If this does not work, uninstall and then reinstall the driver. Select “Search automatically for updated driver software” and then follow the instruction to finish the process. Also, if you find any “ Unknown device”, update it too. If you see a yellow/red sign appearing against the driver, right-click on its name and select “Update Driver Software…”. Next, locate the external device from the list. To do this, go to Device Manager by pressing Win+R together to open the “Run” dialog, enter devmgmt.msc. You could search for them via your Start Search, or you can access these Troubleshooters via the Windows 10 Settings Troubleshooter page. The automated tools check the hardware/USB connected to the computer for any known issues and fix them automatically. The first thing you want to do is run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooter and the Windows USB Troubleshooter and check if it helps.

Enable and Format the Drive in Disk Management.

Create a new partition on your removable drive.

If the External Hard Drive is not recognized, showing up, detected, working or accessible even after plugging it into Windows 11/10, follow our suggestions: How do I fix Windows not recognizing my external hard drive? If it works fine in both ports, perhaps your USB is dead. Alternatively, use another USB and check. If it works, maybe your first port is dead. External hard drive not showing up or detected on PCīefore you begin, unplug the external hard drive from the port and insert it into another port. If it is plugged into a USB hub, try plugging it directly into the PC instead and see if that works. If it’s plugged into a USB 3.0 port, you can try plugging it into a USB 2.0 port. If your external hard drive is still not working, you may unplug it and try a different USB port. Why is my external hard drive not showing up on my computer?

Try these workarounds and see if the problem of the External Hard Drive not being detected in Windows 11/10/8/7 is resolved. You can spend hours but find no solution.

Such problems can be quite tricky to fix. The problem occurs mostly when the device driver is either corrupted or outdated. Sometimes our PC fails or refuses to recognize the External Hard Drive even after confirming the successful connection.

Mac not detecting usb hard drive