{"id":32308,"date":"2020-10-26T20:27:27","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T20:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=32308"},"modified":"2025-01-17T20:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T20:06:13","slug":"how-to-recover-files-from-external-hard-drive-not-detected-by-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/recover-data-external-hard-disk-not-detected.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover Files from External Hard Drive Not Detected by Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve connected your external hard drive to the computer countless times in the past. Except, this time, it hasn\u2019t shown up. While it\u2019s obvious that something has gone wrong, the situation isn\u2019t always as bad as you\u2019d think. Before using one of the several solutions we\u2019ve included to fix your undetected external hard drive, data recovery is your first priority.<\/p>\r\n

✅ We\u2019ll show you a proven way<\/b> to recover files from an external hard drive that\u2019s not detected by Windows, then show you how to fix it.<\/div>\r\n

\"How<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>How to Recover Data from an HDD Which Is Not Detected<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Recovering the data before attempting to fix the drive is critical, as the repairs may end up causing the data to become unrecoverable. Furthermore, you\u2019ll need to be selective in which data recovery solution you choose. Each data recovery tool has its own strengths and weaknesses in certain situations. For recovering data from an external hard drive that\u2019s undetected by Windows, we recommend Disk Drill<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

We prefer to use Disk Drill here because, as long as the drive is visible in Disk Management and reading the correct size, there\u2019s a good chance that it can scan and recover some data. It works with NTFS, exFAT, ReFS, BTRFS, and ext2\/3\/4 file systems, as well as disks that are uninitialized, showing as RAW, or displaying unallocated space.<\/p>\r\n

ℹ️ External hard drives in an unstable state may stop working completely at any moment. Rather than put extra stress on the drive by scanning it directly, we recommend creating a byte-to-byte backup and scanning that instead.<\/div>\r\n

Follow these steps to recover data from an external hard drive that is not recognized:<\/p>\r\n

Step 1.<\/b> Download<\/a> and Install Disk Drill.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Disk \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n download-block-title<\/b>
\r\n download-block-text\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/svg>\r\ndownload-block-button-text\r\n<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n

Step 2.<\/b> Connect your external hard drive to the PC. Now, launch Disk Drill.<\/p>\r\n

Step 3.<\/b> Select the external hard drive from the list of drives, then click Search for lost data<\/b>. Disk Drill will automatically utilize every scanning algorithm it has.\"Scanning<\/p>\r\n

Step 4.<\/b> View what Disk Drill has found at any time by clicking Review found items<\/b>. Alternatively, when the scan is finished, you can click Recover all<\/b> to recover everything at once.\"Reviewing<\/p>\r\n

Step 5.<\/b> Preview and select the files you want to recover. You can preview any files that Windows can open natively or with any file reader that\u2019s installed by default. When you\u2019re ready, click Recover<\/b>.\"Recovering<\/p>\r\n

Step 6.<\/b> Disk Drill will ask you to choose the recovery location. Once it is selected, click Next<\/b> to finish recovering the data.\"Finishing<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Why is My External Hard Drive Not Detected by Windows?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

There are so many problems that could be the reason for your external hard drive not showing up. The exact reason why it\u2019s not showing up will also impact the recoverability of your data. Seeing as external hard drives are mechanical, their moving parts can be a big liability if the drive sustains significant damage. In addition to visible issues, there may be underlying logical problems affecting the drive’s recognition. Missing drive letters, partition table corruption, and damage to the file system are all issues that may not be as obvious as physical damage.<\/p>\r\n

⚠️ It\u2019s important to note that an external hard drive that\u2019s not detected by Windows may be in an unstable state. Therefore, we recommend you recover your files<\/a> before implementing any fixes.<\/div>\r\n

We\u2019ve included some problem scenarios below, along with some links so you can jump to our recommended solutions based on each problem.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Problem<\/b><\/td>\r\nDescription<\/b><\/td>\r\nSolution<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Faulty hardware, i.e., USB port or cable<\/td>\r\nFaulty cables are a very common issue with portable storage devices, given how much they\u2019re handled. It could also be a faulty USB port or even a faulty USB header<\/a> on your motherboard in extreme cases.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Partition identification problems<\/td>\r\nAn issue is preventing the partitions on your drive from being read by Windows. It could be that the disk has been wiped or the partition has vanished as a result of some form of damage.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Unsupported file systems<\/td>\r\nOperating systems only work with some file systems. For instance, if you try to read an APFS-formatted drive on a system running Windows, you won\u2019t be able to access the data. Worse yet, Windows will even suggest formatting it to fix it.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Insufficient power<\/td>\r\nIf you have too many devices connected to your laptop, it may not be outputting enough power to keep up. Be sure to check the power demands of your external hard drive, as it may need to be connected to a USB 3.0 port.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Drive letter issues<\/td>\r\nA logical issue, and a minor one at that. Windows requires connected storage devices to have a drive letter. If your drive hasn\u2019t been assigned one, or it was lost somehow, it will not be accessible.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Corrupted file system or partition table<\/td>\r\nA corrupted file system will result in Windows being unable to read the drive. The same is true for a corrupted partition table. Windows doesn\u2019t know how to read the drive and find the data.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Mechanical or internal damage<\/td>\r\nMechanical or internal damage is more severe. It could be that you experienced a head crash, or the motor of the hard drive has sustained damage making your hard drive completely dead.<\/td>\r\n\r\n
Faulty enclosure<\/td>\r\nAn external hard drive is just an internal hard drive in an enclosure. If the enclosure becomes damaged, whether internally or externally, it could disrupt communication with the disk.<\/td>\r\n\r\n