Fix SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 10/11[7 Workable Ways]

Why Is My SSD Not Showing up Windows 10

Have you also experienced SSD not showing up in Windows 10 or 11? No need to panic. In this post, we can help you solve this problem easily by 7 effective methods and recover data from SSD if there is any important data on it.

Before we fix the issue, please know the reasons why is SSDnot showing up in Windows 10/11. Common reasons: no drive letter, not initialized SSD, outdated or corrupted drivers, incompatible file system, faulty SSD, memory issues with SSD, physical corruption, etc.

How to fix the 'SSD not showing up' problem quickly and easily.

[Quick] Recover Data from SSD with Data Recovery Software

Before trying any of the 7 methods to fix an SSD not showing up in Windows 10 or 11, be aware that some of these solutions may lead to data loss. To protect your important data during troubleshooting, or if you need to access files on an inaccessible or formatted SSD, it's best to use MyRecover to recover data from the SSD before proceeding with repairs.

Main Features of MyRecover：

● Recover Data in Various Scenarios: Supports recovery from system crashes, accidental deletions, virus attacks, disk formatting, and more.
● Support all Storage Media. Recover data from formatted SSD, HDD, USB flash drive, external hard drive, SD card, etc.
● Recover 1000+ File Types. Documents, texts, photos, videos, audios, emails, compressed files, etc.
● Comvenient Features.The filter and search feature helps you quickly narrow down different file types. You can also preview them before recovery and recover them while scanning.
● Highly-Compatible. Supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS in Windows 11/10/8/7. (Compatible with 64-bit and 32-bit OS.)

🔥Bonus: You can recover up to 500MB of data for free, and the software is user-friendly with an intuitive interface. Download MyRecover and follow the steps to easily recover data from your SSD.

Step 1. Hover the mouse over the SSD saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. It will run two advanced scanning methods automatically and display all the found files on your SSD.

Tip:✎Preview or filter date depending on Files Type, Size, Date, etc.

Type: Select the file type (Documents, Images, Videos, Audios, Mails, Webpages, Compressed files, etc.)

Date modified: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, etc.)

Size: Filter the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~ 512MB, 512MB above, etc.)

Step 3. After the scan is complete, you will see a list of data that MyRecover found on the SD card. Choose the files you want to recover and press Recover x files.

Step 4. You need to select a new location to prevent the recovered data from being overwritten.

Congratulations. Your data from SSD has been recovered!

How to Fix SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 10 or 11?

After protecting your data from SSD, please follow the steps to fix SSD not showing up in Windows 11/10.

Method 1: Assign a Drive Letter

Sometimes your SSD  not show up in Windows 10 or 11 because the SSD's drive letter is missing or conflicting with another disk. You can resolve this issue by manually assigning a new drive letter to the SSD in Windows Disk Management. Please follow these steps to assign the SSD a new drive letter.

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" > "Manage" > “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Right-click on the SSD disk and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths…”

Step 3. Click "Add" to add a new drive letter, or click “Change” if there is an existing drive letter. Then, select a drive letter from the list for the SSD and click "OK".

Method 2: Initialize SSD Disk

A common reason for an SSD not showing up in Windows 10 or 11 is that it hasn't been initialized. Generally, the new SSD does not display on Windows, or the old SSD displays the "disk unknown not initialized" error. You need to initialize the SSD disk but the subsequent formatting process will delete all the data automatically.

MyRecover

If you have not backed up your data beforehand, you can download free data recovery software MyRecover to easily recover data from SSD before initializing it.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 & servers

Steps to initialize SSD disk.

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" > "Manage" > “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Locate and right-click on the SSD you want to initialize, then choose "Initialize Disk".

Step 3. In the Initialize Disk dialog box, select the disk(s) to initialize. You can choose to use the Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition type. Then click the “OK” button.

Steps to new simple volume

Step 1. After initialization, right-click on the unallocated space of your SSD and choose the “New Simple Volume” option.

Step 2. After setting the size and new drive letter of your SSD, click Format this volume with the following settings > Next.

Method 3: Reinstall the Drivers

Another situation may be that the disk driver is not installed correctly causing Windows 10/11 to not detect the SSD. Then follow the steps below to reinstall the drive:

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" > "Manage". Under the System Tools section, click on "Device Manager".

Step 2. Find “Disk Drives” in the list of the storage devices connected to your PC.

Step 3. Right-click on the SSD and select "Uninstall device".

Step 4. Remove the SSD and restart your system. Try reconnecting the SSD again to check if Windows 10 detects the SSD as normal.

Method 4: Run Windows Troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in tool that can automatically fix some hardware issues, including those related to SSDs. The tool will scan for potential issues and suggest fixes. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Steps to Run the Troubleshooter:

Step 1. Press “Win + I” to open Windows Settings > Update and Security.

Step 2. Click “Additional troubleshooters” under the “Troubleshoot” menu.

Step 3. Go to Windows Update and click the “Run the troubleshooter” . Then, restart your Windows PC and try to run Windows Update again.

Method 5: Adjust BIOS Settings

If none of the above solutions work, the issue could be due to incorrect BIOS settings. BIOS controls how your computer’s hardware is configured, including your SSD. By adjusting the BIOS settings, your system should now detect the SSD correctly.

Steps to Fix BIOS Settings:

Step 1. Restart your computer and press the designated key (usually F2, F10, Del, or Esc) to enter the BIOS setup.

Step 2. Look for the Storage Configuration section within BIOS.

Step 3. Ensure that the SATA mode is set to AHCI or IDE. Save the settings and restart your computer.

Method 6: Format the SSD

If the above methods do not resolve the issue, the file system may be corrupted or unsupported, marked as "RAW", "Free Space", or "Unallocated Space". At this point, you just need to format the disk.

Follow the steps below to format your SSD:

1. Right-click on the start menu and run "Disk Management".

2. Connect your SSD to the computer. Right-click on SSD and choose the "Format" option. Specify the desired file system, such as NTFS, during the formatting process.

Method 7: Use Professional Data Recovery Services

Sometimes, when your SSD is not showing up, you might risk losing data. In such cases, it’s best to start by recovering your data before you attempt any fixes.

You can reach out to a professional data recovery service, which might not be free, but it’s the most reliable way to retrieve your lost files if the SSD is failing.

Conclusion

Don’t worry about your SSD not showing up in Windows 10 or 11. You just need to follow the 7 methods above to solve this issue. You can also recover lost data simply by using reliable and high-end data recovery software like MyRecover.

Regular backups and the use of reliable storage devices can reduce the risk of data loss. In the event of a disaster, you'll be able to quickly restore files from backups and get them back in no time

SSD Not Showing FAQs

1. Why is my new SSD not showing up in Windows 10/11?

If you have a new SSD and it doesn't show up in Windows Disk Management, it might be in an uninitialized state. You must initialize a disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it.

2. My SSD is not showing up. Could it be a driver issue?

Yes, outdated or missing drivers can cause this issue. Visit the manufacturer's website to download and install the latest drivers for your SSD model, which may resolve the detection problem.

3. How to fix SSD not showing up in Windows 10 after Windows 10/11 update?

Drivers may become incompatible after an update. Reinstall or update the SSD driver. If the problem persists, please roll back the update or perform a system restore to where it was when the SSD was recognized.

4. How do I fix an SSD not detected in BIOS?

To fix this, you need to adjust the BIOS settings. Restart your computer, enter the BIOS, and configure the SATA controller mode correctly.