How to Fix External Drive Not Showing Up in Disk Management on Windows?

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By Wright in Technology
Updated 9 months ago

When an external hard drive is connected to a Windows computer, it should show up in the Disk Management window. However, if the drive does not show up, it could be due to a number of reasons. This article will discuss how to fix an external drive not showing up in Disk Management on Windows.

1. Check the Connections: The first step is to check the connections. Ensure that the USB cable is firmly connected to the drive and to the computer. Additionally, check if the power cable is also connected to the drive.

2. Change the Drive Letter: If the drive is still not showing up, it could be because the drive letter is conflicting with another drive. To fix this, right-click on the Start menu and select Disk Management. Then, right-click on the drive and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

3. Enable the Drive in BIOS: If the drive is still not showing up, it could be because the drive is disabled in BIOS. Reboot the computer and press F2 or Delete to enter the BIOS. Then, navigate to the ‘Boot’ tab and enable the external drive.

4. Run CHKDSK: If the drive is still not showing up, it could be because of file system errors. To fix this, run the CHKDSK command in the Command Prompt.

Fixing an external drive not showing up in Disk Management on Windows requires checking the connections, changing the drive letter, enabling the drive in BIOS, and running CHKDSK.