How do I troubleshoot my external hard drive not showing up?
If your external hard drive isn't showing up, try using a different USB port, checking disk management, or updating drivers.
When an external hard drive isn’t recognized, begin troubleshooting by plugging it into a different USB port or computer to rule out port issues. For Windows, open Disk Management (right-click on Start > Disk Management) to see if the drive is listed as unallocated or offline; if so, right-click to initialize or assign a letter. On Mac, access Disk Utility to check for the drive’s appearance and run First Aid if available. Try updating or reinstalling the USB and disk drivers from Device Manager. Sometimes, power can be an issue, especially for larger drives, so ensure it's connected to a powered USB hub if necessary. If the drive isn’t recognized anywhere, it may be a hardware fault, requiring data recovery assistance.
