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fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11

Seagate external hard drives are handy for storing data and performing data backups. Many Windows 11 users choose to retain a backup of their vital data on an external hard drive in case their computer crashes. There are certain disadvantages to utilizing an external hard drive, just as there are some advantages. When trying to use a hard drive on your PC, you may encounter an Seagate external hard drive not showing up problem with Windows 11.

This is a typical problem that many customers have faced while trying to use a Seagate external hard drive. This problem can occur for a variety of reasons, including faulty hard disks, faulty USB drives, incompatible drivers, and so on. Many customers are concerned that they will experience this error as a result of a failing hard disk. There is a potential that this will happen, but it isn't always due to broken hardware; it could be due to conflicting or incompatible drivers or other factors.

This isn't a brand-new problem with Windows 11, since customers have previously reported seeing it in Windows 10. You do not need to be concerned if you are experiencing this problem. In this article, we'll look at how to fix an external hard drive that won't show up in Windows 11.

First, try some simple fixes.

You should check whether or not your drive is turned on. If you're using a Seagate external hard drive, it can have a light to indicate that it's switched on. You may also hear a fan spinning, which indicates that the hard disk is powered up. If you don't see any of these signs, try switching the ports and the cord. If the hard disk still won't turn on, it's probably broken.

If the hard disk powers up after you switch the port or cable, it's possible that the port or cable is faulty. After that, if you can use the hard disk, you're set to go. If you still can't use the hard drive, try using it on a separate PC and restarting your computer; if that doesn't work, go to the procedures below.

Examine Your Disk Management

If your hard drive isn't visible in File Explorer, it can be visible in Disk Management. You can use Disk Management to format your disk, create a new partition, and perform a variety of other tasks. The hard drive you're trying to use could not show up in File Explorer if it's unallocated space.

Disk Management will undoubtedly show your disk. To access disk management, press Windows + X and then select Disk Management from the menu. If your disk appears in the disk management but not in File Explorer, proceed to the next step to resolve the problem.

Assign a new drive letter

If you can find the Seagate external hard drive in Disk Management and find there is no drive letter for it, just assign a new drive letter for it. Then open This PC to check if the Seagate external hard drive could be recognized.

fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11

The External Hard Disk Should Be Formatted

     

If your hard disk does not appear in File Explorer, you will need to use Disk Management to format it. Follow the procedures below to format an external hard drive using Disk Management:

On your PC, press the Windows + R key combination to launch the Run dialog box.

Type diskmgmt.msc in the Run dialog box and press OK or Enter to open Disk Management. Right-click on the disk with the problem in Disk Management, then select Format.

After that, you'll be prompted to enter the volume label, file system, allocation unit size, and whether or not you want a quick format. To proceed, click OK when you've done so.

This should most likely resolve the issue with the external hard drive not showing up in Windows 11. If the problem persists, proceed to the next step in the troubleshooting process.

fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11

Form a New Volume

If the external hard drive is still not visible in Disk Management, try creating a new volume. Follow the steps outlined below to do so:

From the power menu, select Disk Management. To do so, hit the Windows + X key combination, then pick Disk Management from the menu.

Check whether the drive is already an unallocated space or the primary partition in Disk Management. The top of the unallocated area will be black, whereas the top of the primary partition will be blue. You must make the drive unallocated space if it is a primary partition. You can go to the fourth step if the drive has unallocated space.

Right-click on the problematic volume/drive, then select Delete Volume to remove it from the system and make it unallocated space. After that, a black bar will appear on the top of the drive, indicating that it has been successfully declared as unallocated space. You'll now need to make a new simple volume for the space.

Right-click the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume from the menu. This will launch the New Simple Volume Wizard; click Next to proceed.

fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Windows 11

You'll be prompted to enter the Simple Volume Size in megabytes (MB). The size you enter must not exceed the maximum disk space available. Click Next when you're finished.

After that, you have two choices: assign the drive letter or mount it in the empty NTFS folder. Select Assign the following drive letter, then the drive letter you want to assign. Next should be selected.

You'll be asked whether or not you wish to format the hard drive. Choose the option to Format this volume with the following settings. After that, you'll need to configure the file system, allocate unit size, and label the volume. After you've completed all of this, click Next.

The procedure will be finished. Click Finish to exit the New Simple Volume Wizard.

Once you've done so, the drive will appear in File Explorer, indicating that the problem has been resolved.

Check the Status of the Drive

You may check the status of the drive using the device manager. This will tell you whether or not the device is in good functioning order. Follow the procedures below to check the drive's status:

Open Device Manager by searching for it in the Start Menu.

Double-click on the Disk Drives section to expand it.

Right-click on the error-prone drive. To open the properties, click on them.

The Device Status can be found under the General tab of the properties. Check to see if the device is working properly. If it displays an error notice, you can look for it and correct it.

If the device status indicates that it is operational, you should attempt updating or reinstalling the drivers.

Driver Updates for Hard Drives

Try updating the hard drivers first, then see if the error persists. Follow the steps below to update the hard disc drivers:

Open Device Manager by searching for it in the Start Menu.

To enlarge the Disk Drives section, double-click it.

Right-click on the drive that has the problem.

Select Update Driver from the drop-down menu.

Close Device Manager and restart your computer after the driver has been updated.

You should no longer have the issue with the external drive not showing up in Windows 11.

Drivers for the hard drive should be reinstalled.

If none of the above methods worked, you might want to try reinstalling the hard drive drivers. With the help of the device manager, you can do it quickly. Follow the instructions below to reinstall hard drive drivers using Device Manager:

From the Start Menu, select Device Manager.

To expand the Disk Drivers option, double-click it.

Right-click on the error-prone drive, then select Uninstall device.

Restart your computer after that, and the driver will be immediately reinstalled.

The problem should now be resolved. Following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of the Seagate external hard drive not showing up in Windows 11. We hope this information was helpful in resolving your problem.

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DoYourData Author

Written & Updated by Nancy

Nancy works as a tech columnist at DoYourData. She is familiar with macOS and Windows OS and writes computer solution, data recovery, disk clone, data erasure articles for DoYourData. She is a big fan of Mac products and is fond of testing utilities software (such as cleaner, recovery, eraser, NTFS for Mac, video editor, etc) on Mac.

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