USB 3.0 external drive not detected in Windows 10 [COMPLETE GUIDE]

Troubleshooting Expert

August 6, 2019

USB 3.0 hard drives are becoming more and more popular over the past few years. But, since the introduction of Windows 10, some users are having problems to connect their USB drives to the computer. Affected users state that their USB 3.0 external drive is not detected in Windows 10.

So, I came up with a few solutions for this problem, and you can check them out below.

USB 3.0 drives offer high transfer speed, but many users reported issues with their USB 3.0 external drive. Speaking of issues, these are some of the common problems with external drives:

USB 3.0 flash drive not recognized in USB 3.0 port – According to users, sometimes your USB 3.0 port can’t recognize flash drives. If that’s the case, be sure to update your motherboard drivers.
External hard drive not showing up in Disk Management – If your external drive isn’t showing in Disk Management, the problem might be your cable. Try replacing your cable and check if that solves the problem.
WD, Toshiba USB 3.0 external hard drive not recognized – Many WD and Toshiba owners reported this problem with USB 3.0 drives. If you’re having this issue, be sure to update drivers and firmware for your drive.
USB 3.0 external drive not detected Seagate – This issue also affects Seagate devices, and if you’re having this issue, update your drivers and firmware and check if that solves the problem.
USB 3.0 external drive not detected laptop – Many users reported this issue after connecting the USB 3.0 drive to their laptop. In most cases, the issue is caused by outdated drivers.
External hard disk not showing, working – If your external disk isn’t working or showing, be sure to check if it’s properly formatted. In addition to formatting the drive, it’s also a good idea to set a different drive letter.
External drive not detected in BIOS – Several users reported that their external hard drive isn’t detected in BIOS. The cause of this problem is usually a faulty cable, but problems with the drive or the firmware can also cause this issue.

What can I do if Windows 10 doesn’t detect my external USB 3.0 drive?

Solution 1 – Set the new partition on your removable drive

If you’re connecting your hard drive for the first time, there’s a chance that you don’t have any partitions created on it, therefore, Windows 10 won’t recognize it as a hard drive. Thus, your USB 3.0 external drive will not be detected in Windows 10.

But your disk will be recognized by Windows’ Disk Management tool, so we’re going to check if Disk Management recognizes the external hard drive, and our future actions will depend on the results.

To open Disk Management tool, go to Search, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter.

If you see your external drive listed in the Disk Management window, you probably just need to format it properly, and it will show up next time you connect it to your computer. You can easily see if the drive is unpartitioned because it will be full of ‘unallocated space.”

To create a new partition on your drive, do the following:

Right-click on the Unallocated space, and go to New Simple Volume.
Now set the size of the new volume, and you’re good to go.
Now re-connect your USB 3.0 hard disk drive with your computer, and it should appear

If even Disk Management can’t recognize the hard drive, your problem might be a little complicated. First, try some basic solutions, like checking if the driver is up to date, or try to plug it into another USB port, in case you have a bad USB port.

If Disk Management tool seems too complicated to use, there are third-party solutions that you can use to format your drive.

Mini Tool Partition Wizard and Paragon Partition Manager are two simple applications that can help you format your drive with ease, so be sure to try them out.

Disk Management isn’t loading? Take a look at this step-by-step guide and solve the problem in no time.

Solution 2 – Disable USB selective suspend setting

Maybe the solution for your problem lays in the power settings, so try to do a couple of things there, and check if you can connect your USB hard drive again. Here’s what you need to do:

Go to Search, type power management, and open Power & sleep settings.
Go to Additional power settings.
Click on Change plan settings, next to your selected power plan.
Now go to Change advanced power settings.
Under USB settings, find USB selective suspend setting, and set it to Disabled. Click Apply and OK to save changes.

Now, restart your computer, and see if you’re able to connect your external USB drive again. Before you change your power settings, create a restore point, just in case something goes wrong.

If you’re interested in how to create a restore point and how would that help you, take a look at this simple article to find out everything you need to know.

You can’t find your Power Plans? Get them back by following the easy steps in this article.

Solution 3 – Edit your registry

The last thing we’re going to try is one registry fix. Here’s exactly what you need to do:

Go to Device Manager.
Under Universal Serial Bus Controllers, find USB Mass Storage Device. Right-click on it and go to Properties.
Now, go to Details tab, and from Property, choose Device instance path. Right-click on the path, and choose Copy.
Now, open Registry Editor.
Go to the following path:
- Computer->HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->CurrentControlSet->Enum->USB->VID->Device Parameters
- Note: VID_8564&PID_10005388DW3MEQ8HGRAX is just an example, so you need to use the value that you got in Step 3.
In the right pane of Device Parameters key look for the DWORD named EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled which must be showing its Value data as 1. If this value isn’t available, you might have to create it manually.
Double click on it, and change its value to 0. Click OK.
Restart your computer and try to connect your drive again.

If you can’t edit your Windows 10’s registry, read this handy guide and find the quickest solutions to the issue.

Can’t access the Registry Editor? Things aren’t as scary as they seem. Check out this guide and solve the issue quickly.

Solution 4 – Update your USB 3.0 controller driver

If you can’t use your USB 3.0 external drive on your PC, the problem might be an outdated driver. According to users, they managed to fix that problem simply by downloading the latest driver for the USB 3.0 controller.

This is relatively simple to do, and you can download the necessary driver right from your motherboard manufacturer’s website.

Did you know that the majority of Windows 10 users have outdated drivers? Be a step ahead using this guide.

Solution 5 – Disconnect your drive and go to BIOS

If USB 3.0 external drive isn’t detected in Windows 10, you might want to try this simple workaround. According to users, you just have to disconnect your drive, enter BIOS, and reconnect your drive.

After doing that, you can exit BIOS and start Windows 10 normally.

This sounds like an unusual solution, but few users reported that it worked for them, so you might want to try it out.

Accessing BIOS seems too big of a task? Let us make things easier for you with the help of this amazing guide!

Solution 6 – Try using a different cable

If your PC can’t detect USB 3.0 external drive, the problem might be related to your cable. According to users, they managed to fix this issue simply by replacing their cable.

If you’re having this problem, your cable might be broken, so be sure to replace it and check if that solves the issue.

Solution 7 – Update your drive’s firmware

Many users reported that their external drive is recognized only when using a USB 2.0 port. If you’re having this problem, you might want to try updating your device’s firmware.

To update your firmware, you need to connect your external drive to USB 2.0 port, download the latest firmware from the drive’s manufacturer and install it.

Once the firmware is installed, you should be able to use your external drive with a USB 3.0 port.

Keep in mind that firmware update is an advanced and potentially dangerous procedure, and if you don’t do it properly you might cause irreversible damage to your drive.

USB 3.0 not recognized on Windows 10? Don’t worry, we’ve got the right solution for you.

Solution 8 – Update USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device driver manually

Another way to fix the problem with USB 3.0 external drive is to manually update the USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device driver. This is rather simple and you can do it by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu. Now choose Device Manager from the list.
When Device Manager opens go to View and check Show hidden devices.
Now locate USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device, right-click it and choose to Update Driver.
Choose to Browse my computer for driver software.
Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
Select Show All Devices and click Next.
Select Mass Storage Device and click Next to install the driver.

Once you update the driver, the issue should be resolved and you’ll be able to use your external drive with USB 3.0 port without any issues.

Solution 9 – Change the drive letter

If you’re still having problems with USB 3.0 external drive, you might be able to fix it simply by changing the drive letter. This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following these steps:

Open Disk Management.
When the Disk Management tool opens, locate your external drive. Right-click it and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths from the menu.
Click the Change button.
Now select the desired letter from the dropdown menu and click on OK to save changes.

After doing that, your external drive should be recognized and you’ll be able to use it.

Solution 10 – Reinstall your drivers

If your PC can’t detect USB 3.0 external drive, you might be able to fix the problem by reinstalling your drivers. To do that, just do the following:

Connect your device to a USB 2.0 port.
Open Device Manager.
Locate the device in Device Manager, right-click it and choose Uninstall device from the menu.
Click the Uninstall button to confirm.
Now disconnect your drive and restart your PC.

When your PC restarts, connect the drive to a USB 3.0 port. Windows will now recognize the device and install the appropriate driver for it.

Windows can’t automatically find and download new drivers? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

That’s about it, I hope at least one of these solutions helped you to solve the problem with USB 3.0 external hard drive not being detected in Windows 10. However, if you can connect your external drive to your computer, but it runs slow, check out this article.

If you have any other questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and we’ll surely check them out.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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I had a similar issue to what you are describing. I have/had a 1Tb Seagate external hard drive that would make all the noises that it was running, but it the computer would not recognize it and it would not detect the HD. I tried numerous programs and even contacted Seagate (tried their free software) and their recommendation was to send the failed HD to them and they would recover my contents – for a fee (one arm, one leg and my first born child).

I tried everything posted on ever forum you can find online; but when the computer can’t connect to the hard drive – it is pretty much impossible to recover the data.

Here’s the thing – Do you know what an external hard drive is? It’s a hard drive. Depending on the size will determine whether it was designed for a laptop or a desktop, but really there is nothing else special. SATA connections to a USB then a cable.

I ripped it open. Removed the HD, Plugged it into a desktop PC using the SATA connections and moved the data from that drive to another (just as if it was from one drive to the other). The USB hardware had failed – not the drive. I took photos of the process, but there was no special software, no dust free lab required – just a small screwdriver or a knife (don’t stab yourself). I hope that this helps you and anyone else that is trying to recover their information.