Internal Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 11 [Fix]

Several users who upgraded to Windows 11 reported that the hard drive went missing. Most common reasons why a HDD won’t show up in Windows include corrupt system files, corrupt or outdated drivers, and problems with the updates.

Here’s how to fix it:

What can I do if my hard drive is not showing up on Windows 11?

1. Uninstall recent Windows updates

1. Press Windows + I to launch the Settings app.
2. Select Windows Update from the tabs listed in the navigation pane on the left.
3. Click on Update History.
4. Next, click on Uninstall updates.
5. Select the recently installed Windows update from the list and click on Uninstall.
6. Click Yes on the confirmation box that appears.

If you encounter the hard drive not showing up in Windows 11 issue after upgrading to a newer version, the simplest solution is to uninstall that particular update.

It’s likely an issue with the update, and Microsoft should release a patch for it in the subsequent versions. Once a newer version is out, install it to keep your system up-to-date.

2. Reinstall the driver

1. Press Windows + S to launch the Search menu.
2. Enter Device Manager in the text field at the top and click on the relevant search result.
3. Locate and double-click on the Disk drives entry to view the drives connected to the system.
4. If the drive appears here, right-click on it and select Uninstall device from the context menu.
5. Next, click on Uninstall in the confirmation box that appears.
6. After uninstalling the hard drive, restart the computer, and Windows will automatically detect and list the hard drive.
7. Check if you can now access the drive via Windows Explorer.

In many cases, a corrupt hard drive driver is causing the device not to show up. Here, you can uninstall the device, restart the computer, and Windows will automatically install a fresh set of drivers.

3. Update the driver

1. Launch the Device Manager, as discussed earlier.
2. Double-click on the Disk drives entry.
3. Right-click on the hard drive from the list and select Update driver from the context menu.
4. Select Search automatically for drivers from the Update Drivers window to let your system scan the computer and install the best available driver.

Alternatively, you can use a reliable third-party tool if the above method sounds too intricate. We recommend PC HelpSoft Driver Updater, a reliable tool that will scan the web for the latest driver updates and keep the installed ones up-to-date.

4. Run a quick SFC scan

1. Press Windows + S to launch the Search menu.
2. Type Windows Terminal in the text field at the top, right-click on the relevant search result and select Run as administrator from the context menu.
3. Click Yes on the UAC (User Account Control) prompt that appears.
4. Click on the down arrow at the top and select Command Prompt from the list of options.
5. Type the following command and hit Enter the run the SFC scan:sfc /scannow
6. Wait for the scan to complete, and then restart the computer.

After running the scan, check if the hard drive appears in Windows 11.

5. Change Power Management settings (for external drives)

1. Launch the Device Manager as discussed earlier.
2. Click on the View menu at the top and select Show hidden devices from the list of options.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and double-click on the Universal Serial Bus controllers entry.
4. Double-click on the USB Root Hub device mentioned here to launch its properties.
5. Navigate to the Power Management tab, untick the checkbox for Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power, and click on OK to save the changes.
6. Similarly, change the power management settings for all the USB ports.

An external drive connected to the computer via the USB port could be the power management settings behind the issue. After making the earlier changes, the hard drive should appear in Windows 11.

6. Initialize the drive

1. Press Windows + S to launch the Search menu.
2. Enter Disk Management in the text field at the top, and click on the Create and format hard disk partitions search result that appears to launch the utility.
3. Check if the hard drive that is not showing up Windows 11 has a black bar at the top. If that’s the case, its space is unallocated, which is why it does not show up. Here, all you have to do is to allocate the space or create a new volume on the drive.
4. Right-click on the drive at the bottom of the window and select New simple volume from the context menu.
5. Click Next on the New Simple Volume Wizard window.
6. Next, choose the maximum size for the volume and click on Next. The entire disk space is mentioned above it.
7. Assign a drive letter from the dropdown menu and click Next.
8. Now, choose a File system for the drive from the dropdown menu, enter a name in the text field next to the Volume label, and click on Next.
9. Finally, verify the settings and click on Finish to create a new simple volume on the drive.

Creating a new volume on the disk should fix the hard drive missing in Windows 11 issue if that’s the underlying cause. If that doesn’t resolve the error, likely, the drive has not been assigned a drive letter. So head to the next fix for that.

7. Assign a drive letter

1. Launch the Disk Management utility, as discussed earlier.
2. Right-click on the drive near the bottom and select Change drive letter and paths.
3. Next, click on Add in the Change Drive Letter and Paths for New Volume box.
4. Click on the dropdown menu and select the desired drive letter.
5. Now, click on OK to save the changes.

If a letter weren’t assigned to the hard drive, it would be missing from Windows Explorer. Although it’s not directly related to updates, the problem may be encountered after installing a newer version of Windows.

After changing the drive letter, the missing hard drive error in Windows 11 after the update should be fixed.

These are all the ways you can solve the hard drive not showing up issue in Windows 11. The fixes are pretty much the same for the previous OS as well.

Check out our dedicated guide to find out how to fix the hard drive missing on Windows 10 issue as well.

Also, check our comparison of Windows 10 and 11 to understand the differences and how the latter performs.

Let us know which fix worked to solve the Windows 11 not detecting hard drive issue in the comments section below and the type of drive you had problems with.