How to Recover Files from External Hard Drive Not Detected by Windows

You’ve connected your external hard drive to the computer countless times in the past. Except, this time, it hasn’t shown up. While it’s obvious that something has gone wrong, the situation isn’t always as bad as you’d think. Before using one of the several solutions we’ve included to fix your undetected external hard drive, data recovery is your first priority.

How to Recover Data from an HDD Which Is Not Detected

Recovering the data before attempting to fix the drive is critical, as the repairs may end up causing the data to become unrecoverable. Furthermore, you’ll need to be selective in which data recovery solution you choose. Each data recovery tool has its own strengths and weaknesses in certain situations. For recovering data from an external hard drive that’s undetected by Windows, we recommend Disk Drill.

We prefer to use Disk Drill here because, as long as the drive is visible in Disk Management and reading the correct size, there’s a good chance that it can scan and recover some data. It works with NTFS, exFAT, ReFS, BTRFS, and ext2/3/4 file systems, as well as disks that are uninitialized, showing as RAW, or displaying unallocated space.

Follow these steps to recover data from an external hard drive that is not recognized:

Step 1. Download and Install Disk Drill.

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Step 2. Connect your external hard drive to the PC. Now, launch Disk Drill.

Step 3. Select the external hard drive from the list of drives, then click Search for lost data. Disk Drill will automatically utilize every scanning algorithm it has.

Step 4. View what Disk Drill has found at any time by clicking Review found items. Alternatively, when the scan is finished, you can click Recover all to recover everything at once.

Step 5. Preview and select the files you want to recover. You can preview any files that Windows can open natively or with any file reader that’s installed by default. When you’re ready, click Recover.

Step 6. Disk Drill will ask you to choose the recovery location. Once it is selected, click Next to finish recovering the data.

Why is My External Hard Drive Not Detected by Windows?

There are so many problems that could be the reason for your external hard drive not showing up. The exact reason why it’s not showing up will also impact the recoverability of your data. Seeing as external hard drives are mechanical, their moving parts can be a big liability if the drive sustains significant damage. In addition to visible issues, there may be underlying logical problems affecting the drive’s recognition. Missing drive letters, partition table corruption, and damage to the file system are all issues that may not be as obvious as physical damage.

We’ve included some problem scenarios below, along with some links so you can jump to our recommended solutions based on each problem.

If the drive is connected to a PC and showing in Disk Management (with the correct capacity), recovering the data first and then fixing the drive is the best course of action, as there’s no telling when the state of the drive will worsen.

How to Fix a Hard Drive Not Being Detected by Windows

Once your data is safe and sound after recovery, you can attempt to bring the drive back to working condition. There are a few ways to do this, but we encourage you to start with the first method and work your way down to ensure you cover all your bases.

Method 1: Try Another USB Port and PC

Determining if the issue lies with the external hard drive, USB port, or computer is a very simple matter. Start by trying a different USB cable, or plug the drive into a different port. If you’re still not having any luck, try connecting the drive to a different computer entirely.

If you are connecting your external drive to your computer using a USB hub, it is possible that it is not getting enough power. Over time, your hard drive will draw more power as worn components are affected by mechanical resistance. Try connecting the drive directly to your computer, preferably a USB 3.0 port or higher as they can output more power than USB 2.0.

Method 2: Troubleshoot on Windows

If Windows doesn’t detect your hard drive, you can use the default Troubleshooter to scan and resolve some hardware issues without software. Before going to other methods that can become slightly complicated, run the troubleshooter to try and fix the problem automatically.

Here’s how you can run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter in Windows:

1. Right-click Start and click Terminal (Admin).
2. Run the command msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic for the troubleshooter to appear.
   
3. Click Advanced and ensure that you’ve selected the Apply repairs automatically option. The troubleshooter will now start scanning your system for potential issues.
   
4. After the scan is complete, you shall receive a ‘Troubleshooting Report’ that’ll list any detected problems and whether they were resolved.

Method 3: Initialize the Hard Drive

Initializing the hard drive gives it a partitioning scheme. If the disk was previously working fine but has since become uninitialized, it’s likely due to your Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition table becoming corrupted, resulting in Windows being unable to detect the partitions.

This is easily fixed by reinitializing the disk and setting up new partitions. Bear in mind that this should be done after data recovery to reduce the risk of data loss. Even though reinitializing the disk is unlikely to affect the data on the disk (given the physical space it occupies on the drive), it’s ill-advised because any actions could hinder your chances of getting the data back.

This is how you initialize an external hard drive with Disk Management:

1. Right-click Start and click Disk Management.
2. Right-click the external drive that says “Not Initialized” and click Initialize Disk.
3. Now, press OK.

Method 4: Add or Change the Drive Letter

Windows relies on drive letters to know what storage devices are connected to the computer. Without a drive letter, the data isn’t visible through traditional means like File Explorer. Likewise, if you’ve somehow ended up with a drive letter that’s already in use, the drive won’t be accessible.

This is quite an easy fix. All you need to do is add a drive letter or change your existing one. Here’s how you can update the drive letter with Disk Management:

1. Right-click Start and click Disk Management.
2. Right-click the volume and click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
3. Click Add to assign a drive letter. If you already have one, click Change instead.
4. Select a drive letter and click OK. Click OK again to confirm.

Method 5: Use Hard Drive Management Software

Do you typically use your external hard drive on a Mac? If so, it’s likely unreadable because it’s formatted with HFS+ or APFS. These file systems are Apple-specific and won’t natively work with Windows, so it doesn’t mean you need to recover data from external hard disk which is not detecting. Instead, you’ll need to download a hard drive management tool that can read and interact with the data on the drive.

We’d recommend checking out Paragon Hard Disk Manager if you want to convert the file system from HFS to NTFS. HFS+ for Windows and APFS for Windows are also options if you want to keep the same file system but still use the drive on Windows. Otherwise, if the drive is using HFS, HFS+, or HFSX, you can get away with using the free tool HFSExplorer. Just bear in mind that HFSExplorer cannot recognize APFS drives.

Method 6: Disable the USB Selective Suspend Setting

Windows’ USB Selective Suspend setting allows it to power down individual USB ports. It is primarily used to save power when the ports are not in use.

However, sometimes the port remains powered down even when we need to use it. This could be why your hard drive isn’t showing up on the PC. You can disable this setting entirely to eliminate this problem.  

1. Click Start. Search “Control Panel” and open it.
2. Click Hardware and Sound, then go to the Power Options.
   
3. Next, go to the Change plan settings option, then click Change advanced power settings.
   
4. Find the USB settings dropdown, and change the USB selective suspend setting to Disabled. 
5. Now, click Apply. 

Method 7: Fix Corrupted Partition Using TestDisk

TestDisk is a well-known open-source tool that specializes in recovering partitions (along with the data they contain) from undetected external hard disks without formatting by fixing the underlying damage that caused the partition to disappear. While its free companion app PhotoRec is good for recovering individual files, TestDisk gives you the opportunity to restore the corrupted file system to its original state, bringing back the partition. It remains a popular go-to solution for RAW drive recovery.

It’s a terminal-based application, so you may experience some difficulty if you haven’t used a command-line interface (CLI) before. Don’t worry too much though, as our instructions will help guide you through fixing the corrupted partition with TestDisk:

1. Download and extract TestDisk. Open testdisk_win.
2. Press Enter to create a new log file.
3. Select the external hard drive and press Enter.
4. Choose a partition scheme and press Enter.
5. Press Enter on the Analyse option.
6. Press Enter to begin the quick search.
7. Press Enter.
8. Select your partition, then press Enter.
9. Go to the Write option and press Enter.

Method 8: Format the External Hard Drive

If none of these methods work, you can try formatting your hard drive to a file system compatible with your system (say, NTFS). However, performing a format means all your existing data will be lost, and the hard drive will be restored to factory settings. So, before you format your drive, make sure to recover your data with reliable data recovery software. 

These steps will guide you through how to format an external hard drive:

1. Right-click Start and click Disk Management.
2. Right-click the volume of your drive and select Format.
   
3. Specify a name for the drive and the file system. Make sure Perform a quick format is ticked, then click Format.
4. Finally, click OK.

What to Do If the External Hard Drive Is Still Not Detected

There’s only so much you can personally do to fix an external hard drive that’s not being recognized. If a format doesn’t fix it, or you find that the drive is physically damaged, then there’s likely no logical solution that can help. At this point, it’s time to call in the big guns: data recovery experts.

While using a data recovery service might prove to be a little expensive, the value you place on the data you are trying to retrieve will determine whether you are willing to part with the money.

We have collected together a list of the five best recovery services for you to consider, with all of them offering free assessments of drives so you know the chances of successful recovery before you have to pay anything.

Read also

All Ways to Recover Files from External Drives

Restore Files from a Formatted Drive

Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

Recover Data from a Crashed Hard Disk

Conclusion

If Windows doesn’t detect your external hard drive, one of these solutions is sure to be helpful. These methods can resolve most problems you’ll face with drive recognition. However, if you’ve tried all these solutions and the drive still doesn’t respond, it’s probably time to invest in a new hard drive. 

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