How to Fix a Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows: A Complete Guide

It can be frustrating when your hard drive not detected in Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7. Whether it’s an external hard drive or an internal drive, this issue can be caused by multiple reasons. This article covers potential causes and methods to help you troubleshoot and solve the issue effectively.

Table of Content

1. Why is Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows? Reasons
2. Recover Data from Undetected Hard Drive – Quick Solution
3. 10 Fixed Hard Drive Not Recognized- Manually
4. Final Words

Problems of Users

I immediately posted my query in a couple of online forums where someone suggested disk management and I found that it was not in disk management either. Now after another set of instructions received henceforth, I opened device manager and there under the storage controllers, “USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device” came up, and then I connected the hard disk drive, and apart from that, the hard disk drive was also not detected and to my aghast, the led on this hard disk was also not coming on.

What Causes a Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows?

Before  moving the solutions, it is important to understand the cause of the problem

• Incorrect Connections. One of the simplest causes can be a loose or improperly connected cable, especially in the case of external drives.
• Driver Probelm: Faulty or outdated drivers can prevent Windows from distinguishing or recognizing the drive.
• File System Errors: Damage or corrupt file systems may make the drive unrecognizable.
• BIOS/UEFI Settings: The drive may not be detected, enabled by the BIOS or UEFI firmware.
• Power Error Insufficient power supply to the drive, particularly with external drives, can prevent detection.
• Hardware Failure: Physical damage or failure of the hard drive can also be a cause.
• Partition Issues: Misplaced or  unoccupied partitions can lead to Windows not detecting the drive.

Now let’s go through the steps to resolve these problems.

How to Fix Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows 11/10? Methods

If your hard drive not showing up Windows 10, there are several possible solutions.

Fix 1: Check or Examine the Physical Connections

The first of all in troubleshooting is to check all physical connections:

• Internal Hard Drives: Start the computer case and check that the cables connecting the hard drive to the motherboard (SATA cables) and the power supply are securely connected. Ensure the cables are not damaged.
• External Hard Drives: Inspect that the USB cable is safely connected to the hard drive and the computer. Try using a different USB port, preferably one that is connected directly to the computer rather than through a hub. Also test the drive on another computer to see if the computer or the drive is causing the problem.

Read Also: Turn off Computer without Doing a Shutdown?

Fix 2: Format the Hard Drive to NTFS

If your hard drive not recognized in Windows, you will receive an error due to an unsupported RAW file system or a corrupted file system. You can change the file system to NTFS to fix the error.

1: In Windows 10/8, press Windows key + X and select Disk Management.

2: Locate and right-click your hard drive and select Format.

3: Set the file system to NTFS, check the “Perform a quick format” checkbox and click “OK” to start formatting the drive.

Fix 3: Hard Drive Not Showing Up Windows Using Change Drive Letter

If the physical connections are fine but the drive still doesn’t show up, it’s worth checking the Disk Management tool:

• Right-select the Start menu option and ChooseDisk Management.

• Find your drive in the list of drives. If it shows up but doesn’t have a drive letter, you may need to assign one.
• Right-mouse-select can unrecognized or unallocated drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.

• Click Add and assign a new letter.

1. If your drive is listed as unallocated, you may need to format it, which will erase all data. Right-click the unoccupied space and select New Simple Volume to create a new partition.

If the drive doesn’t show up, it indicates a deeper problem (such as hardware failure or BIOS/UEFI settings).

Fix 4: Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows via Update your Hard Drive Drivers

This method works for hard drives that show up in Disk Management but don’t show up in File Explorer.

1: Right-select this PC and then choose the Manage option.

2: Click on the Device Manager option and expand Disk.

3: Locate and right-click the problematic external or internal drive and select Update Driver.

Step 4: Click the Search automatically for drivers option.

Fix 5: Hard Drive Not Showing up Windows Initialize Hard Drive

For new hard drives or unallocated drives, try initializing the disk and creating a volume on the new hard drive.

1. Right-click This PC (in Windows 10) and select Manage.
2. Go to “Disk Management,” right-click on the new hard drive and select “Initialize disk.”.
3. Select the drive and choose MBR or GPT as the partition style; click OK to start.

Fix 6: Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows Enable the HDD in BIOS

If the hard drive is disabled in the BIOS, it will not appear. Therefore, enabling the drive in the BIOS may help.

Initialize the hard drive in BIOS

1: Restart your computer and press F2 or Del until you enter the BIOS.

2: Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, select Embedded Peripherals and press Enter.

3: Use the arrow keys to select “USB Controller.” Change the setting to Enabled.

Fix 7: Run CHKDSK to Scan your File System for Errors

A corrupted file system on your hard drive can prevent Windows from detecting it. You can try running the CHKDSK utility to fix any issues:

• Open a command prompt as an administrator: type cmd in the Start menu search bar, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
• Type the following command and press Enter: chkdsk X: /f

• Replace “X” with the letter of the drive you are trying to recover (for example, for drive C, type chkdsk C: /f).
• If the drive is not recognized, you may need to run CHKDSK from a bootable USB drive or recovery environment.

Fix 8: Use Diskpart to Recover the Drive

If your hard drive or disk is not detected in Windows, you can try the Diskpart tool to check if the drive is recognized at the system level:

• Open Command Prompt as administrator.
• Type diskpart and press Enter.
• Type list disk to see all connected storage devices. 
• If your drive is recognized here but not in File Explorer, the issue may be related to a corrupted partition or file system.
• Clean your disk with the following command (make sure to back up any important data beforehand):  Select disk X
• Clean.
• Replace X with the number that corresponds to your hard drive.

Note: The clean command will erase all data on the disk, so use this step with caution.

Fix 9: Hard Drive Not Detected in Windows Check for Power Issues

If your external drive does not have enough power, it may not work properly, especially if it’s a large capacity drive or one that requires more power.

• Make sure it’s connected or correlated and working correctly.
• If you’re using a USB-powered external hard drive, use a USB port on your computer directly (avoid using a USB hub as it may not provide enough power).
• Free external drives come with non-USB power adapters. Make sure the adapter is working and connected properly.

Step 8: Test the Drive on Another Computer

If none of the above ways help, use the drive on another computer. If the hard drive is still not detected, it may be physically damaged. In this case, you should consider professional data recovery services.

Fix 10: Hard Drive Not Recognized in Windows Consider Hardware Failure

Occasionally the issue is caused by a failing hard drive. If none of the above rectify steps fix the problem, your drive may be damaged or not working properly. Signs of a failing hard drive include strange noises, poor performance, or frequent system crashes.

Final Conclusion

The above-mentioned procedure will surely help you deal with the issue of hard drive not detected in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc. However, if you have tried all the above-mentioned methods and nothing has happened, you can use the most recommended Data Recovery Service and solve this hard drive not recognized Windows issue.