yellow exclamation mark in Disk Management.
When the external hard drive has an outdated drive driver, it won't show up in File Explorer. It appears with a yellow exclamation under the disk driver section.
The only solution is to update the device driver, and here are the steps for you to try:
Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and choose 'Device Manager'.
Step 2. Expand 'Disk drives' and find your external hard drive.
Step 3. Right-click the problematic external drive and select 'Uninstall device'.
Step 4. Click 'OK' to confirm. Restart your computer and reconnect the external hard drive to your PC.
Fix 4. Update Outdated BUS Controller Drivers in External Hard Drive
Applies to: Fix external hard disk not showing up or not detected by Windows PC.
If you notice the external hard drive works with one computer while fails to be detected by another, you can try to update the USB Controller driver of the computer in which the hard drive is not showing up.
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Click 'Device Manager' then expand 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers'.
Step 3. Right-click 'USB Root Hub (USB3.0)' and select 'Update driver'.
Step 4. Choose 'Search automatically for updated driver software' and restart your computer.
Further Help:
Lacie Drive Not Appearing
If the above fixes can't fully resolve your issue on the not showing up external hard disk, don't worry. You may also get further help from the below-listed tutorial page. Don't hesitate and find your best solution here.
It happens that a Toshiba external hard drive is not working in Windows, be it not showing up, not recognized, or not showing files. Follow to identify your situation and fix your Toshiba hard drive.
Part 3. Bonus Tips to Fix Hard Drive Not Showing Files
Sometimes, a hard drive may not show files though they still exist. Note that the files that are missing on hard drive are still recoverable. Files disappeared could be caused by the following reasons:
- Files are hidden by malware or a virus
- Files are deleted accidentally
- The computer does not recognize the file system of the hard drive
To fix these issues, you can follow the steps below for help:
Step 1. Recover hidden or removed files from the hard drive.
Reliable EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can help you restore all the hard drive files in only 3 steps, as shown in Fix 3 Part 1.
Step 2. Run antivirus or malware clear software to remove all viruses and malware.
Step 3. Format the hard drive to restore its full capacity and set NTFS as its file system.
Now, you are good to use this drive and save files on it again. For more details, read the article about the pen drive not showing files for help.
The Ending Line
On this page, we explained why is your hard drive or external hard drive not showing up on Windows PC. We also provided solutions and fixes to help you make the used external or internal hard drive, and new hard drives show up again without losing any data.
Sometimes, you may also encounter the same issue on a USB drive, SD card, etc. These fixes are also applicable to fix this error on USB, SD card, etc., devices.
FAQs About Hard Drive Not Showing Up
Besides new or used hard drive not showing up issue in File Explorer or Disk Management, we will continue to unveil some top concerned questions on Google and leave a brief answer below each question.
If you have the same doubts, read on, and find the answer here now:
1. What do I do if my internal hard drive is not detected?
As shown on this page, there are many ways that you can try to fix the internal hard drive not detected issue.
For a new hard drive, you can first initialize the disk and then create partitions on the drive.
For a used hard drive, you can try these tips as shown on this page in Part 1:
- 1). Change the hard drive letter;
- 2). Recover lost partition data, and create new partitions;
- 3). Update hard drive driver;
- 4). Check hard drive connection, enable it in BIOS.
2. How do I get Windows 10 recognized a new hard drive?
Be it similar to the provided solutions on this page, when a new hard drive is not detected or recognized on Windows 10, and you may also mainly try the following tips:
Check new hard drive connection > Initialize new hard drive and create partition > Update drive letter > Enable it in BIOS.
3. Why is my hard drive not showing up on Mac?
Being it similar to hard drive not showing up on Windows computer, the reasons why your hard drive is not showing up on Mac are caused by the same issues.
Here is a list of why a hard drive is not showing up on Mac:
Lacie Hard Drive Not Recognized
- Hard drive connection error
- Settings in Desktop, Finder
- USB port issue
- Hard drive corrupted
- macOS and firmware is outdated
- .
Lacie Disk Not Showing Updating
For a step-by-step guide, you may follow Flash Drive Not Showing Up on Mac to troubleshoot the hard drive not detected on Mac issue and make the drive detectable again.