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How to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up
By Nikshep Myle,
6 hours ago
Issues with external storage can be frustrating, which is why it helps to know how to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up on your computer.
External hard drives are handy for storage and backup, and often, when they don’t work, it could be due to improper connectivity, outdated drivers, or formatting errors.
In this article, we'll guide you through the exact steps to troubleshoot this issue with external hard drives on Windows and Mac systems. And if your existing storage isn’t sufficient, we’ve rounded up the best external hard drives here.
Tools and requirements
Windows computer
Steps for how to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up on Windows
Reboot your computer.
Check the physical connection : disconnect and reconnect the hard drive, reconnect to a different USB port, or reconnect with a different cable.
Update drivers : Device Manager > Disk Drives > Right-click your external hard drive > Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
Reinstall drivers : Device Manager > Disk Drives > Right-click your external hard drive > Uninstall device > Uninstall. Then, reconnect your hard drive.
Format the drive : Disk Management > Right-click your external hard drive > Format > OK.
Windows CheckDisk : Command Prompt (Run as administrator) > Type chkdsk /f X: (X is the letter of your hard drive) > Press Enter > Wait till the process completes.
Enable the drive : Disk Management > Right-click the gray box beside your hard drive > Select Online.
Unallocated drive : Disk Management > Right-click the gray box beside your hard drive > Select New Simple Volume.
Assign a drive letter : Disk Management > Right-click your hard drive > Select Change Drive Letter and Paths > Click add > Assign a letter > Click OK.
Step by step guide to fix an external hard drive that's not showing up on Windows
Before troubleshooting using the steps below, try restarting your computer or external hard drive. Although it appears simple, rebooting devices often fixes lots of technical issues.
Outdated or corrupt drivers can prevent your external hard drive from being recognized. Update the drivers with these steps:
Right-click the Start button at the bottom left corner of the screen and select Device Manager .
Click the dropdown arrow beside Disk Drives . Right-click your external hard drive , click Update driver , then select Search automatically for drivers .
In case this isn’t resolving the problem, try this:
Return to the Device Manager and expand Disk Drives .
Right-click your external hard drive and click Uninstall device . Confirm by clicking Uninstall again.
Reconnect your hard drive to initiate a new driver installation.
Windows can’t recognize hard drives with unsupported formats like APFS (Mac) or ext4 (Linux), in which case you’ll need to format the drive. Note that formatting a drive will erase all content on it:
Right-click the Start button at the bottom left corner of the screen and select Disk Management .
Right-click your external hard drive and select Format . Click OK to begin formatting your hard drive.
The Windows CheckDisk utility helps to troubleshoot issues related to disks. These repairs can sometimes erase data, so back up your drive before following these steps:
Press Windows + S and type Command Prompt . Right-click it and select Run as administrator .
Type chkdsk /f followed by the letter of your hard drive. In my case, that’s chkdsk /f E: .
Hit Enter .
Wait till the scanning and examining are done, and you see Total Duration .
CheckDisk may take time to complete the scan and repair if there are many errors, and you may have to restart your computer once it finishes running.
Mac’s First Aid function helps to detect and repair issues in disks:
Open Disk Utility .
Select your hard drive under External .
Click First Aid towards the top right and then click Run .
Once complete, click Done .
Note that to use First Aid, the hard drive must be formatted for macOS.
Final thoughts
Hard drive issues can be concerning, but you can often resolve them with simple troubleshooting steps. Ensuring proper connection, updating drivers, and using built-in tools like Disk Management or Disk Utility can help fix access to your drive.
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