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If your external hard drive is not showing up, restarting your computer can sometimes fix the problem. I’m also pretty sure you’ve already tried connecting to a different USB port, and it didn’t work. 

Thankfully, there are tweaks you can still implement to resolve the USB hard drive not showing up. Keep reading to find out how!Why Is My

Why Is My External Hard Drive Not Showing Up?

There are a few possible reasons why your external drive isn’t appearing on your Windows PC:

There are a few possible reasons why your external drive isn’t appearing on your Windows PC:

  • The power supply is faulty. The external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11 or 10 may be the result of the device’s power source. You can check to see if it’s getting enough power or working as it should. This should solve the problem.
  • The hard drive is corrupted. A drive with its system files corrupted may not show up on the system. This usually happens when there’s a power surge, the drive is ejected improperly, or a system crash. 

Find out more: How to Fix Hard Drive Errors

  • The hard drive is outdated or not compatible. Windows needs the correct and functioning drivers to communicate effectively with your external drive. If any of these drivers are incompatible or out of date, you could end up with the external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer.
  • Hard drive malfunction. Internal damage or mechanical failure can stop the drive from showing up. Data recovery tools like Auslogics File Recovery can repair the fault.

How to Fix the External Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 10/11

Let me walk you through the solution to the question, “Why is my external hard drive not showing up”:

Solution 1: Confirm if the drive shows up in Disk Management

Is your removable drive showing up in Disk Management? Here’s how to find out: 

  • Press the Windows + X buttons and select Disk Management from the available options. 
  • When the window opens, you should see your external drive among the available disks, possibly under your primary (and secondary, if any) disk. 
Disk Management
  • If the disk is shown, you may need to initialize it. The next method will detail the step-by-step process. However, if the USB hard drive is not showing up, skip to other solutions. 

Initialize the external hard drive 

If the removable disk displays only Unallocated space, you must create a new partition to allow the OS and Windows to use it. Let’s go through the process: 

  • Go to the Disk Management window and right-click anywhere on the Unallocated space. Then, select New Simple Volume and go through the process to create a new partition. 
New Simple Volume

After creating the partition, you should see the drive in the This PC window. 

When there is no drive letter allocated

Another reason why your external hard drive is not showing up on Windows 10 or 11 could be because it doesn’t have a drive letter. 

Here’s how to set a letter for your drive: 

  • Right-click on the removable hard drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths in Disk Management. 
Change Drive Letter and Paths
  • Select Add and give your hard disk a letter. Make sure other drives on your PC are not using it. 
Disk Management Add

Save the changes by clicking OK.

Note
Use alphabets like G or J due to their general use for external drives, and it often works fine. Letters like C and A are used by Windows.

Your external hard disk is offline 

If the problematic drive is offline, right-click on it and select the Online option. Then check if the device is now showing.

Solution 2: Format your removable hard drive

Sometimes, your external hard drive may not be showing up even if it’s partitioned. The problem, in this case, may be that you used a different file system to partition the disk.

For example, you can’t access the drive on Windows if you formatted the hard disk on Mac. You’ll need to reformat the drive with NTFS, exFAT, or FAT32. 

Just open Disk Management, right-click on the disk, and select Format. 

More information: How to Format Hard Drive in Windows

Note
Formatting will delete all the files on the external hard drive. So, backup your data before proceeding.

Solution 3: Update or reinstall your drivers

If your drivers are outdated, the external hard drive not showing up in Windows 11 or 10 would make sense. Without drivers, the removable disk won’t work correctly or even appear.

Follow the steps below:

  • Open the Device Manager, search for disk drives, and right-click on your removable disk. Then, select Properties. 
Device Manager Properties
  • Go to the Driver tab, and select Update Driver.
Driver Tab Update Driver
  • After that, select Search automatically for drivers. Windows will look for compatible drivers, download, and install them. 
Search automatically for drivers
  • If the USB hard drive is still not showing up, restart the previous steps. But this time, select Uninstall Device to remove it from the system. 
Uninstall Device
  • Disconnect the external drive and plug it back in again, then check if it’s working. Windows will automatically install new drivers. That may resolve the problem. 

Quick fix: How to Update Device Drivers on a Windows 10 PC? 

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Solution 4: Disable the USB selective suspend

USB selective suspend is a feature in Windows that switches off USB ports to save power when you’re not using them.

Even though it’s a great setting, if your external hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer, that could be the problem.

Let’s fix that by disabling it in the Control Panel:

The screenshots here are shown in Windows 11. But the process also works for Windows 10.
  • Type “Control Panel” in the search bar and click on it to open.
  • Next, select Hardware and Sound. 
Hardware and Sound
  • Choose Power Options.
Power Options
  • Go to Change plan settings on the current plan you’re already on.
Change plan settings
  • Click Change advanced power settings. 
Change advanced power settings
  • Open up USB settings and select USB selective suspend setting. Set the change to Disabled if you’re using a desktop. If it’s a laptop, turn off the setting for On battery and Plugged in. 
On battery and Plugged in
  • Finally, apply the changes. 

Check this guide: Hard Drive Not Detected During Windows 10 Installation

Solution 5: Test the hard drive to see if it’s working

If your USB hard drive is not showing up after going through all the methods, remove the disk from the external case and test it to see if it’s working.

It could be that the component responsible for converting the SATA drive into USB isn’t functioning. In other words, the hard disk itself could be just fine.

If you don’t know how to go about this, get a professional and let them check it for you.

More on the topic: How to Fix “Hard Drive Is Not Showing Up” in Windows 10/11

PRO TIP
Sometimes, after fixing the external hard drive not showing up, the drive may work but is slow to open files. If you’re facing that problem, no worries. We have the right guide to help you fix external drives too slow to open files!

External Hard Drive Is Not Showing Up: Fixed

The external hard drive not showing up on Windows 10 or 11 can be a real headache but you should be able to resolve the problem after going through this guide.

As a precaution, always backup your files before going through any of the fixes we’ve talked about here. 

However, if you’ve tried the removable disk with several computers and it doesn’t appear in Disk Management, the drive may be dead. 

You can take it to a local repair shop just to be sure. But I’m pretty sure it’s toast.

FAQ

What do I do if an external hard drive is not showing up in Disk Management?
First, don’t panic. Try using a different USB port and check the connections. If you’re using a power source to power the device, confirm if it’s functioning efficiently. If it’s still not working, open the Device Manager and check if any device has a yellow triangle. If you find one, update or delete it. Also, connect the removable disk to another computer to rule out any problems with your system.
How do I recover data from an external hard drive that isn’t recognized?
You can use the best data recovery software on the market, like Auslogics File Recovery, Disk Drill, Recuva, or EaseUS Data Recovery. Just install the tool and follow the instructions to get your files back.
Why does an external hard drive make clicking noises?
If you hear a clicking sound from your computer, it’s mostly likely that your disk is failing. There’s a mechanical issue at play here. Quickly back up any data because it could stop working entirely at any moment.
Is it safe to reformat an external hard drive to fix it?
Yes, it is safe. However, to be on the safer side, it’s better to back up important files before reformatting. That said, if the external hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer or has big hardware issues, reformatting may not change anything. It may not be a permanent solution.