How to Restore Missing D Drive on Windows 11?

Even after rigorous updates, Windows 11 users still face several bugs leaving users frustrated. Recently, a strange glitch has come to light where users are looking at a missing D drive; a situation where the D Drive disappears from the File Explorer.

According to several affected users, the D drive went missing on their computer after a sudden system crash interrupted the work and ultimately blocked access to their data. In some cases, users even encountered a BSoD right after the system crash. The issue is reportedly affecting both HDD and SSD users.

Reasons Behind the D Drive Missing Issue

As we store all our data in drive partitions (except for C:), sudden disappearance of the D Drive partition is not a good sign. Reasons behind the D drive missing from your computer could be the following.

• Motherboard issues
• Faulty drive
• Outdated drivers/firmware
• Loose connections
• Buggy system update

My D Drive is Missing. How Do I Bring It Back?

A D drive can go missing or become inaccessible due to bad sectors, motherboard issues, problems with the SATA connection, and more. This issue does seem impossible to fix, but there are some easy DIY methods you can try to resolve it.

Preliminary Checks –

Before we employ the advanced methods, let’s try some basic workarounds to help you relocate the missing D drive.

• Check the SATA and power cables for any loose connections. In case of an external storage drive, ensure it is properly connected to your system.
• Restart the computer to install any pending update causing this issue.
• If you use a hard drive, check if it spins upon system startup.
• Look out for unusual sounds like scratching or grinding while the HDD operates. If you hear such sounds, shut down the PC immediately and don’t use the drive.
• Perform a S.M.A.R.T. scan to check the disk drive’s health. If there are no issues with the drive, run chkdsk d: /f via an elevated CMD instance. It will fix various bugs and errors in drive sectors.
• A simple cable swap can also help you restore the missing D drive.

If the D drive is still missing after performing all the above measures, proceed with the advanced methods shared below.

Method 1: Update Firmware & Drivers

If the D drive is missing from your PC, try updating the SSD firmware. You can do so by going to the manufacturer’s website. You can also update the storage controller drivers via Device Manager.

Method 2: Check BIOS

If you use multiple storage drives in your PC – one to boot the OS and another to store data –  you can check BIOS to see if the latter drive is visible. If the D drive is located in the BIOS but not visible in File Explorer, your data will become inaccessible till you locate the drive.

If the D drive volume appears in the BIOS, but not in File Explorer, it could be due to a conflicting drive letter.

Method 3: Rescan the Drive

Check Disk management to find the missing D drive. If the D drive is missing from the Disk management, rescan the complete disk to find the lost volume. This scan will help identify all the drives connected to the system. Here’s what to do –

• Open Disk Management.
• Click on Actions in the Menu bar at the top.
• Then, click on Rescan Disks.

Doing this will help the system re-identify the connected storage drives and list them in Disk Management.

Method 4: Change the Drive Letter

If rescanning the drive brings up a list of several other drives with a similar drive letter, it could be why the D drive is missing from the PC. You can fix this by changing the drive letter of the other drive. To do this –

• In the Disk Management, locate the missing D drive and right-click on it.
• Click on the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
• A pop-up box will appear, asking you to select the drive letter.
• Select the D drive and click on Change.
• In the next box, choose the Assign the following drive letter option and use the drop-down menu to select the drive letter.
• Click on OK to proceed.
• Follow the on-screen instructions after doing this.

Method 5: Recover Data & Replace the Drive

The above methods should help you fix the D drive missing on Windows 11 issue. However, there are chances that these methods may not work, resulting in data loss due to inaccessible partition/volume.

To avoid an unwanted data loss scenario, you can take help of Stellar Data Recovery Professional. It is a professional Windows data recovery software that can easily recover data from inaccessible drives without any hassle.

Simply launch the software and click on the Can’t Find Drive option to perform lost partition recovery. It will bring up all the partitions, including the missing D drive. You can recover all your files from this partition and store them on an external storage drive.

Additional Ways to Fix the D Drive is Missing Issue

Apart from the above, some other methods can also help you fix the missing D drive problem.

• Reinstall Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology Drivers
• Configure Intel(R) Optane Memory

Conclusion

Along with data loss, a missing D drive from your PC can also result in unprecedented system crashes. We hope the methods mentioned in this post helped you restore the missing D drive and get your data back in one piece.

P.S. – You can also try to initialize the disk as gpt or disable Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology from the BIOS.

FAQ

Q. How to make D drive my default drive?

A. Go to Settings > System > Storage > Choose the new drive as the default location > Apply.

Q. How to create a new partition in Windows 11?

A. Open Disk Management > Select the drive from which you want to create a partition > Right-click on the unpartitioned space > Select New Simple Volume.

Q. How to shrink a volume in Windows?

A. To shrink a volume – Go to Disk Management > Right-click on the partition you want to shrink and click on Shrink Volume > Follow the on-screen instructions.

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About The Author

Keshav Katyal

A passionate writer driven by his interest in everything tech, Keshav Katyal has always been captivated by the latest gadgets since childhood. His interest in technology grew when he got his first gaming console, the Nintendo Game Boy Advanced. Hours and days of tinkering with old & new gadgets made his inner geek passionate about technology.