A hard drive that suddenly disappears from your computer is frustrating—and scary if you think you’ve lost important files. Whether it’s an internal or external hard drive, the issue can happen on both Windows and macOS. If your hard drive is not showing up, don’t panic. There are safe steps you can take—and some things you definitely should avoid.
Several reasons exist why a hard drive might not appear on your computer. Sometimes it’s a minor connection issue. Other times, it could point to physical damage or corruption inside the drive. Understanding what might be happening helps you know what to try—and what to leave alone.
Common causes include:
Whether it’s a desktop drive, portable external disk, or flash drive, the symptoms are similar. It powers on—or maybe it doesn’t—but your system can’t detect it.
If your hard drive is not showing up on Mac, start by opening Disk Utility. The drive may appear there but not mount properly. Sometimes the mac not recognizing the drive in Finder doesn’t mean it’s completely gone.
On Windows, open Device Manager and look under disk drives. You can also check System Information and Disk Management. If your Windows device doesn’t list the drive anywhere, it’s likely a hardware failure or file system issue.
It’s a common situation—your hard drive does not show up, even though it worked yesterday.
You can rule out simple problems with a few safe checks:
Try a new USB cable and a different USB port. Cables fail more often than you might expect.
See if the drive shows up on another system to rule out device-specific issues.
A reboot can reset system detection. Also, open your system settings to ensure the drive hasn’t been disabled.
If your drive is there but shows up as “RAW” or unallocated, that indicates file system corruption.
If your hard drive is not showing up on Mac, start by opening Disk Utility. The drive may appear there but not mount properly. Sometimes the mac not recognizing the drive in Finder doesn’t mean it’s completely gone.
On Windows, open Device Manager and look under disk drives. You can also check System Information and Disk Management. If your Windows device doesn’t list the drive anywhere, it’s likely a hardware failure or file system issue.
It’s a common situation—your hard drive does not show up, even though it worked yesterday.
If your goal is fixing the hard drive and saving your files, these DIY steps can do the opposite. Drives with mechanical problems should only be opened in a cleanroom. Each time you power them on, you risk damaging your data more.
CHKDSK helps users find and fix errors on Windows computers, but it does not address failing hardware. It often deletes file pointers that it considers broken, which can wipe out your actual files.
If your external storage device is failing, CHKDSK may overwrite valuable data while trying to mark bad sectors.
A logical failure occurs when the structure of your data is damaged. This might include
corruption in the file system, missing partitions, or a drive that appears unallocated. In these cases, the computer might still “see” the drive, but it can’t understand what’s on it
A physical failure means something is wrong with the internal hardware. That might be a damaged read/write head, a failed motor, or an issue with the drive’s circuit board. These problems often show up as clicking, grinding, or beeping sounds.
The file system acts like a map—it tells your computer how to find and access your files. When the file system gets damaged, your files might still remain on the drive, but your computer no longer knows where to find them.
Here are a few real cases we’ve handled that started with a hard drive not being recognized:
Even with good habits, failure can still happen—but early detection and fast action can prevent permanent data loss.
If your hard drive not showing up mac or Windows continues after basic checks, it’s time to contact a pro. Don’t keep experimenting—especially if the drive makes noises or clicks. That’s a sign of physical failure.
At Five Star Data Recovery, we specialize in safe recoveries from:
We recover data from HDDs, SSDs, and flash devices of all brands. We will return the recovered files on a new drive or through secure transfer.
Once we receive your drive, we’ll run a full diagnostic to understand the problem. You’ll get a free quote and a clear estimated turn around time. In many cases, we recover and return your data within just a few days.
The team completes all work in-house, with no outsourcing. Your data remains private, secure, and untouched until returned to you.
If your hard drive is not showing up, stop troubleshooting on your own. One wrong click can make things worse. Let Five Star Data Recovery handle it with care.
When your hard drive disappears, your data isn’t necessarily gone. Let’s bring it back—safely and securely.
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