A Seagate external hard drive is an effective and safest way to create a backup for data security. It is easy to use and offers extra storage capacity.
However, people often complain about the “Seagate external hard drive not showing up in Windows 10/11” issue when they connect the hard drive. If you are also one of them, no worries, we have covered your back.
Here, get insight into all the effective methods to address this issue yourself. Along with fixes, you will learn a secret hack to restore data from an inaccessible or corrupted external hard drive. So, stay with us.
Part 1: Why Is My Seagate Hard Drive Not Showing Up?
There are multiple root causes behind the “Seagate hard drive not showing up” error:
- Your PC has a corrupted or outdated operating system.
- Your external hard drive drivers are outdated.
- The external hard drive is hidden.
- Your hard drive lacks a valid drive letter.
- The selected USB port or cable is damaged.
- Your drive is incompatible with the PC’s operating system.
- There are corrupted files or viruses.
Part 2: How to Recover Data From an Inaccessible Seagate Hard Drive?
Your primary concern is data safety when you face the “Seagate external hard drive not showing up in file explorer” error. You usually create a backup to retain important files, and their access is the ultimate goal. So, before moving towards its fixes, we are sharing an effective way to restore your data with the help of 4DDiG.
The reason I recommend this free data recovery software is its simplicity and impressive success rate. Whatever you have on your external drive, such as photos and videos, it recovers your data with just a few clicks. Plus, it works well in various data loss scenarios, including accidental deletion, formatting errors, hardware failures, and system crashes. Following are steps on how to use 4DDiG to recover data from your Seagate hard drive:
Step 1: After installation on your PC, launch the software. Connect your Seagate hard drive to the PC, and it will appear in the tool’s main interface. Choose it and initiate the scan with the“Start” option.
Step 2: This tool will take some minutes to scan all the files and folders. After completion, you will see all the files and folders that have been stored. You will get a filter option at the top right side, which allows you to refine the search results according to your personal needs.
Step 3: After selecting the desired files, press the “recover” button. After recovering your data, choose a location to store it. To avoid overwriting data, choose a location that is different from the original one.
Part 3: How Do I Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Showing Up?
Method 1: Check the Hard Drive Connection and Power Supply
When you get the “Seagate hard drive not showing up” error, the first thing to do is check the drive’s power supply. Connecting large drives to your PC’s USB port is not enough in terms of power needs. Most of these drives come with an external power adapter and need a power connection to display the stored data. So, after connecting the power adapter, press the power button, which is mostly available on these drives.
Some hard drives come with two USB plugs. If you are using one of them, then attach both plugs with the PC. After the drive has enough power, you can access the inside files easily.
Method 2: Reboot Your Windows Machine
Over usage or long-term processing of CPU may cause the “Seagate external hard drive not showing up Windows 10/11” error. The simple way to resolve this is to restart your system. Detach your hard drive from the computer and then restart it. When the system becomes operational fully, then connect your hard drive again. If there is no other issue, then most probably, the CPU will recognize the drive this time.
Method 3: Try Another USB Port or Computer
Changing the USB port for connection also helps to remove the “seagate external hard drive not showing up in Disk Management” error. Try out all the available ports on both the front and rear sides of the CPU until you get the desired results. The error may occur due to a damaged USB cable. To eliminate it, use a new cable to connect the drive.
Or, you can access the drive with a computer with a different operating system. If you are using a Mac system previously, then try it on a PC with Windows operating system. All these possible alternatives help you figure out the main cause or fix the issue.
Method 4: Update Disk Drivers
The “Seagate external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer” error may occur with an outdated external hard disk driver. Update the driver with the following steps:
Step 1: Attach your external hard drive to the PC.
Step 2: Move to “My PC” with right-clicking and pick the “Properties” option from the list.
Step 3: Switch to the “Device Manager” option and open “Disk Drives.”
Step 4: Pick the”Update Driver” option after choosing the target hard drive.
Step 5: Go for the “Search automatically for driver software” button.
After a few minutes, the driver will update automatically, and you can access your drive after restarting the PC.
Method 5: Run the Windows Diagnostic Tool
Windows 10 comes with a diagnostic tool to fix various issues automatically. You can use this option to figure out why is my Seagate hard drive not showing up? It will resolve the issue automatically by determining the cause and suitable solution.
Step 1: Go to Start, navigate to “Command Prompt,” and click “Run as administrator.” and enable access
Step 2: To open the troubleshooter, copy and paste “msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic.”
Step 3: Click “Next. ”This tool will start scanning your hard drive for possible issues and their fixes. After complete scanning, press the “View detailed information” option.
Method 6: Assign a New Drive Letter
PC systems automatically assign a drive letter to an external hard drive. Changing this letter in Disk Management also works for the “Seagate external hard drive not showing up in File Explorer” error.
Step 1: Access the Disk Management with Windows key + X.
Step 2: Choose your hard drive and right-click. Select the “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”
Step 3: Select a new letter for your external hard drive from the available options and click OK.
Method 7: Boot Into Safe Mode
Running your PC into Safe Modes eliminates the Seagate external hard drive not showing up Windows 10/11” error mostly. In this mode, you can stop all the unnecessary software or processing and allow the PC to run the necessary applications, including external hard drives. This method also pinpoints the causes, such as outdated drivers and hindrances from any third-party software. You can initiate this mode with these steps:
Step 1: From PC, open the “Settings”.
Step 2: Click the “Update & Security” button.
Step 3: Switch to the “Recovery” option, available on the left side.
Step 4: After moving to the “Advanced startup,” press the “Restart now” option.
Step 5: After your PC is restarted, you will see startup settings. After that, press the “F4” key to initiate Safe Mode.
Now, connect your hard drive again to see if it is accessible.
Conclusion
Inaccessible Seagate hard drive occurs for plenty of reasons. We hope you don’t have to look for the question: why is my Seagate hard drive not showing up? Moreover, our secret tip, i.e., Tenorshare 4DDiG Windows Data Recovery software, enables you to access data from your hard drive. So you become worry-free before trying out any fixes.
Moreover, our listed solutions are easy to follow without technical expertise to fix “ seagate hard drive not showing up ” errors.
Also Read: A Guide to Addressing a Clicking Hard Drive and Recovering Your Data
