[Article] Windows 11 External Drive not detected (2023)

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📌 Note: This article was originally created by Greg Carmack Windows MVP 2010-20 (ret'd), a valued member on Answers Support Community. It provided meaningful insights and proved helpful to many. We're recreating it here on their behalf to preserve its value and ensure continued access for others.

I'll give you all possible fixes for External Drive not detected in Windows 11:

1. Remove any USB hub to test if drive is now detected, if so then replace the hub (it may need a powered one) or plug it in directly. If the hub is OK try replacing the cable.
2. Disable any 3rd party antivirus, or uninstall and turn on built-in Defender, to see if that resolves it. Run a full scan with free Malwarebytes.
3. Right click Start button to open Disk Management, scroll down to try to find the drive on the map by size and label, right click on it to assign a drive letter so it's detected in File Explorer.
4. Go into Device Manager to look for the drive under Disk Drives. It may be listed by its model or Serial which you can google to determine which is it. Click on the Device, then Driver tab, choose Roll Back if available. If not then choose Uninstall, restart PC to reinstall driver. If that fails choose Update Driver, first Automatically, then if that fails choose Browse > Let Me Pick to try all previous drivers.

If no newer or this doesn't help, then go to the USB category in Device Manager, open each

Enhanced, Hub and Host controller, from Driver tab select Roll back if available, or if not choose Uninstall, restart PC to reinstall.

If your keyboard and mouse are USB, first program the power button to effect the needed restart after Rolling back or uninstalling the driver. Go to Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings > Choose what Power buttons do to choose Shutdown.

5. Test the drive using diagnostics to know for sure its condition: https://www.lifewire.com/free-hard-drive-testing-programs-2626183

Follow this up with a DIsk Check from the Command Prompt if necessary: https://allthings.how/how-to-run-chkdsk-in-windows-11/

6. You can check which Updates were installed just before this happened, then uninstall them at Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Installed Update History - look first for installed drivers. Then you can hide these Updates using the Hide Updates tool: https://www.droidwin.com/how-to-stop-only-a-specific-update-from-installing-in-windows-11/

You can also try to System Restore to a point before this happened, then check for Updates using the Hide Updates Tool to block the Updates offered: https://itechhacks.com/system-restore-windows-11/

7. Check if the drive is detected in another PC. If so back up the data to a folder on it's desktop. If data is not readable see if you can run Data Recovery on it using Recuva: http://www.piriform.com/recuva/features

Once you confirm all the data is off the external, wipe it with Diskpart Clean Command: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/85819-erase-disk-using-diskpart-clean-command-windows-10-a.html

Then plug it back into the PC which cannot detect it, reformat in Disk Management: http://www.wikihow.com/Format-an-External-Hard-Drive

8. If none of the above help, then try any of these not tried yet:

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/external-hard-drive-not-showing-up

https://itechhacks.com/fix-external-hard-drive-not-showing-up-windows-11/

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/fix-usb-not-working-windows-11/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QxSdmnj9R8

If you were referred here from another thread, please post back results in that thread. Otherwise you can ask questions and share information in the Comments section below.

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