[SOLVED] – External Hard Drive Not Showing Up On a Computer

Written By Jyoti Prakash
Approved By Rohit Arora
Updated on 16 Jul, 2024
Min Reading 6 Min
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Summary: Your external hard drive may not be detected on computer for many reasons, such as no drive letter assigned, outdated disk driver, or bad sectors on the drive. Since the external hard drive and its data becomes inaccessible in this case, keep a professional data recovery software handy to recover your files from the drive.

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External drives can be easily connected to your system to help you transfer or backup files. However, there are times when you connect your external hard drive to your system, but it’s nowhere to be found in the file explorer.

An external hard drive may not be detected for several reasons, including missing drive letters, corruption, or bad sectors on the drive. The issue may affect not just old, but newly purchased hard drives and prevent one from accessing their data on the drive. Fortunately, the problem can be solved with the best workarounds shared here. Understanding the underlying causes can also help you learn more about the issue and solutions to overcome it.

Reasons Behind External Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Computer

Numerous reasons tend to make external hard drives undetectable by a computer, such as:

The unexpected system shut down due to a sudden power surge while the external hard drive was still in use.
Physical damage due to mishandling or dropping the external hard drive
Virus/malware infection
Prolonged or excessive usage of hard drive
External hard drive nearing the end of its lifecycle
Bad sectors
Outdated/corrupted drivers
Unsupported file system
Insufficient power supply
Drive appearing RAW/Unallocated in Disk Management

Methods to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing

Now that you know the causes behind external hard drives not getting recognized by your system, try solving this issue using the methods discussed here. Before moving on to the methods, let’s try a couple of quick fixes:

Quick fixes:

Method 1: Check the USB cable and drive connectivity

Try to connect the external hard drive to the same system using a different SATA to USB cable to plug in the external drive and see if it appears. If it doesn’t appear, try to use a different USB cable to connect the external hard drive. Your hard drive might be loosely connected to the motherboard and thus not getting detected by the system.

Method 2: Check USB Port

Even after changing the SATA to USB cable, the hard drive is not detected on the computer. Try connecting the external hard drive to another USB port on your computer. If it works, then it was probably a dead USB port issue. If you use a USB hub, connect the drive directly to the computer instead, as some USB hubs don’t provide sufficient power to the external drive to function properly.

Advanced Methods:

If the quick methods don’t help and the drive fails to appear in Disk Management, the drive itself may be faulty. Let’s try some advanced methods to fix the issues with the hard drive, thus solving the External Hard Not Showing Up problem.

Method 3: Check for the External Hard Drive in the BIOS

Looking into BIOS can help determine whether the computer detects the connected external hard drive. Carefully follow the steps:

Restart your computer and continuously press the designated BIOS key to enter the BIOS. The key is usually displayed on the screen. You can also try pressing ESC, DEL, F2, or F8.
Once inside the BIOS, navigate to the Boot tab.
Locate the boot drive and see if the external hard drive shows up.
If it is displayed, then exit the BIOS and reboot your computer.

If your external hard drive is not showing up in the BIOS, it could be due to a faulty cable or loose connection. This could also happen if your external hard drive is uninitialized or unallocated. For this, move to the next solution.

Method 4: Initialize and Assign a Letter to the External Hard Drive

If you’ve purchased a new external HDD, it might not be listed in the file explorer or computer and needs to be initialized. You also need to assign a letter to the external hard drive so that the Logical Disk Manager can access it and show it in the File Explorer. To initialize a drive –

Press WINDOWS + R, type diskmgmt. msc in the box, and click OK.

Locate your external hard drive in Disk Management. It should be visible as an ”Unknown” drive with the ”Not initialized” tag.
Right-click on it and select ”Initialize Disk.”

select the partition style and initialize the disk to recover data from an external hard drive that is not detected

You will see a pop-up window. In this window, select the partition style you want for the drive and click OK. The external hard drive is now initialized.

Assign a Drive letter –

Since the drive is still unallocated and doesn’t have a drive letter or file system, it will not appear in the File Explorer. Here’s what to do now –

In Disk Management, locate the unallocated external hard drive and right-click on it.
Click on New Simple Volume.
You will see the New Simple Volume wizard. Click Next.
The following window will ask you to specify the volume size. Enter the value and click Next.

enter the volume of the hard drive which is not showing up

Choose a drive letter from the drop-down in the next window and click Next.

In the Format Partition window, select the ”Format this volume with the following settings’ option and choose the File System, Allocation unit size, and Volume label.
Choose the Perform a quick format option and click on Next.

select the file system and format the initialized hard drive and recover data from the hard drive which was not showing up

On the final window, click on Finish to format the drive and assign a letter to it.

Method 5: Update Storage Controller Drivers

If your external hard drive is not showing up in the file explorer but is visible in the Disk Management utility, it could be due to outdated or corrupt storage controller drivers. Try to update the storage controller drivers using the following steps and see if the issue gets fixed.

Press WINDOWS + X and click on Device Manager

Locate Storage Controller and expand it.
Right-click on the entry under it and click on Properties.

update hard drive drivers of the hard drive that is not showing up to fix the issue and recover data from it.

Go to the Driver tab and click on Update Driver.
Follow the steps as prompted by the wizard.
Restart your computer.

Method 6: Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter using CMD

This is a typical situation where the external hard drive connected does not show in either Disk Management or File Explorer. In such a situation, you can troubleshoot device-related issues by running the hardware and device troubleshooter via CMD. To do this –

Press WINDOWS + R and type cmd. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open it with administrator privileges.

open command prompt with administrator rights

Type the following command – msdt.exe –id DeviceDiagnostic and press Enter.

type the command and run it to open hardware troubleshooter

It will open the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
Click on Next.

run the hardware troubleshooter to fix the hard drive that is not showing up on the computer and recover data from it

Let the wizard detect the issues. If it displays any problems, click on them individually and follow the steps as prompted to troubleshoot them. Restart your computer.

Note: Also, expand the ”Disk Drives’ entry and update the drivers of your storage drive.

Recover Data from RAW/ Unallocated/ External Hard Drive

A severely corrupted or bad sectored hard drive may not appear in the File Explorer. However, when you access the Disk Management utility, it may appear as ‘RAW’ or ‘Unallocated’. If so, fix it by formatting it with the NT file system and drive letter to make it accessible. However, formatting the drive will result in data loss.

But don’t worry! You can always rely on Stellar Data Recovery Professional, a powerful yet easy-to-use DIY data recovery software that extracts all types of data types, including documents, files, photos, and more. This DIY software efficiently recovers the data from deleted, formatted, or corrupted hard drive partitions. The software scans the affected hard drive and lists the scan results for you to preview first and then proceed with recovery.

Final Words:

Whether you face external hard drive detection issues with a new or old hard drive, you can fix it using the methods discussed in this blog. However, remember that if the hard drive is physically damaged or severely corrupted, it may not be detected at all. In those circumstances, you’ll not be able to regain access to your hard drive data even after using professional data recovery software. It is recommended to take the physically damaged hard drive to data recovery service providers to restore your lost data.

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About The Author

Jyoti Prakash

Problem solver and Data recovery specialist. Usually share informative articles on data recovery, database corruption and ways to recover lost data.

144 comments

Bruce Warrior says:

June 16, 2016 at 5:19 am

Hello Jyoti,

My hard drive is not appearing in “This PC” I don’t know what should I do now. Can you please tell me how I can make my hard drive visible in my system? Thanks in advance.

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  June 20, 2016 at 8:37 am
  
  Hello Bruce,
  
  It’s probably possible that your hard drive has lost its drive letter and you need to assign a drive letter to your hard drive. To assign it, go to disk management and do right click on the drive and then click on change drive letter to assign it.
  
  Reply
Azzroul says:

June 9, 2016 at 6:39 am

Omg plz help me…
About more than an hour ago, i was watching a movie in my toshiba 500gb hardisk but then my sister accidentally hit the hardisk. Aftet that the hardisk CANT BE DETECTED. I TRIED ON ANOTHER LAPTOP BUT STILL DOESNT SHOW ANYTHING OF ITS EXISTENCE. Plzzzzz help me….im gonna cry…..theres a lot of stuff in the hardisk…

The hardisk name is EzznoulEzzat (E:\) byt then it become LOCAL DISK (E:\) ! Ok im crying right now…. plzzzzz help me

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  June 13, 2016 at 9:28 am
  
  Hello Azzroul,
  
  Just give few attempts to the following:
  
  Try to search for your hard drive in disk management.
  
  For this,
  
  You have to do the right-click on My Computer.
  Choose Manage
  Then, find Disk Management
  There, you can search for your external hard drive under the list.
  Do the right click on it and change the drive letter.
  
  If you find it, then it’s good, else you can download our software mentioned above in the blog to recover your data back.
  
  Reply
  1. roy frediles says:
    
    August 16, 2017 at 9:57 am
    
    How to recover my hard drive that is accidentally fall down on the floor then i try to put agian in our tv was not it detect why.. Pls help me..
  2. Jyoti Prakash says:
    
    August 24, 2017 at 2:38 am
    
    Hello Roy,
    
    Sorry to hear about your hard drive.
    
    Please try the demo version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional from the below-mentioned link:
    
    Download Link
    
    After installing the software, please follow the below-mentioned steps to create an image of the drive as your drive contains bad sectors:
    
    1. Run Stellar Windows Data Recovery software.
    2. From Select What to Recover screen, select the type of data i.e. Everything, Documents, Folders & Emails or Multimedia Files, you want to recover. Click on Next.
    3. On Select Location screen, select Recover from Disk Images from Other Locations and click on Scan button.
    4. Now select Create Image option and click Next.
    5. From Create Image screen, select the drive or partition for which you wish to create an image.
    6. To create an image of the entire drive or partition click on Start Imaging.
    7. In ‘Create Media Image to Save’ dialog box, locate the destination where image file should be saved. In the File Name text box, type name. Click on Save.
    8. Click on Scan to start the recovery process.
    
    If still you can’t able to recover your data, then your hard drive needs to be diagnosed by the data recovery service experts.
Steve Clark says:

May 26, 2016 at 11:01 am

Hello Sir,

I had transfer all my data to a new hard drive. But when I connect it with my computer, it shows nothing. Have I lost my data or something else has happen? Please suggest.

Reply
Rick Baker says:

May 19, 2016 at 5:26 am

Hello Jyoti,

I need your help. I have an external hard drive which is not detecting in my laptop. However, it is working fine on my friend’s laptop but when I connect it to my Acer laptop it doesn’t appear in File Explorer. Can you please tell me why it is not recognized in my laptop?

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  May 25, 2016 at 11:01 am
  
  Hi Rick Baker,
  
  From the information you have provided, it seems that your external hard drive is not damaged and is in good condition. I believe that your external hard drive name is similar to your existing drive and that’s why it is not appearing in your laptop. I would like to recommend you to go to the disk management and change the drive letter of your external hard drive and then see if it start appearing into the File Explorer. Thanks!!
  
  Reply
Jerry Greg says:

May 10, 2016 at 8:37 am

Hi Jyoti,
I am very much in need of a data recovery software which easily recovers my data. As recommended by you, I had downloaded ‘Stellar Windows Data Recovery Pro’ and followed all the steps mentioned in your post. Luckily, I was able to turn out my data back…Thanks for your blog dear…

Reply
Jacob Michael says:

May 9, 2016 at 10:29 am

Hi Jyoti, my hard drive was not working properly and due to which I had lost almost all of my important data. After searching a lot, I reached to your blog and found the tips and a useful software available for data recovery. I had used the ‘Stellar Windows Data Recovery Pro’ and no doubt it’s like a big thing comes in small packages. It really works great and it’s astounding features help me in recovering my data in a very easy manner. Thanks for the useful post and the amazing product…

Reply
makhija says:

April 15, 2016 at 12:56 am

Hi Mr Jyoti
In my 500 GB HDD, one person examined it and says the Head of the Disk is not working and he will change the Head and there is a chance that it might get detected. Is it possible? My other question is after changing the Head, what are the chances that the platter is affected by extra scratches thereby make it unusable. Will it get more damaged?

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  April 19, 2016 at 2:36 am
  
  Hi Makhija,
  
  I have few queries for you, kindly answer them so that I can easily provide you the solution of your problem:
  
  1) Since how long your hard drive is not detected?
  2) Have you tried to insert your hard drive in different system?
  3) What comes on screen before it stopped responding?
  
  After changing the head of the hard drive, it might be possible that it will start detecting by the system. But there are also the chances of data loss.
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply
Joe says:

January 18, 2016 at 7:10 am

Hi, I have updated Windows 10 before the New Year, all is working smoothly but today morning when I tried to view movie via CD it wasn’t working, I cannot rip the CD. I am unable to identify the reason why this is happening. Can you please help me in this?

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  January 18, 2016 at 11:05 am
  
  Hi Joe,
  
  I am happy to provide to you the answer of your queries. Can you please answer the following question?
  
  Have you tried to insert your CD into another laptop or computer?
  Are you getting any error message?
  
  Thanks
  
  Reply
George Albert says:

January 11, 2016 at 6:11 am

HI I am using 2 TB external hard drive to back up my data but all of sudden it stops working. I tried chkdsk command to make drive accessible and it worked I was able to access my data. But yesterday when I insert into my laptop it wasn’t working. Again I tried chkdsk command but it didn’t help me. Is there any other solution which can help me to access my data.

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  January 11, 2016 at 10:35 am
  
  Hi George,
  
  As chkdsk is not working, you can try ‘test disk tool’ to make your drive data accessible. If problem still persist then try our Stellar Winodws Data Recovery – Free edition software to make your drive accessible.
  
  Hope it will be helpful for you!!
  
  Reply
Hamer Paul says:

December 28, 2015 at 9:14 am

Hi, please help me I am in problem. Yesterday suddenly my 500GB Toshiba external hard drive started making noise; I took it lightly and used the drive to save my important files. But now today when I insert that hard drive into my laptop it is not appearing. Now I don’t understand why this is happening and how can I recover my data? Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Reply
1. Jyoti Prakash says:
  
  December 30, 2015 at 11:14 am
  
  Hi Hamer,
  
  When hard drive starts making noise then it means that drive file system or read/write head is getting damage and the drive is about to die. In such situation you should to take backup drive data and format it. Now to make your drive visible just go to control penal and click on device manager, then click on view and select show hidden files. Hope it will help you!!
  
  If after using above method, you don’t find drive then I would suggest you to download hard drive recovery software, it will help you to search and detect lost drive as well as helps you to recover your lost data.
  
  Reply