Resolve "HDD Hard Drive Not Showing Up" Error in Windows 10

HDD not appearing in Windows 10, how to fix it?

Have you ever encountered an issue where your computer's hard drive fails to display in File Explorer on a Windows 10 PC? What steps can you take if Disk Management also fails to detect the hard drive to make it reappear?

Does anyone know how to make the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) visible and recognizable in the BIOS? Windows is unable to boot from the HDD since the BIOS fails to detect it.

So how to repair and fix HDD not showing up issue in Windows 10, 8 or 7? Simply follow the solutions below to address the HDD undetectable or not showing up in Windows Disk Management, BIOS, or File Explorer problem right now.

Also read: Boot Drive Not Showing Up in BIOS

Swift Solution: Repair Bad Sectors and Corrupted File System to Overcome HDD Invisibility Issue

When there are bad sectors or a corrupted file system on storage devices, they will not be able to function correctly or appear properly on your PC.
In this situation, you can directly connect the hard drive to a new Windows PC as an external storage device and utilize powerful partition management software - tools Partition Master for assistance.

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer. Then, locate the disk, right-click the partition you wish to check, and select "Advanced" > "Check File System".

Step 2. In the Check File System window, select the "Try to fix errors if found" option and click "Start".

Step 3. The software will begin checking your partition file system on your disk. When it completes, click "Finish".

Resolve "HDD Not Showing Up in BIOS" Issue

If Windows fails to boot from the HDD, first ensure that the BIOS has detected the hard drive. If not, follow the steps outlined below to resolve the issue and make your hard drive recognizable in the BIOS once more:

Step 1: Reattach the HDD and Enable ATA/SATA HDD in BIOS

1. Disconnect and then reconnect the hard drive to your PC using the data cable connector. 2. Restart your PC and press F2 to enter the BIOS. 3. Access the Setup and refer to the system documentation to verify if the drive is set to Off in System Setup. 4. If it is Off, switch it to ON, and then reboot your PC.

Step 2: Update HDD Drive Drivers

If the HDD is not appearing in the BIOS, attempt to update the drivers. DriverHandy is a comprehensive Windows driver management tool. It can swiftly identify any non-functional drivers and subsequently offer solutions to fix them, including repair, backup, update, and reinstallation options.

It's an easy-to-use tool. Just download it, and you'll figure out how to use it. It will first scan your computer's drivers, and then you can proceed to update them.

Resolve the "HDD Not Showing Up in Disk Management" Error

If the HDD does not appear in the Disk Management on your computer, try the following suggestions:

Step 1: Change the HDD drive letter

1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, then type: diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. 2. Locate your HDD (hard disk drive), right-click on it, and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. 3. Assign a new drive letter to replace the existing one for your hard drive, then click OK to apply all changes.

Step 2: Resolve existing errors to make the HDD visible using Control Panel

1. Right-click on the Start button and choose Control Panel, then click on Troubleshooting. 2. In the right panel, locate Hardware and Sound, and click on Configure a device. 3. Run the troubleshooter as an Administrator and click Next to proceed. 4. If any issues or errors are detected, click on Apply this fix. After completing these steps, restart your computer. The HDD should then appear in Disk Management on your Windows 10 PC.

Fix "HDD Not Showing Up in File Explorer" error

# 1. Initialize the Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

If the hard drive is a brand new disk, you need to initialize it first. We recommend following this tutorial - how to initialize HDD/SSD to make the HDD detectable on your PC using Partition Master Free.

# 2. Create a partition to make the HDD visible in File Explorer

Upon detecting the HDD on your computer, your next step is to create a partition in Windows Disk Management:

1. Enter Disk Management and right-click on the unallocated space, then select New Simple Volume. 2. Follow the instructions in the New Simple Volume Wizard to set the partition size, assign a drive letter, and choose a file system. 3. Click Finish to finalize the process.

Alternatively, you can use tools like Partition Master Free to create a new partition on your hard drive:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. On the main window, right-click on the unallocated space on your hard drive or external storage device and select "Create".

Step 2. Modify the partition size, file system (select the appropriate file system based on your requirements), label, etc. Then click "OK" to proceed.

Step 3. Click on the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button and create a new partition by clicking "Apply".

Watch the following video tutorial and learn how to create a partition on an NTFS, FAT, or EXT file system.

# 3. Format the HDD to make it suitable for storing data

To render the HDD usable for data storage again, you can right-click on the unrecognizable partitions of the HDD in Windows 10 and select the "Format" option.

1. Right-click on This PC/My Computer and choose Manage. 2. In Device Manager, click on Disk Management, then right-click on the HDD partitions and select Format volume to reset the hard drive for data storage.

By formatting the HDD, you'll erase all unnecessary data and remove all data entries from the drive. You can now save data on the hard drive once again.