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Fixed: Hard Drive Missing After Windows 11/10 UpdatešŸ”„

Are your hard drives missing after Windows update? This post will show you two ways to deal with this 'partition disappears in Windows 11/10 Anniversary Update' problem and some related information.

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Updated by Roxanne on Dec 06, 2023
Written by Brithny

"A friend of mine installed the latest Windows 11 update yesterday. Now, he encounters hard drive missing problem. The hard drive doesnā€™t show up anywhere. What should he do to find the missing drive in Windows 10 without formattingĀ or doing something that will lose the data onĀ it,Ā as he has a lot of important files on that drive."

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
1. Format the Hard Drive Step 1. Select and scan the RAW partition...Full steps
2. Check the Hard Drive Connection Try every USB port available. Determine whether you're using USB 2.0 or 3.0...Full steps
3. Update or Reinstall the Disk Driver Step 1. Right-click This PC > click "Manage." On the left side, click "Device Manager"...Full steps
4. Re-assign the Drive Letter Step 1. Right-click This PC, choose "Manage," then select "Disk Management"...Full steps
5.Ā Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter Step 1. Open Control Panel and find "Troubleshooting"...Full steps

5 Effective Fixes for Hard Drive Missing After Windows 11/10 Update

Use the following methods to find the missing drive in Windows 11/10.

Fix 1.Ā Format the Hard Drive

If none of the above approaches is useful, the final way you can try is to format the hard drive for reuse. However, as we know, a hard drive format will delete all the data on the device. To avoid data loss, you need to restore the data on your hard drive in advance before formatting.

But how can you recover data from a hard drive that is not showing up in File Explorer? Don't fret. You can useĀ EaseUS Data Recovery WizardĀ to do it easily. This competent data recovery utility is good at deleted files recovery, formatted recovery, RAW recovery, virus attack recovery, OS crash recovery, and more.

1. Recover Data from Missing Hard Drive Windows 11/10

Although EaseUS data recovery software allows you to recover data after the hard drive format, it is strongly recommended that you recover data beforeĀ formatting to ensure complete data recovery. Follow the steps below to recover data from the RAW partition.

Step 1. Select and scan the RAW partition

If the RAW partition contains a partition label, you can directly select it from drives list and click "Scan" to lookĀ for the lost files.Ā If the RAW partition lost its label, it will be recognized as "Lost Partition",Ā just select the "Lost Partition" and click "Scan" toĀ initiate an overall scan on the RAW drive.

select RAW partition and click scan

Step 2. Preview found data from the scan result

After the scan is completed, all available files in the RAW hard drive will be displayed. View these files and find the files you want to recover. You canĀ sort the scanned data by file format or search directly in the "Search files or folders" box.Ā 

scan the lost partition to find desired data

Step 3. RecoverĀ data from RAW partition

Select allĀ files and click "Recover" to get all the data back. SelectĀ another internal or external hard driveĀ to save the recovered data and click "OK" to start RAW drive recovery.

recover all found data from RAW partition

2. Format Missing Hard Drive Effortlessly

Now that you have restored all the data on the missing hard drive, you can safely format the drive to resolve the missing hard drive problem after the Windows 10 update.

Format hard drive withĀ free partition management software.

EaseUS Partition Master Free helps you to create, resize, clone, move, merge, and format partitions in the most intuitive way. This smart partition management tool provides all-in-one solutions to organize disks or partitions to improve computer performance. You can use it for disk/partition conversions, including converting a logical partition to primary or primary partition to logical, FAT32 to NTFS partition, MBR disk to GPT, or GPT disk to MBR.

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Step 1.Ā Right-click the hard drive partition and choose the "Format" option.

Step 2. In the new window, set the Partition label, File system, and Cluster size for the partition, then click "OK".

Step 3. You can see a warning window, click "Yes" to continue.

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button, then click "Apply" to start formatting the hard drive partition.

Format hard drive with Disk Management

Step 1. Right-click This PC > click "Manage". On the left side, click "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click on the target drive or partition and click on "Format".

Step 3. Select the file system and set the cluster size.

Step 4. Click "OK" to format the drive.

format hard drive with Disk Management

Fix 2. Check the Hard Drive Connection

The connection between the hard drive and the computer is a possibility that causes the hard drive to disappear. Or when you connect a USB drive to your computer when you are performing a Windows 11/10 update, the USB drive may disappear after you finish updating.

In this case, you can disconnect the hard drive or USB drive and connect it to another computer with another cable or USB port.

For more solutions toĀ USB flash drives not showing up in Windows 11/10/8/7, read the post to get help.

Fix 3. Update or Reinstall Disk Driver

Each Windows 11/10 upgrade comes with some hardware compatibility issues. If the device driver is incompatible with your current Windows version, it is very likely to cause a problem with the hard drive missing. To fix the problem, you need to update your disk driver to the latest version or reinstall it in Device Manager.

Update Disk Driver

Step 1. Right-click This PC > click "Manage." On the left side, click "Device Manager".

Step 2.Ā Double-click to expand the Disk driver. Right-click your disk driver and choose "Update Driver Software".

Step 3.Ā In the pop-up window, choose "Search automatically for updated driver software."Ā Then, wait for the computer to search and install the latest driver software.

fix missing drive Windows 10 - update disk driver

Re-install Disk Driver

If updating the driver doesn't work, you can still try to reinstall the driver to solve the missing drive issue.

Step 1. Right-click the disk driver and click "Uninstall". Click "OK". Restart your PC, and Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.

Step 2. Or you can go to the company's website and find the latest updates you need to download and install on your computer.

fix missing drive Windows 10 - reinstall driver

Fix 4. Re-assign the Drive Letter

If your hard drive disappeared in File Explorer, but you can find it in Disk Management, shown as unallocated space and hidden, the reason may be that the disk drive letter is missing. In this case, you can solve the problem by resetting the drive letter.

Step 1. Right-click This PC, choose "Manage," then select "Disk Management."

Step 2. Now, you should see the list of hard drives that are connected to your PC/laptop. Pick out the one that is not being detected by the system. It should be indicated as the unallocated partition.

Step 3. Right-click on it and select "Change drive letter and paths."

Step 4. Click "Add"Ā to open the "Add Drive Letter or Path"Ā window. Choose "Assign the following drive letter"Ā and click the letter to name your drive. Reboot your PC and navigate to This PC to check whether the hard drive missing issue is resolved or not.

fix missing drive Windows 10 - reset drive letter

Fix 5. Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter

Another potential fix for the hard drive missing in Windows 11/10 is using the built-in hardware and device troubleshooter. This tool can help you fix the Windows 11/10 missing hard drive effortlessly.

Step 1. Open Control Panel. Find "Troubleshooting".

Step 2. Click "View all"Ā on the left pane. Click "Hardware and Devices"Ā and run the troubleshooter. Follow the on-screen instructions to fix the problem.

fix missing drive Windows 10 - use Troubleshooter

Why Hard Drive Disappeared Windows 11/10Ā 

If you've recently upgraded to a new version of Windows 11/10, and you can't find a certain hard drive in File Explorer or this PC, you're not alone. Windows 11/10Ā hard drive missingĀ is a completely unexpected problem; it usually occursĀ after a Windows update.Ā 

In addition to Windows upgrade, many users will encounter a hard drive missing in their normal use of Windows 11/10, and it may manifest as:

  • The hard drive keeps disappearing in Windows 11/10
  • C drive missing or D drive missing
  • Only c drive is showing in Windows 11/10Ā 

Reasons for hard drive missing after Windows 11/10 update

There are some possible causes for the Windows 11/10 hard drive missing, as listed below.

  • There is a problem with the USB interfaceĀ for the hard drive.
  • The disk driver is out of date or has a problem.
  • The drive letter is not available, or the drive letter of the partition gets lost during Windows updating.
  • The file system gets corrupted, and the partition turns RAW.

These are the most common factors for the missing drive issues. We will provide specific solutions one by one in the following sections. You can try them all to help you out.

If you think this article is helpful for you toĀ solveĀ hard drives missing after Windows update, you can click the button below to share it with someone who needs it!

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To Sum Up

The hard drive missing after the Windows 11/10 update or the hard drive disappearing in Windows 11/10, 8, or 7 happens from time to time. How do you find the missing D drive or C drive without any data loss? This post covers the five most practical solutions to this trouble.Ā  Ā 

If you plan to format your hard drive anyway, remember to use the professional data recovery program to restore data first before performing the formatting. Then, use EaseUS free partition manager software to help you format the missing hard drive with ease.

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FAQs About Missing Drive Windows 11/10

Here are a few questions related to the hard drive missing after the Windows 11/10 update. If you also have any of these problems, you can find solutionsĀ here.

1. How do I find a missing drive on my computer?

  • Fix 1. Connect the hard drive to another USB port or change another USB cable
  • Fix 2. Update or reinstall the disk driver
  • Fix 3. Re-assign the drive letterĀ 
  • Fix 4. Run hardware and deviceĀ troubleshooterĀ 
  • Fix 5. Format the hard drive

2. How do I find my lost hard drive in Windows 11/10?

You can find the lost hard drive in Windows 11/10 by resetting the drive letter in Disk Management.

Step 1. Right-click This PC > click "Manage." On the left side, click to open "Disk Management."

Step 2. Right-click the missing drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths from the menu.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, click the "Add" button. Check "Assign the following drive letter" and choose a letter from the drop-down menu. Then, click the "OK" button to save the change.

3. How do I see all drives in Windows 11/10?

For Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 users, you can view all drivesĀ availableĀ in File Explorer. Press Win+EĀ toĀ open File Explorer. In the left pane, select This PC, and all drives are shown on the right.

Why did my hard drive disappear?

There are some possible reasonsĀ for Windows 11/10 hard drive missing. They can be:

  • The USB cableĀ or USB portĀ can stop working.
  • The disk driver needs to be upgraded.
  • The drive letter of the partition is missing.
  • The File system of the hard drive is corrupted.
  • The disk partition became RAW

How Can We Help You

About the Author

Updated by Roxanne

Roxanne is one of the main contributors to EaseUS and has created over 200 posts that help users solve multiple issues and failures on digital devices like PCs, Mobile phones, tablets, and Macs. She loves to share ideas with people of the same interests.

Read full bio

Written by Brithny

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.

Read full bio

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