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Fix: Seagate External Hard Drive not Showing on Windows 10/11
Try the solutions recommended by our trusted experts
11 min. read
Updated onAugust 14, 2024
updated onAugust 14, 2024
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Key notes
Seagate is a famous hard drive manufacturer, but despite the quality of their devices, there might be some issues. For example, many reported that the Seagate external hard drive is not showing up in Windows 10.
The problem arises due to several issues, but most of these are usually trivial and can quickly be dealt with. Though in some cases, you would have to try complex solutions.
So, let’s understand why you are encountering issues with Seagate hard drive and the fixes to get things up and running.
Why is the Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 10?
More often than not, when the Seagate external hard drive is not showing up in Disk Management, it’s the connections to blame. So first, check whether the cable is properly plugged in at both ends and that the connected port is active.
If it’s showing up in Disk Management but remains absent in Windows Explorer, likely, space on it has not been allocated. Also, it would be the same in case the drive has not been assigned a letter yet. In this case, all you have to do is format the Seagate external hard drive.
Also, issues with the drivers, conflicts from third-party apps, and certain features on Windows are responsible for the problem.
There are multiple reasons why theUSB 3.0 external drive isn’t recognized, and in most cases, it’s just a glitch in Windows that causes it.
In some instances, yourexternal hard drive keeps disconnectingbecause there’s an issue with the connection, and it can include both your port and the cable.
Drivers are a possible cause for this issue, and if your USB isn’t recognized in Windows, you may have problems with the USB drivers.
Seagate hard drives offer high quality, but they can also experience specific issues once in a while. For example, many Seagate owners reported the following problems on their PC:
How do I fix the Seagate hard drive issues on Windows 10 and 11?
1. Fix the Seagate Manager Windows 10 issues
Troubles with Seagate Manager are relatively common, and if you’re having issues with it, you might want to reinstall your Seagate software.
Updating drivers manually is very annoying, so we recommend you use a dedicated tool to do it automatically. Thus, you will prevent file loss and even permanent damage to your computer.
Outbyte Driver Updater
It has been reported that Microsoft OneDrive can cause issues with Seagate Manager and Seagate hard drives, so it’s advised that you disable OneDrive.
Also, find out how toadd or remove startup apps on Windows 10.
2. Fix the Seagate driver Windows 10 problems
The Paragon driver can often cause issues with Seagate Backup Plus, and to fix these issues, you will have to reinstall the Paragon driver. In addition, some users advise installing Paragon driver usingCompatibilitymode.
3. Fix the Seagate external harddrive problems on Windows 10
If you’re using Seagate external hard drive, it might not be recognized when Fast Startup is enabled. Fast Startup is turned on by default in Windows 10, and you need to turn it off.
Once done, restart the computer; the Seagate external hard drive is not working, and no light problem should be fixed.
This is a simple workaround if your Seagate external hard drive isn’t recognized by Windows 10. You’ll need your USB device connected to your computer to do this.
We used a USB mouse in our example, but any other device would also work. So now your Seagate external hard drive should start working again.
We must mention that this solution works with Seagate hard drives such as Seagate GoFlex, so if you own a GoFlex device, make sure you try this solution.
Although this is a simple solution, the only downside is that you’ll have to perform it every time you start your computer.
Also, if yourUSB port is not working in Windows 10, you can count on us to solve the problem.
4. Fix the Seagate Central issues on Windows 10
Users have reported that they are unable to connect to Seagate Central network drive on Windows 10, and if you have this issue, you can try switching to a local account.
After switching to the local account, check if the issue still appears.
Also, ifWindows 10 won’t let allow a new user account, check out our simple guide and create or add how many accounts you want in no time.
Sometimes your antivirus software can cause issues with Seagate Central on Windows 10, and to fix it, it’s advised that you check the program’s settings.
Users report that McAfee antivirus can cause this issue, and you need to navigate to thePorts and System Services section in McAfee antivirus and check theHomegroupoption.
If this doesn’t help, you’ll have to disable your antivirus or firewall temporarily, or in the worst-case scenario, you might have to remove it from your PC and switch to another one.
You can find out how tocompletely remove Norton antivirusfrom the PC.Also, learn touninstall McAfee when the removal tool doesn’t work.
You might consider switching to another antivirus software that doesn’t cause issues and is friendly to other programs.
⇒Get ESET HOME Security Essential
Before you can use any Seagate hard drive, you need to partition it. After partitioning your hard drive as a GPT drive, the problem should be resolved.
Also, discover how toconvert MBR to GPT disks without data loss.
5. Fix the Seagate GoFlex Windows 10 issues
Before you can use Seagate GoFlex hard drive, you need to make sure that this drive has a letter assigned to it. Once you assign a drive letter to your Seagate drive, it should start working again.
If you have problems accessing Seagate GoFlex on Windows 10, you may try using the default drivers. Then, when your PC restarts, Windows will install the default drivers, and the problem should be fixed.
6. Fix the Seagate NAS Windows 10 issues
Many users have reported that they cannot access Seagate NAS (Network-attached Storage) on Windows 10. If you have this problem, you should try installing Seagate Discovery version 1.40.1041.002 or higher.
After doing that, your Seagate NAS should start working again. However, if the issue persists, try running Seagate Discovery as administrator.
How do I fix the Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11 issue?
As with the previous iteration, if the Seagate external hard drive is not showing up in Windows 11, you should first check the connections and ensure everything is in order.
Next, verify if the drive has been initialized. Also,update the driversfor the Seagate hard drive. If nothing else works, you may format the drive and set it up from scratch to get things up and to run.
By now, you would have fixed the issues with Seagate hard driver. Besides, the solutions would also work if the Seagate external hard drive is not showing up and beeping in Windows.
Also, find out how tofix fatal errors on external hard drives. Speaking of Seagate issues, many reported thatSeagate Dashboard isn’t working, but we have covered this issue in a separate guide, so don’t miss it.
If you have any other questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
More about the topics:Fix Hard Drive issues
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
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Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.More about Vlad ›
