If you also have a similar question as mentioned above regarding how to format an external hard drive that is not visible, then this guide is here to help you. We will show you some solutions to help you format the external hard drive when it’s not visible. So let us get right into it.

Why is the external hard drive not showing up?

Here are a few reasons that could cause the external hard drive to not show up on your Windows PC.

Problematic port: Chances are that the port is problematic where you have connected your external hard drive. System drive problem: If the external hard drive is corrupt or there are some issues with it, then it could trigger multiple problems. It is not powered on: Some hard drives come with their own power chord which is required to be connected to the power outlet. In case that is not connected, your HDD won’t show up on your PC. Outdated drivers: Windows may be having some device driver issues with your hard drive because they are not up to date.

How can I format an external hard drive if that is not visible on my PC?

Before applying advanced troubleshooting methods, here are some quick fixes that can actually help you resolve the error.

Restart your PC and reconnect your external hard drive. There might be some temporary glitch or something that is preventing the hard drive to be detected. Try a different port. You can connect your hard drive to a different USB port or a to a different computer altogether and check if this resolves the issue or not. Chances are that the hard drive driver version isn’t compatible with your PC and is causing the issue. You can try updating the drivers.

Let us move on to advanced solutions.

1. Update the driver

In addition, you might want to check the manufacturer’s website for the latest drivers. After you have updated the driver, try formatting the external hard drive and see if this resolves the issue or not. Alternatively, to ease out the process of manually updating drivers on your PC, you can use third-party software that we recommend called DriverFix. DriverFix is a great solution to keep all drivers up-to-date. It has a database of over 18 million driver files, meaning it can update any brand’s driver without any issues. A simple scan and a few clicks can optimize your PC and keep drivers up to date to avoid these kinds of issues. SPONSORED

2. Run the troubleshooter

Once the troubleshooting process is finished, check if you can format the external hard drive or not.

3. Use AOMEI Partition Assistant

Several users have reported that their undetectable external hard drive was detected using a third-party partition tool AOMEI Partition Tool. You can also try using the tool and format it within the tool and see if this resolves the error or not.

4. Check if your hard drive shows in BIOS

You can take a closer look at our dedicated guide that will teach you how to easily access the BIOS menu if you are finding it hard to do. For users facing issues with their new hard drives, you can refer to our guide which gives you some important steps to troubleshoot the new hard drive not showing up in Windows 10/11. If the second hard drive is causing a similar issue, then we have a bunch of solutions that will help you fix the problem. That is it from us in this guide. Let us know in the comments below, which one of the above solutions helped you with how to format an external hard drive that is not visible problem.

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