This makes it difficult to access the hard drive and its contents. This guide will show you effective ways to solve this problem.

Why is my hard drive not showing up in File Explorer?

Several factors can be responsible for the hard drive not showing up in the File Explorer issue. Below are some of the notable ones:

Outdated driver: Among the notable causes of this issue is an outdated driver. Updating your hard drive driver should fix this issue. Unassigned drive letter: If you have not assigned a drive letter to your hard drive, it might not appear in File Explorer. The solution to this is to assign a drive letter to it.

What can I do if the hard drive not showing up in File Explorer?

1. Run Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Sometimes, the hard drive not showing up File Explorer issue might be due to minor problems. The quickest way to clear these glitches is to run the Hardware and Device troubleshooter.

2. Update your driver

Sometimes, your hard drive might show in Device Manager but not File Explorer. For example, an outdated driver might cause this. The solution to this is to update your driver to the latest version. If updating your driver does not work, you can try to uninstall and reinstall the driver instead. Alternatively, you can update your driver with a reliable tool in DriverFix. This unique software scans your PC for missing, outdated, and faulty drivers and updates them before they can cause problems. With DriverFix, you have the best tool to care for your driver’s needs while focusing on other things.

3. Assign a drive letter

Drive letters make it easy to access your disks. So, if your hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer, you might need to assign or change its letter.

4. Initialize disk

Initializing your hard drive is a way of activating it. This should clear any roadblocks that might be causing your hard drive not to show in File Explorer.

5. Change the drive format

You will likely face different errors if your external hard drive is in the wrong format. Changing the format to those that are accessible should eliminate these issues. We have reached the end of this guide on fixing your hard drive if it is not showing up in File Explorer. We believe you now have everything you need to fix the issue and only need to apply it accordingly. Similarly, if you are receiving an external hard drive error, check our detailed guide to fix it. Feel free to let us know the solution that helped you solve this problem in the comments below.

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