Hard Drive Not Showing Up? Fix It Fast with These 7 Easy Solutions

This article focuses on the hard drive not showing up and offers 7 ways to fix the problem. These solutions can also be used to resolve an external hard drive not showing up. If you have better suggestions or questions regarding this issue, check out this blog.

Common Symptoms of the Hard Drive Not Showing Up Issue

You install or connect a hard drive, open File Explorer, and… nothing. The drive icon is missing. Even after connecting the drive to another computer, the system still doesn’t recognize it.

• This is a common issue and can appear in several forms:
• The drive appears in Disk Management but not in File Explorer
• The disk doesn’t appear in Disk Management at all
• The drive is visible in BIOS but not in Windows
• The system can’t detect the drive in the BIOS
• A new internal, external, or USB drive isn’t recognized

When a hard drive not detected, you cannot access the data stored on it—especially frustrating if you don’t have backups. The good news is that in most cases, the problem is fixable.

Common Reasons for a Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows

There are several reasons Windows or BIOS is unable to detect the presence of the hard drive. Here is a list of possible causes for the hard drive not showing up. You could refer to these causes:

Connection issues:

Loose or faulty data cables, power cables, USB ports, or insufficient power supply.

Unallocated disk space:

The drive has no partitions, so it doesn’t appear in File Explorer.

Missing drive letter:

A partition without a drive letter won’t show up in Windows.

Disk not initialized:

The drive appears as Unknown, Not Initialized in Disk Management.

Outdated or incompatible drivers:

Windows cannot communicate properly with the device.

Bad sectors or physical damage:

Mechanical failure or hardware defects may prevent detection.

Drive is disabled in BIOS or Device Manager

The causes for the problem differ for each person, and the solutions are available. There are various ways to solve it. The next part will outline several methods suggested by experts step-by-step, and you can try these methods one by one.

Also read: How to Clone Hard Drive to New SSD Without Reinstalling?

7 Ways to Fix a Hard Drive Not Showing Up Issue

1. Check the hard drive cable connection

There’s a chance that a hard drive does not show up due to an unreliable cable connection. This must be investigated at the beginning of every time you experience the problem. Local hard drives are connected to the computer’s motherboard through two cables: the data cable and the power cable. Ensure that the two cables function properly and connect correctly to your hard drive and the motherboard. If you find that the connection is loose, use a new cable.

Start with the basics:

• Ensure the data (SATA/USB) and power cables are securely connected
• Try a different cable
• Connect the drive to another SATA port or USB port
• Avoid USB hubs—connect the drive directly to the computer
• Test the drive on another computer

2. Initialize the Disk

Sometimes, a hard drive not showing up in Windows Explorer but shows up in Disk Management. The disk is identified as not initialized due to corruption issues. The disk can be initialized using these steps:

• Press Win + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter
• Locate the disk by size
• Right-click the disk name → Initialize Disk
• Choose MBR or GPT (GPT is recommended for modern systems)

3. Create and Format a Partition

We frequently use Disk Management to check disk status and identify issues, because it can display a disk that is not partitioned and unallocated space. To have the hard drive appear as a drive in Windows Explorer, you should create a separate partition for the disk. If the hard drive is experiencing an issue with partition loss, you shouldn’t create new partitions until the lost data is restored. If this happens, recovering lost partitions must be completed before performing any other action.

Steps:

• Open Disk Management
• Right-click the unallocated area
• Select New Simple Volume
• Follow the wizard to create and format the partition

Note: If the partition was lost and contains important data, recover the data first before creating a new partition.

4. Assign a Drive Letter

Without a drive letter, the partition does not show in Windows. If a hard drive not showing up in Windows, is linked to your PC and correctly partitioned, and you’re still unable to access it through File Explorer, you should ensure that it is equipped with an assigned drive letter.

Steps:

• Open Disk Management
• Right-click the partition
• Select Change Drive Letter and Paths
• Click Add
• Choose a letter and click OK

5. Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Hardware troubleshooter is an integrated tool in Windows 7/8/10. If your hard drive or any other hardware does not work properly as expected, you can use this tool to check if there are any errors on the device.

• Open Settings → Update & Security
• Go to Troubleshoot
• Select Hardware and Devices
• Run the troubleshooter and follow the instructions

Also read: File Explorer Not Responding on Windows 10? Causes and Easy Fixes

6. Update Disk Drivers

The hard drive not showing up issue could be due to a defective or incompatible driver, and you can fix it by updating drivers, such as this:

Steps:

• Press Win + R, type devmgmt.msc
• Expand Disk drives
• Right-click the problematic drive
• Select Update driver
• Follow the on-screen instructions

7. Enable the Drive in BIOS

If your hard drive not showing up in Disk Management, then you need to determine if it is identified in BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). BIOS is accountable for monitoring the communications between the hardware devices connected to your computer and the operating system. Therefore, you can enter the BIOS to verify the state of your hard drive, which is not recognized by your system. This is because the drive could be disabled in the System Setup, as certain motherboard makers block unneeded ports in the BIOS default.

Steps:

• Restart your computer
• Enter BIOS by pressing F2, F10, F12, or Delete during startup
• Go to the Storage or Boot section
• Check if the hard drive is listed
• Enable the controller or port if it is disabled
• Save the changes and restart the computer

Conclusion

This article discusses a hard drive not showing up and offers seven ways to resolve the issue. These solutions can be applied to solve similar issues, such as a USB drive or external hard drive not showing up.

FAQs: Hard Drive Not Showing Up