Generally, we can see and access all drives from File Explorer or This PC in Windows 10:
But there are many cases where one or some of drives suddenly disappeared.
Well, since you are reading this post, most probably you are encountered with the same or similar issue. Then, you would want to know why hard drives are missing in Windows 10 as well as how to recover missing drives.
Why Hard Drives Are Missing in Windows 10
Cause 1: Physical damage.
In one of the following situations, hard disk might be undetected by BIOS or Windows:
- hard disk is physically damaged.
- The hard disk is connected via a faulty cable.
- The USB port or SATA slot that the hard disk is connected from is physically damaged.
Cause 2: the channel for the hard disk is forbidden in BIOS.
If you mistakenly forbid the channel for the hard disk in BIOS, it cannot be detected.
Cause 3: lack of driver.
A hard disk driver is a piece of software that enables communication between internal hard drive and computer. Without a driver or with a corrupted driver, the hard drive won't be recognized.
Cause 4: Lose drive letter.
Only drives with letter are visible in File Explorer and This PC.
Cause 5: Lose partitions.
If a partition gets lost and becomes unallocated, it will be invisible in File Explorer or This PC.
How to Recover Missing Drives in Windows 10
Step 1: check drive status in Disk Management of Windows 10.
If drives are missing letters, reassign them a letter using the
Change Drive Letter and Paths feature .
If the drive becomes an unallocated space, do partition recovery with MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Select the disk which lost drives and choose "Partition Recovery" feature. Then, complete remaining operations by following instructions.
Step 2: check whether the hard disk is detected in Disk Management.
If the hard disk is not shown in Disk Management, try of the following operations:
Reconnect hard disk.
Reboot computer.
Install driver manually.
Use another cable.
Connect from another USB port or SATA slot.
Step 3: check whether the hard disk is recognized in BIOS.
If it isn't recognized by BIOS, check the channel of the disk to see whether it is enabled. If not, enable it. If the hard disk is still invisible after enabling the channel or the channel is originally enabled, most probably the hard disk has been physically damaged, and users need to send it to repair or replace.
Now, it's your turn to make your missing hard drives reappear in Windows 10.