Why Is Hard Drive Not Showing Up Mac
Summary :
Reasons why hard drive is not showing up in Windows There is a variety of reasons why Windows or BIOS cannot detect the presence of your hard drive. Here is a list of possible causes of the problem, and you can refer to these factors. A not showing up external hard drive doesn’t mean the breakdown of the drive. It could be caused by a loose USB connection or wrong Preferences settings. If you can’t find the external hard disk in Mac’s Finder because it is corrupted, utilize First Aid or Erase utilities to solve the issue. If your flash drive or external hard drive is not showing up there, go to Finder Preferences Sidebar, and under Locations, you need to tick the option 'External disks'. By selecting this option, we can make sure that the connected external USB hard drive or flash drive will normally show up in the Finder.
Are you still troubled by the issue 'hard drive not showing up'? This article will show you how to slove the probelm 'hard drive not showing up'. In addition, the issue 'hard drive not showing up' may lead to data loss. But, don't worry! MiniTool Power Data Recover, a piece of profesional data recovery software, can help you to get the lost data back.
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Hard Drive Not Showing up
Hard drive containing massive important data is not showing up in My Computer or Windows Explorer? Have you ever encountered this problem?
It is believed that many users have encountered the situation mentioned above. Let's see a true example from answers.microsoft.com:
My 2nd hard drive isn't showing up in my computer. The hard drive was a slave I took out of my old XP machine after it crashed. I had installed it into my new vista machine before and it was working, but then I had to reinstall the OS and ever since then it has not shown up. I have double checked to make sure it was set as a slave drive and it is. It shows up in the Bios, the device manager, and in Disk Management, just not in my computer. Nothing is showing up as unallocated in disk management and the drive says it's healthy. In the device manager it says the device is working properly. I've tried to just give it a drive letter in disk management, but when I right click on it the only option I have is help. I've also tried to update the drivers, and it says they are up to date. I've tried disabling and enabling the hard drive. I've even tried uninstalling it. When I restarted it did detect it and reinstalled the drivers, but I still can't get it to show up in my computer. answers.microsoft.com
Why does hard drive (including external hard drive or, USB hard drive) not show up in My Computer or Windows Explorer? Do you know how to deal with this issue? Besides, can we recover data from hard drive when it is not showing up?
Want to know answers of these questions? Here we are!
Why Hard Drive Isn't Showing up and How to Fix
According to the questionnaire survey and the result of experiment, we find there are many factors that can cause the 'hard drive not showing up' issue, including mistaken operation, computer virus invasion, and hard drive letter missing, and so on.
Let's discuss the details.
Case 1- Hard Drive Is Not Initialized
As we know, once hard drive shows as uninitialized, we are unable to see it in Windows Explorer, and cannot access its files. And many reasons (such as virus invasion, master boot record corruption, bad sectors, and so on) can lead to disk not initialized issue.
Solution
To solve this issue, you can right-click the uninitialized disk, and then choose Initialize Disk to initialize it to use it again.
Note: During initializing process, you will be asked to initialize to MBR disk or GPT disk, as shown below. In this case, you can choose appropriate partition style according to actual needs. (Here, I guess, you might be interested in this post 'How to Convert MBR to GPT without Data Loss in Windows 7' since it not only explains what are GPT disk and MBR disk but also shows how to convert MBR disk to GPT.)
If your disk is not initialized anymore due to sudden change, we don’t suggest you to initialize the disk immediately. Conversely, you had better recover all your missing data from it, and then initialize it to make it usable again. Otherwise, the original data will be lost forever. Here, if you don't know how to perfectly recover lost data, you can try using MiniTool Power Data Recovery because of its excellent performance, simple operation and high security.
Related: Solved-Disk Unknown Not Initialized Issue on External Hard Drive
Case 2 – Hard Drive Letter Is Missing
A drive letter is a single alphabetic character A through Z that has been assigned to a physical drive or drive partition in the computer. And if you want to see your hard drive in My Computer or Windows Explorer, you should assign it with a drive letter. Once the drive letter is missing, you will encounter the 'hard drive not showing up' issue.
Solution
To solve this problem, you can assign a drive letter for it. Windows built –in disk management as well as partitioning software like MiniTool Partition Wizard can help to add a new drive letter on it.
Click here to learn several ways to get missing drive letters back in Windows.
Case 3 – Hard Drive Is Hidden
Now, some users want to turn to third-party software like MiniTool Partition Wizard to hide their hard drive to protect data. However, once accidentally hide a drive containing massive important data, what should we do since this drive isn't showing up in Windows Explorer?
Solution
If drive is hidden by mistake, what should we do since Disk Management only offers Delete Volume feature as well as Help feature, as shown above? Can we delete the hidden volume, and create a new one? Of course, we can! But, this method will cause data loss.
Warning: You had better recover data from the hidden drive before deleting it to create a new one.
Note: Alternatively, you can try using MiniTool Partition Wizard to show hidden hard drive in Windows without losing data because this tool can help you hide/unhide drive conveniently and safely.
Case 4 – Hard Drive Becomes Unallocated
Let's start with a true example:
My external USB 3.0 HD was working perfectly well yesterday. However, today suddenly became an 'unallocated' drive without even a drive name. I'm able to detect the drive but I have no way of accessing it.
The only solution that I've tried so far is to access the HD with another computer. But, the results are the same with those computers. I haven't done anything else..
Here's a screenshot of the problem:
In this case, what should we do? Can we effectively solve this problem without losing original data?
Solution
If your hard disk space turns into unallocated, you are allowed to create new volume on this disk and make it appear in Windows Explorer. However, this solution will cause data loss forever.
In addition, you are highly recommended to recover data from unallocated drive ahead of doing anything else. MiniTool Power Data Recovery is recommended here since this all-in-one tool has been awarded as the top 10 data recovery software on TOPTENREVIEWS.
Case 5 - External hard Drive Is Not Recognized
There's also another situation where the hard drive (especially external hard drive like USB hard drive) is not showing up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. And, you will receive a warning that saying device not recognized.
As a matter of fact, this issue can be caused by various reasons, including the currently loaded USB driver has become unstable or corrupt. For more information about the device not recognized error, please see Error: 'USB Device not recognized' when you try to access a USB external hard drive.
Solution
Here, to fix the 'external hard drive not recognized' error, you can try the below methods.
Method 1: Restart computer
Unplug your USB, restart your computer and plug in and see if it works now.
Method 2: Update device driver
Open Control Panel > Printers and devices. Check if you can see any entry for Unidentified USB device or Unknown Device. Open its Properties and update its driver, if an update is found to be available.
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Tip: Our previous post USB Flash Drive Not Recognized – Don't Worry Too Much is recommended here to help you get more details about this issue.
Case 6 – Hard Drive Has Wrong File System
Last but not least, if your hard drive is partitioned with the wrong file system, you cannot see it in My Computer or Windows Explorer. For example, you may have formatted the drive with the ext4 file system from Linux or the HFS Plus file system from a Mac. Windows can't read these file systems. But, you can see this drive in Disk Management as shown below:
Solution
To solve this issue, you can delete this drive, and then create a new partition with the newer NTFS file system or older FAT32 file system so Windows will be able to recognize it.
Note: You are strongly suggested to recover data from the drive with wrong file systems at first. Otherwise the original data could be lost forever.
Hypersnap 1 4 24 tractor tires. Here, we want to share another case to you. Bartender 3 v3 1 2.
Sometimes, you will find you cannot access your NTFS drive from another device, such as a DVD player, smart TV, game console, or media center device. This is because that many devices, even Microsoft's own Xbox 360, can't read the Windows NTFS file system. And, they can only access drives formatted with the older FAT32 file system. To fix this problem, simply convert it to FAT32.
After seeing why hard drive isn't showing up in Windows and how to fix this issue, let's move onto the next part.
Recover Data from Hard Drive Not Showing up
From the above description, we can see several factors can cause the hard dive or external hard drive not showing up issue. Although you can fix the 'hard drive not showing up' issue according to the solutions we mentioned above, we advise you to recover data at first. Otherwise, the original data saved on the drive which is not showing up will be lost permanently. However, how?
You are probably wondering:
'How do I effectively recover data from hard drive when it is not showing up?'
Right now, MiniTool Power Data Recovery (PCWORLD, a professional IT magazine, speaks very highly of this data recovery software) can help you effectively recover lost data because of its powerful functions.
Now, let’s see the detailed steps.
Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery Trail edition.
Launch this professional tool to get its main interface as follows.
4 different data recovery modules are listed in the main interface of this all-in-one data recovery software.
- This PC focuses on recovering lost or deleted data from damaged, RAW or formatted partitions. And this module is selected by default.
- Removable Disk Drive is designed to recover lost photos, mp3/mp4 files, and videos from flash drives and memory sticks.
- Hard Disk Drive can recover files after partition loss or deletion.
- CD/DVD Drive helps to recover data from formatted or erased CD/DVD discs.
Here, you can click the Hard Disk Drive to recover lost data. After selecting this module, you will see the following window.
Now, select the target hard drive which is not showing up in Windows Explorer, and then click Scan button. In this window, you are able to click Settings to specify needed file systems as well as file types.
Wait for the full scanning finishes to get the best recovery result.
Finally, select all needed files, and save them. It is recommended to store needed files on another drive. Otherwise, the original data will be overwritten.
The trial edition of MiniTool Power Data Recovery can only scan lost data. If you need to recover more data, please choose the paid edition. Here, you might be interested in this post: MiniTool Power Data Recovery License Comparison.
Conclusion
Are you still worried about the 'hard drive not showing up' issue? Now, after reading this post, I guess you might have a basic understanding of how to fix this issue.
Should you have any question or suggestion about the hard drive not showing up in This PC or My Computer, please feel free to send your email to [email protected].
Hard Drive Not Showing up FAQ
- Hard drive is not initialized.
- Hard drive letter is missing.
- Hard drive is hidden.
- Hard drive becomes unallocated.
- Hard drive has a wrong file system.
How do I fix my hard drive not showing up on my computer?
- Initialize hard drive.
- Assign drive letter.
- Hide hard drive.
- Recover hard drive partitions along with data.
- Format hard drive.
How do I get Windows 10 to recognize a new hard drive?
- Right-click This PC.
- Choose Manage.
- Click Disk Management.
- Right-click the new hard drive.
- Choose Initialize Disk to initialize it.
If the drive letter of your USB is missing, drive is out of date, USB drive is damaged, your computer mat cannot recognize your USB drive. You can go to Disk Management to check the status of your USB drive, and then fix this issue.
Does your Mac not recognize a USB drive? Is the USB flash drive not showing up on Mac after inserting it in the USB port? Find solutions here. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac when you want to recover data from a USB drive not recognized.
Mac Won't Recognize USB, What Should You Do?
Commonly, when you insert a USB drive in the USB port on a Mac computer, the drive will soon appear on the desktop or hide in the Finder, letting you access, view, and manage data on it. Did you come across the situation that no matter how many times you try to connect the USB drive with a Mac computer, the USB drive is not showing up anywhere? Why this time Mac won't recognize a connected USB you may wonder. Though not a usual thing, the issue of an external hard drive or flash drive not showing up on Mac happens sometimes. What should you do in this circumstance? What are the effective solutions to make your USB drive show up again?
This page basically covers all the possible fixes for USB not showing up on Mac, which also applies to the similar issues of other storage devices like an external hard drive not showing up on Mac, flash drive not showing up on Mac, SD card not showing up on Mac, etc. Take a quick glance at the main content and directly jump to the part you're most interested in.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Fix 1~4. Some basic check and change settings | 1. Change the connection way 2. Change settings for desktop 3. Change settings for Finder 4. Check system information..Full steps |
| Fix 5~8. Repair corrupted USB drive | 1. Reset USB ports 2. Repair in Disk Utility 3. Repair with the terminal 4. Reformat USB drive..Full steps |
| Fix 9~10. macOS troubleshooting and manual repair | 1. update macOS and firmware 2. Manual repair service..Full steps |
10 Fixes for USB Not Showing Up on Mac
The reasons behind the problem of a USB device not showing up are various, including the USB port is not working, USB drive corruption, virus infection, macOS faulty, etc. So, to figure out the effective solutions for your own case, you need to take time to have some basic check, exclude the irrelevant issues, identify the potential risk, and finally solve it!
- Important
- As losing the access to data is the most direct impact of Mac not detecting a USB drive, you might need to perform USB data recovery on Mac.
Fix 1. Change the USB-to-Mac connection way
Have you tried to restart your Mac once or twice? Before taking further measures, don't forget the most efficient way to tackle commonplace hardware glitches that arises from time to time. If this operating system restarting fails to solve the current problem, move on to check the physical connectivity issue step by step.
Step 1. Plug the USB drive out from the not working USB port and change to the other USB port. Try all the available USB ports on your Mac.
Step 2. Did you use a USB connection cable or a USB-C adapter? If yes, take the USB drive out, and directly plug it in the USB port.
Step 3. Is there the other Mac computer available to you? If yes, try to connect the USB drive to this computer. Is it showing up normally?
Step 4. For SD card owners, the common way to connect an SD card to a Mac needs a card reader. If changing the USB ports did not work, try to change a card reader for a new round of tests.
The four steps of troubleshooting a USB drive not showing up on Mac are very basic, however, quite helpful in most cases. Each step can help us exclude the issues of a bad/loose connection, a not working USB port, a lack of power, and other superficial phenomenons.
Fix 2. Change settings for Mac detecting an external hard disk on the desktop
Occasionally, your Mac has already recognized the USB flash drive but not shown it on the desktop. Thus, you should go to Finder > Preferences > General and make sure the 'External disks' option is ticked. Then you'll see the USB flash drive showing up on Mac desktop.
Fix 3. Change settings for Mac recognize an external hard disk in the Finder
Finder is the other access for us to check a connected external drive on Mac. If your flash drive or external hard drive is not showing up there, go to Finder > Preferences > Sidebar, and under Locations, you need to tick the option 'External disks'. By selecting this option, we can make sure that the connected external USB hard drive or flash drive will normally show up in the Finder.
Fix 4. Check the USB drive in System Information
When you cannot find the USB drive on the desktop or in the Finder, try to look for it in the System Information section, which is usually a hidden place for average Mac users.
Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > System Information.
Step 2. Check if the system detects the USB drive. Click 'USB' on the left panel, and you can also check the USB flash drive information.
Fix 5. Reset USB ports on Mac to detect a USB drive
Step 1. Restart Mac computer, press the Command +Option+P+R keys until the Apple logo appears.
Step 2. Press Command+Option+Esc keys to close all applications that are not responding.
Step 3. Plug the USB which is not showing up to your Mac computer. If it doesn't show up, click Apple icon and select 'Sleep'.
Step 4. Wake up the computer after a few seconds by pressing any key.
Step 5. Shut down the Mac, unplug the power cord, reattach it after 15 seconds.
If this doesn't work, we should suspect the corruption issue at this moment. Don't give up and try to do some repair by yourself.
Fix 6. Repair USB flash drive with First Aid if it doesn't show up
Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Step 2. Select USB flash drive on the left panel of Disk Utility, and click 'First Aid' at the top toolbar and click 'Run'. Disk Utility will repair any errors on the drive automatically.
Mac Hard Drive Not Detected
Step 3. Select the USB drive and click 'Unmount' at the top toolbar, unplug the USB and plug it back in 10-15 seconds.
Fix 7. Check and fix errors in a not recognized USB with Terminal
Step 1. Open Terminal in Utilities, type:diskutil list and press Return.
Step 2. Find the disk number of your USB flash drive, type: diskutil info disk2 and press Return. (Replace 2 with the disk number of your USB flash drive.)
Step 3. Type: diskutil eject disk 2 and press Return.
Step 4. Type: diskutil list and press Return.When the USB disappear from the Terminal list, close the window.
Step 5. Close Terminal and open Console to inspect your drive errors.
Step 6. Click 'Errors and Faults' to check if there are any errors.
Step 7. Reconnect your USB flash drive back to Mac, if no error shows up, your USB flash drive is safe.
Fix 8. Save data and reformat the not showing USB drive
Disk reformatting basically solves many hard drive issues, including the not showing up USB, particularly the time when you are able to see the USB icon but files are not showing. USB drive showing empty makes no sense, so you have to reformat the disk and make it usable again.
Note that reformatting will erase data. As long as the data matters, you need to follow the standard procedure to ensure zero data loss. [1] Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, the professional Mac data recovery software, to perform a full USB drive data recovery. [2] Reformat the USB drive in Disk Utility.
To format the USB drive in Disk Utility:
Step 1. Go to Utilities and open Disk Utility.
Step 2. Select the not showing up USB flash drive in the Disk Utility sidebar.
Step 3. Click Erase on the top.
Step 4. Finish the necessary information (name, format, and scheme) to format the USB flash drive.
Fix 9. Update your macOS and firmware
Did your Mac's OS keep updating all the time? Chances are that your Mac won't recognize a USB drive, especially after a macOS update. This time, take a close look at the settings whether your Mac is up-to-date. Equally, firmware updates address a variety of hardware issues and the functionality of the USB ports could well be one of them. So, keep your software and firmware up to date will likely make the USB drive show up as normal again.
Fix 10. Send the USB drive to a repair center
Nowadays even the branded USB flash drives are not expensive. If you've tried all the suggested troubleshooting methods, the USB drive is still not showing up on Mac, you have to accept the truth that it's severely damaged and beyond your ability to repair it.
Mac Not Recognizing External Hard Drive
Mac won't recognize a badly damaged flash drive or external hard drive since there is no way to show it up, even temporarily, which makes the data recovery difficult. The last chance for you to rescue data is to send the broken USB drive to a specialized data recovery service center nearby, and let the professionals try their best. You need to prepare for the manual data recovery cost, which is noticeably higher than the software data recovery. Hence, always try the cost-effective plan of using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to scan the USB drive for the first attempt.
Step 1. Correctly connect your USB flash drive to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Start selecting the flash drive and click 'Scan' to let the software search lost files on it.
Mac Not Showing External Drive
Step 2. After a quick scan and deep scan, all files will be presented in the left panel in the scan results.
Step 3. Select files you want to recover and click the 'Recover Now' button. Don't save the recoverable files to the USB drive itself in case of data overwriting.
