Why Won't My External Hard Drive Show Up

My external HDD is detected but doesn't show up on my computer. More specifically, this drive cannot show up in the File Explorer but is showing in Disk Management. What can I do about this?

There are a few possible reasons why won't your external hard drive showing up:

• Connection issue: Ensure the external hard drive is properly connected to your computer. Check the USB cable and connectors to ensure they are working properly.
• Drive letter conflict: Sometimes, the drive letter assigned to the external hard drive may conflict with other drives connected to your computer. Change the drive letter in Disk Management on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac.
• File system Incompatibility: If the file system on the external hard drive is incompatible with your system.

To assist you in resolving this external hard drive not showing up or being recognized as an issue, I recommend an all-in-one disk manager - EaseUS Partition Master Professional. This software enables Windows users to change driver letter and format this external hard drive to the right file system:

Way 1. Check and change the Port/USB Cable/PC

If it's a connection issue, unplug this external hard drive and try a different USB port. Try USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, and ensure this external hard drive is directly connected to your PC. You can also plug it into another PC to see if it can appear.

Way 2. Format the External Hard Drive That Is Invisible

🚩Read Also: How to Format An External Hard Drive That Is Not Visible

Way 3. Change Drive Letter

If the methods above don't solve your problem, try visiting your drivers' official websites and updating them to the latest versions.