Step 3: Right-click on the device and select 'Update drivers'. You can also launch Device Manager by searching for it and then clicking on the 'Device Manager' search result.

Step 1: Right-click on Start (Windows logo) and select 'Device Manager'. If your external hard drive fails to show up on your computer, you can try updating or reinstalling your computer's USB drivers.įollow these steps to update your USB drivers: How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Updating Drivers If the hard drive works on another machine, you can look into fixing your computer. You can also try using your external hard drive on another computer in case your computer has faulty drivers or damaged USB ports. So, if your external hard drive is not showing up while plugged into a particular USB port, you should try another one. How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Trying Another USB Port or ComputerĬomputers usually come with up to 3 USB ports, or at least 2. If this is the case, you should make sure the USB cord fits in correctly, or you can try another USB port.

If this light isn't turned on, it means the hard drive isn't receiving power. If you're using one that gets power through a USB port, it'll have a light (usually blue) that indicates that it's receiving power. Your hard drive might not show up because it has little or no power supply to it.Ī lot of hard drives are optimized to receive their power supply through USB ports, while some others have separate power sources. How to Fix Your External Hard Drive Not Showing Up by Plugging it In In this guide, I will show you 5 ways you can fix an external drive not showing up. There are several possible reasons for this, like lack of power, faulty drivers, or hardware issues. With external drives, you can also easily move files from one computer to another - especially when you get a new computer.īut sometimes when you're trying to back up or retrieve files from an external hard drive, the drive might not show up. External hard drives let you back up your files.

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