How to fix new hard drive not showing up windows 10? (Solutions for both external and internal hard drive)

The problem new hard drive not showing up windows 10 has been an issue that has been bothering most of the Windows 10 users for some time now. This problem can affect both internet and external hard drive and occur under different circumstances.

If you are dealing with this problem, we suggest you go through this article and you will find complete detailed guide how to apply the solutions that would help you in fixing the hard drive not detected issue on Windows 10.

There are different reasons why the problem manifests. If new internal hard drive not showing up windows 10, it could be because it is not initiated or needs formatting. It could also be possible that the disk is not properly connected to the motherboard with the SATA cable.

Another reason is that the HDD is not visible due to some BIOS settings. When the hardware drivers are not outdated, the issue like this can also appear. Also, network connection could be to blame why the hard drive is not showing up in the Disk Management.

New external hard drive not showing up windows 10 there is possibility of USB port, USB hubs or USB cable got damaged or some other reasons that could cause the issue. However, there could be some other reasons also possible.

It is also the case there are some common factors responsible for both the issues you encounter. So, our fixes below will include some common fixes that work for new hard drive not showing up windows 10 whether external or internal and also include separate fixes deal with External and Internal hard drive separately.

Fixes for new hard drive not showing up windows 10 (common)

Fix 1: Update Drivers

If new hard drive is not showing up Windows 10, it is possible that there is an issue with the drivers. To get the fix, you should make sure that the drivers are up-to-date:

  • Press Win + S and search for Device Manager,
  • On the opened Device Manager Window, select the device you want to update,
  • Right-click on it and select Update driver,
  • Perform this action for all the devices you want to update.

If receiving the problem with new internal hard drive not showing up windows 10, you should go to your motherboard and chipset driver manufacturer’s websites and download the latest drivers for your motherboard.

In case of new external hard drive not showing up windows 10, you should locate Disk Drives section, expand it and then update all the listed devices on which you see yellow exclamation mark. You should also look for updating the USB or Universal Serial Bus Controller driver update.

You can ease the driver updating process by using automatic driver updating tool. The UI design of this software is very simple and you can download and install the latest drivers on your system with one or two steps after the download. Here is its direct downloading link.

Fix 2: Connect your hard drive to different port or use different cable

In some cases, your hard drive won’t show up because of problems with your ports. In case of new internal hard drive not showing up windows 10, open your computer case and connect your hard drive to different SATA port on your motherboard.

If this also does not work, there could be a possibility that the SATA cable is the problematic. You need to get a new SATA cable in that case. If the problem is new external hard drive not showing up windows 10, you should check inserting the portable hard drive on different USB port.

You can also try the portable drive on another different PC and if the problem continues with it, then there must be hard drive problem. But, before come to conclusion, make sure that the USB cable is not faulty.

Fixes for new internal hard drive not showing up windows 10

Fix 1: Initialize the disk

If the previous two methods do not work, you should initialize the hard drive and see if it starts showing up:

  • Right-click on Windows Key and select Disk Management,
  • In the list of drivers installed, find the one that is not detected by the system. It should be indicated as unknown and unallocated,
  • Right-click on it and select Initialize Disk,
  • Choose GPT and then you will be back to the main window where you will see the new device is listed, but it still has unallocated space,
  • To fix that, right-click on it and select New simple Volume,
  • Click Next and assign a drive letter,
  • Format your drive now.

Fix 2: Check if your hard drive appears in the BIOS

Keep pressing F2 or Del when system boots up to enter BIOS. Look there, if the hard drive does not show in BIOS, it is the case that it is not properly connected. If it is shown there, the problem is within the Windows.

Fix 3: Re-enable the missing drive in the Disk Management

The main thing you have to do to get rid of new hard drive not showing up windows 10 is to re-enable the missing hard drive in Disk Management. Here is how:

  • Right-click on Windows key and select Disk Management,
  • In the list of drivers, pick the one that is not detected by your system. it should be indicated as unallocated partition,
  • Right-click on it and select Change Drive letter and paths,
  • Click on Add to open the Add Drive letter or path window,
  • Choose Assign the following driver letter and click on the letter to name your drive,
  • Finally, click Ok, close al active windows and reboot the PC to see if the drive has been added.

Fixes for new external hard drive not showing up windows 10

Fix 1: Format your hard drive

If Disk Management shows the portable hard drive unallocated, you need to format it to resolve the issue:

  • Open Disk Management,
  • Right-click on ‘portable hard drive; and choose Format option,
  • Enter the Volume level for the hard drive and choose File system type,
  • Press Ok and wait till the portable drive is formatted.

Fix 2: Run Hardware troubleshooter

Running hardware troubleshooter will fix all the glitches and issues that result in this issue:

  • Press Win+ I to open Settings,
  • Go to the Update & Security,
  • Select Troubleshoot and choose Hardware and Devices,
  • Now, click on the troubleshooter button,
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the step.

Fix 3: Uninstall problematic drivers

  • Open Device Manager and locate your portable hard drive,
  • Right-click on it and select Uninstall device,
  • Click Uninstall,
  • Now, click on Scan for hardware changes.

Windows will install the default drivers for the portable hard drive. Some users also recommend uninstalling the USB drivers as well provide the fix for the issue.

Fix 4: Install Mass Store Device Driver

Another solution is to install Mass Store Device Driver and see if this works:

  • Open Device Manager, and locate your hard drive,
  • Right-click on it and select Update driver,
  • Select Browse my computer for driver software,
  • Then select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer,
  • Finally, click on Mass Storage device driver and install it.

If none of the methods work, it is likely that there is some Windows related issues causing the trouble. To deal with that case, you should employ PC Repair Tool- an automatic tool to find and fix all Windows related issues.

Conclusion

That’s all! We have provided all possible fixes for new hard drive not showing up windows 10. These methods are useful when you have problem with the internal hard drive or even portable hard drive. If you have any troubles in performing the steps, kindly contact us from the comment section below.