5 Ways to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Windows

[@lasu7712]

One of the problems of "Not Showing Up" is ... not showing up, neither in Disk Management nor DISKPART. So methods 2, 4, 5 are not applicable since the drive is not visible. 1 is on hope of the problem is not the drive itself, 3 as well. In fact, none of the methods can solve the problem "not showing up" due to the drive's problem.

[@RockSchneider]

None of those methods worked for me, the hdd dosent show up, so how can I check any of the other methods? This titles they put on these videos should be fixed.

[@lasu7712]

@@RockSchneider Of course that it does not work, because the topic mentioned in the video requires that the system SEEs the HD correctly, that is contrary to the title. Therefore my previous comment was to say that the video is bla bla bla... talk for nothing .... in a polite way, the video did not answer anything to the title it incites to look to... Yes, you are right, the title was probably just to attract people looking the video, what's a pity (or a shame), just a way to get money that is the most important here! And the name of the channel should be fixed too! Anyway, I am going to let YT to avoid proposing me video from this channel. It's a waste of time.

[@azutop1]

@@lasu7712 So sad....What a pity...

[@Oscuros]

@@lasu7712 "incites to look to" that's not English, don't use words you don't understand what they mean. ...did not answer anything the title purports to, pretends to. Incitement is January 6th, not the same.

[@samiesammy4268]

Here’s the solution , I found it by mistake , I reallly hope you see. This , I’m so happy that I found. It rn . go to control panel tap system and security then tap storage spaces it will appear there , now whaat you did is click on create a storage space and it should be smooth sailing from there

[@jodibrooklyn1033]

I know this isn't the right place to post this, but I must give you guys an AWESOME review! I accidentally deleted a video off my Cannon camera from a concert (Duran Duran) from yesterday. I realized what I did immediately. I researched online what I could do to get it back. Your data recovery software popped up. And HOLY COW... I got my video back. Thank you, Thank you, Thank YOU!!!

[@zanker28]

Thanks a lot. I did not know I had to initialize a new hard disk. They don't tell you in the instructions. You're a life saver.

[@cleverfiles]

You are welcome!

[@zapniles8609]

Brilliant - your "Method #2" worked for me! For the past few days I've been frantically watching numerous videos for possible solutions and you are the ONLY one I've found who's mentioned this particular method. So thanks a ton!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@amasslead]

Thank you, especially for giving us five different ways. No 1 through 3 did not work for me but the fourth was gold. And I have learned a lot just within minutes of watching your videos. Keep up the good work!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome 🙌

[@roguephoenix]

how can you use any of these if the disk is not even showing up? all these require the disk to be visible.

[@jeremyhanson701]

Fixed! Thank you so much! Was given a 3TB hard drive and was going crazy trying to get it working! In the end I formatted it and then initialised it in the way you showed. Great video!

[@neilmirchandani1744]

Wow you literally sorted an issue that I was struggling for nearly an hour with within just 5 mins. Thanks dude

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help! :-)

[@DJGillman]

Thanks! The Disk Management initialize method worked a treat, now my harddrive shows up. 👌🏻

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@kartofffel1595]

Changing the letter did the trick, thanks!

[@cleverfiles]

Great!

[@ChiaPepper]

Love this video. A lot of other tuts did not go over every possibility you did and the way you showed it was super easy and informative. Thank you so much for the help!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it was helpful!

[@masterofwhispers]

Dude, THANK YOU! Changing the Drive Letter worked for me!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@gabeprieto1822]

don't really drop comments on tutorials, but damn bro. effective, simple, and straight to the point with many solutions. amazing video brotha 🤝

[@cleverfiles]

Thank you for your feedback:)

[@luciaviki]

You just saved my day, I have an older external disk that was not showing up on my pc. Since I wasn't finding the original cable I was using more recent cables. I thought I had lost all my family pictures....and watching this video, the part where you mentioned the usb 2.0 cable hit me! I found the original cable and it worked, man I'm so happy 😆I never would of thought of this but the cable is much thicker and it was the solution!!! Thank you so much for this video. 🙏💪

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help! 🙌

[@azutop1]

Thank you! I love this video...simple and straightforward. Really solve my problem in minutes. I had been watching others videos but none seems to help.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@DogOnCocaine]

Thank you so much I got this external hard drive from my mother a few years ago when she heard I was having space issues on my pc and I could not for the life of me figure it out so I ended just hiding it in my closet and bought my own that worked out the box. I was digging through my closet earlier today and looking for something else and found the hard drive I decided to take another crack at it again since its been a while. When it stumped again and found your video immediately fixed my problem thank you so much! instant sub and like! now I have so much space to work with!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@hifiguy77]

Thank you! Had no idea I could find and initialize unrecognized drives under disk management (didn't realize to scroll down to find it; or to right click it for options). You just saved my four drives I was about to recycle!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help!

[@sharpnoodle378]

worked like a charm, had to initialize the hard drive within the disk management. thank you brother, the new lesson is much appreciated, thank you once again :)

[@cleverfiles]

Welcome 👍

[@Fenyxclips]

I was struggling to figure out how to connect mine and method 2 helped a lot!

[@Abszurdista-fatalista]

Hi, it wont even let me change drive letter and paths... Help!

[@Jbags369]

dude is a lifesaver

[@delloratemygrandma5420]

thank you the 3rd one worked for me!

[@nancymunroe924]

Thank you! Your very first solution solved my problem. Now I can breathe again.

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome! ✌️

[@johncastro6474]

Thank you so much brother, this was the only video that actually helped.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped :)

[@chadz8632]

thank you so much. i plugged it in and i didn't see it show up, i followed your steps to disk management and got to format it from there

[@cleverfiles]

Glad we could help!

[@40splishsplash]

Well, the problem is that the external hard drive doesn't show up on my PC any longer (same as the title of your video), so I can't really use any of these methods.

[@sohelreza9141]

My external hard drive works well when I use it in USB 2 but don't work in USB 3. My computer has only USB 3. I bought a USB hub with both USB 2 & 3 and use the external hard drive in USB 2 of that hub. It works fine.

[@Youcantphazeme24]

MacBook Pro user, I have a LaCie that was working just fine. I was uploading photos from a wedding I stepped away and came back to my desk and the one the screen it said that my LaCie didn’t eject properly, weird since no one was near my desk. I was trying to figure it out and in the process I erased all my photos over 1TB. Found you guys and it seems like it’s working well. My question is how ever Can I recover all my files to my desktop and once they are saved can I re put them back to my hard drive? Since you mention not to recover them back to the hard drive but somewhere else

[@cleverfiles]

Yes. We don't recommend to recover files to the same drive so that the original files wouldn't get overwritten. Once you've successfully recovered files to a different drive, you can copy them back.

[@Scathaxx]

holy hell man, thankyou so much. i have been trying to make get my Seagate Expansion HDD to work, and this video helped me out so damn much, almost felt like i spent hundreds on a 4TB drive for nothing

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help! 🙌

[@marcovanderbank7361]

It shows up on diskpart and disk management. Usb stick immediately shows when plugged in but none of my external drives show up, the hdd's immediately show up on other pc's.

[@marcovanderbank7361]

Just had to assign a drive letter to the hdd.

[@soarstar]

Thankya! Just purchased a hard drive, not realizing it was supposed to be for internal use (doh). Got a SATA adapter and nothing. Simple initializing and off we go.

[@progressiveminded5858]

Thank you, Method number 4 worked

[@slaywee]

i have same problem, but my problem wont be solve with any of the methods. I have 1TB WD passport ext HDD which was password protected, however i remove the password bcz it was bugging me alot and after that my drive wont show up. i tried everything even my last resort of using CMD and it found almost 1000 line of address error that need to be fixed, now the problem for me is that cmd is taking way too much time like its taking over 120 hours which i don't have much time and the time keeps on going forward. So i cancelled the cmd and tried using it on other systems or laptop but now i think i completely destroyed the drive bcz now it wont show up at all, not even on cmd it gives error. help?

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@NoName-fo6ps]

Me: "This might be a lengthy process" Video: "Try a different USB port" Me: "This aint gonna work but I'll give it a shot" *It works* Me: "Well I'll be damned"

[@nobodyxxvi3499]

Changing the letter did it for me. Thank you so much!!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@rndomly7584]

4th method worked for me, you're savior. Thank you

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@Megakev]

You sir! Are a legend, made my day. Perfect vid 🙏👍.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jimniculescu8819]

Yeah that's a life saver. I'll just note this option on my notrebook so ill be prepared next time

[@matthieub3626]

Thank you ! i was going mad. method 2 worked for me !

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help 😊

[@deltabravo1257]

0:41 Fractal Designs Define PC case! I have the same in the XL version. Your software saved the day for an SD card I am using.

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help!

[@jakewyatt4126]

Thank you, how am i supposed to know to go through all that crap to initialize it. Saved me

[@NewAgeSamurai]

I have a puzzle for you: New External Hard Drive 1TB Plugging in Laptop: -works imediately, -no issues Plugging in PC: -no chime, -not showing up on disk mgmt, -drive power is on Solutions tried: -plugged in different usb ports (on 2.0 it blinks, on 3.0 it just stays on) still no chime, not detected -unchecked usb root hub power management option -made sure that my PC power options are under maximum performance -checked drivers, windows update, troubleshoot, cmd troubleshoot, everything is updated -multiple restarts with drive plugged -plugged the drive back to laptop to change the drive letter (to Y) on the offchance that it conflicts with my PC HDD drives. Still no chime, not showing up anywhere. USB ports on PC are working properly, plugging in anything else (i.e. smaller pocket USB drives, mouse, keyboard, you name it) works instantly and properly. Both Laptop and PC have the same Windows 10. Why is just that Transcend Storejet 1TB hard drive NOT working only on my PC but everywhere else it works fine even on different friend's PCs? I've been busting my head all day trying to make it work. Now what? : (

[@matt759537]

changing the drive letter worked for me, great video!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@jaydenrosealexandraloughra1933]

You’re an absolutely lifesaver!!!

[@Gismho]

Excellent, no nonsense video. Highly recommended. Thank you.

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@J4rn0]

"Not showing up on windows" goes to disk management in WINDOWS...

[@EnforcerGG]

Truee

[@AnimatorGuy12]

Thankyou straight to the point! Great video

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help :-)

[@vigneshlal]

method 2 worked for me. thanks a lot man..

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@dfess6463]

I was so sure that it wasn't my USB connection. It has never not connected to my USB 3. Alas...it was all along. It is quite old. The 2.0 did the trick. Tyvm.

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@rnorsg5576]

Great tutorial . Thanks . Using Disk Drill can I recover data from an external drive that appears to have been damaged due to a power surge ? At some point there was a burnt smell coming out from the external drive . I also have an older computer that Best Buy had wiped out its internal hard drive without telling me upfront. Probably they did some reformatting, but I’m not sure. Can I still recover it also by using Disk Drill ? If yes, I guess I would have to buy an external case and place that old laptop’s harddrive in it , then connect it to my working laptop to start the investigation process. Correct ? Thanks so much for your help in advanced.

[@cleverfiles]

If your drive is recognized by your computer as well as Disk Drill, you're welcome to scan it. If you can find and fully preview your files, it is a guaranteed recovery. You can try Disk Drill basic for that, it is free.

[@calumliddy3791]

thanks for showing me how to initialize my drive to my pc

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help!

[@princesseilly]

woooow thanks aloooot < it worked for me when i changed the disk letter

[@stevert24]

Thank you. Method 2 and 4 solved my problem. Cheers!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@Melonmanrr]

thank you so much man do not want to have to throw this out

[@Grimreaper-xl9rq]

You can pin this if you want but people trying the disk drill method, it only allows you to restore 500mb of data. If you go over the threshhold, it makes you pay $70 + just to restore more

[@chimefaxxyoyo4548]

Thank you! Method #4 worked for me!

[@Sarah-em6dq]

I can open and access my seagate drive on my Mac normally, but it doesn't work on my Windows PC. I don't have the option to initialize the drive either. :(

[@ej5376]

100% Perfect Feedback - Straight to the point. Thank you for this matey.

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome ✌️

[@kieranQH]

Perfect Tutorial, Helped me with my problem straight away. Thanks

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@rafaeldeguia1353]

nice! method#1 immediately works for me. easy and simple! thanks man

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@ArchieTed]

Fixed by method 2, thanks!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Great!

[@bras7s]

How can you do most of this if the drive does not show up anywhere?

[@mrsausageii1585]

Nice Video - but I would like to voice a question that many have asked but you have not answered - When a drive does not show up in Disk Management nor DISKPART what then Mr CleverFiles?

[@cleverfiles]

In this case, check the physical connections and try different ports or cables. Verify the drive is recognized in the BIOS/UEFI settings. Update motherboard or SATA/RAID controller drivers and try connecting the drive to another computer. If the issue persists, use a Linux Live CD/USB to check for recognition there. If none of these steps work, the drive may be faulty and professional data recovery might be needed if the data is critical.

[@dim9294]

Thanks, changing the Letter fixed it

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@WeeAddy]

My drive isn't even appearing in the Disk Management section, so I can't assign a new letter or format it. It was fine when I purchased it, worked for a few weeks, would occasionally drop connection at random, and then one day it just stopped working altogether. When plugged in the USB connection noise plays, the light on the drive is on, and you can hear it spinning, but after 2mins or so the disconnect noise plays - but the light stays on. I've no idea what's wrong with it, or how to fix it, or if it's fixable at all.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@BonMooney]

nearly all of these fixes depend on being able to see the drive to click on it - I acn't see it - it sodesnt register as being connected at all

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@user-yi6jd2tg4g]

Hello my external hard drive is working fine on my laptop but if I plug it into my TV it doesn't work or show like before

[@dusanman3032]

Thank you, thank you, thank you :) Method 3 worked for me! All the best!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@gentleedwin2606]

Thanks dude method 4 worked for me

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help 😊

[@nathalierodrigueztango]

You're the best thanks!!! Tip number 2 worked, all is great now, thank you so much!!!!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@kristjanhaavik]

Method 4 worked. You are an angel! Big thanks!

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help 😊

[@TriplePistol]

What do i do when CRC error pops up when doing method 2, initialization and method 5,format? What's the problem in this case?

[@cleverfiles]

A CRC error means that the cyclic redundancy check has detected damaged or incomplete files. Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@JLa748]

I was unable to get the disk management to pass the "connecting to virtual Disk Service". I have two new disks in a 3-bay external drive reader, old ones working normal, these new ones make noises and vibration as soon as connected but do not appear in windows 10. is there any alternate suggestion to inicialize them you could share? Thanks.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@TheRagestorm]

So with Xbox's new policy regarding deleting game captures after 90 days, I chose to backup all my captures on an external drive. What the Xbox doesn't tell you, is that it can't do this if you use the Xbox to format it for games and apps. You have to reformat it via a PC to NTFS in order to use it for capture storage. But mine wouldn't show up on the PC(after having formatted it for games and apps via the Xbox) despite the little notification sound of an external device being detected. Method #2 solved my issue. Thanks!!

[@LandonEmma]

But bro, mine still doesn't show up, even in device manager.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@robertjackson7918]

great video you kept it short and to the point.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad you liked it!

[@TRI_Cyclone]

Aweseome Videos! Very easy to follow directions

[@cleverfiles]

Glad you like them!

[@NightxFallz]

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@Kanker0]

My issue was a mix between method 2 and 4. My storage was already allocated and I couldnt change the drive letter because none of the options were available besides “Delete Volume.” I simply deleted the volume which caused the drive to become unallocated. I then followed the steps of method 2 and it fixed my issue

[@Mijehake]

Yea but what about keeping the data? I need to save the data and i'm having this issue and don't want to wipe the drive?

[@yuulie]

thank you ,it worked.Thats a great job to make a video that actually solves the problems.💯

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@jse17426]

The second method worked thank you very much!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@TheOne_p]

My Samsung 970 evo pro won’t show up in disk management, it does show up in the bios and if I make a storage pool it’s there

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@valmontiel-jy8gp]

very helpful videos thanks!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@antoinethomas5573]

Thank you so much for this vid. It worked step by step. Appreciate you bruh

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@jacobmunoz2588]

Thanks the first option worked for me!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@khokonbera2096]

Good solution sir

[@LivingDisaster_]

At 3:46 I can't see ''Change Drive Letters and Path'' only one available for me is ''Delete Volume'' Any idea how to fix it?

[@Mijehake]

Same Here @CleverFiles

[@ej4460]

Troubleshooter worked! Thank you!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@marlin1814]

Thanks for this, at the point in step 2 where I have selected ‘initialize’ an error message comes up ‘device not ready’, any thoughts ?

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@raidendaichendt5765]

Thanks man method #2 helped me out a lot!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad to hear it!

[@sheapyfpv8224]

Really helpful cheers mate 👍

[@redwolf6036]

How? Do I install a separate u?S b port to make this work

[@athirahridzuan8285]

Thank you. It helps me so much!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@iamlorddems3859]

One issue my drive is not showing up in disk management. The original name of my drive is showing up in the safely remove hardware and media though. Help

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@aidenwattam9782]

Very Helpful!

[@wzgurek12]

Thanks a lot.

[@godwinmanuel6963]

Thank you for this helpful video!

[@cleverfiles]

You're so welcome!

[@LethalShe]

bro THANK YOU! that helped so much!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@ste1bro]

I can't change the drive letter, because the disk... doesn't show up! And when I try to initialise it, the error message 'Incorrect function' appears. So I'm stuck :(

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@kng4790]

Thank you so much for the guide, i was starting to regret my 3am decision lol

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help!