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External Hard Drive Not Showing up in Windows 11 [Fix]
Find out all you need to know to fix USB hard drive not showing up in Windows 11
6 min. read
Updated onMay 16, 2024
updated onMay 16, 2024
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The internal drive on our computer doesn’t always offer the required storage, and to expand it,purchasing an external hard driveseems to be the most viable option. But, what do you do if Windows 11 won’t recognize an external hard drive?
The problem here could be due to a bunch of reasons, but it’s simple to get the hard drive up and running, given you follow the right approach, and that the drive itself is not faulty.
So, let’s walk you through the most effective fixes for the Windows 11 won’t recognize an external hard drive issue.
Why is my external hard drive not showing up in Windows 11?
Besides the physical connection of the hard drive to your computer,outdated driverscan cause this issue in Windows 11.
Check out our guide in order to find morefactors causing Toshiba external hard drives not showing up. And if yourcomputer does not recognize your WD external hard drive, note that it can be caused by driver issues or connection problems too.
Moreover, here are some error variations that you can encounter, and fix with the same solutions below:
But this being said, let’s see what you can do about this!
How do I get Windows 11 to recognize my external hard drive?
1. Check the connections
First, you should check that the connections are in order since it’s the most common issue behind the problem. Make sure that the cable is properly plugged into the ports at both ends and that there is no damage to it.
Also, verify that the port requirements are in order. Some external hard drives work only when connected to a USB 3.0 port, so make sure to check that and then connect it to the right port.
Once done, if the Windows 11 won’t recognize the external hard drive problem persists, head to the next method.
2. Initialize the external hard drive (new ones only)
After you have initialized it, check if Windows 11 will now recognize the external hard drive. Some new drives are not initialized, and in this case, these are not listed in the File Explorer. Also, it’s critical that you create a primary partition on the drive.
3. Update the driver
If the drivers installed for the external hard drive are outdated or are infected with a bug, your Windows 11 PC most likely won’t recognize it. In this case, the best option is toupdate the driverssince it will eliminate the error and also improve the device’s performance.
In case you are unable to update via Device Manager, try the othermethods to manually install the latest driver version in Windows 11.
Similarly, update the USB drivers, in case it’s not the hard drive but the USB ports that are causing the trouble.
Also, you can use a reliablethird-party driver updating software. This tool only installs credible drivers, so your system remains safe and secure.
4. Assign a drive letter
For a device to be listed in the File Explorer, it should have a drive letter assigned. If that’s not the case, make sure to assign one and the Windows 11 won’t recognize external hard drive issue would be fixed.
By the time you reach this part of the article, the error should be long gone and you can start using your external hard drives without any trouble. Also, if you have another PC running the previous iteration, learn what to do if theexternal hard drive does not show up in Windows 10.
In case thehard drive went missing after an updatein your case, check the solutions listed in the linked guide. Also, if you find out that the hard drive itself is faulty, check our curated list of thebest hard drives for Windows 11.
Tell us which fix worked and the hard drive you were facing issues with, in the comments section below.
More about the topics:external hard drive,Windows 11
Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim has always been fond of technology, be it scrolling through the settings on his iPhone, Android device, or Windows PC. He’s specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
Long-time Windows user, Kazim is ready to provide a solution for your every software & hardware error on Windows 11, Windows 10 and any previous iteration. He’s also one of our experts in Networking & Security.
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Kazim Ali Alvi
Windows Hardware Expert
Kazim is specialized in hardware devices, always ready to remove a screw or two to find out the real cause of a problem.
