On this page you can learn how to fix hard drive not showing up on Windows and Mac computer, and also restore lost data from hard drive w. In windows, this problem can be because of partition issues, dead USB ports, driver windows conflicts, file systems, dead or outdated drivers. Here are the steps you can follow to fix this issue in case. Apr 20, 2020  Alternative Way to Fix iPhone Not Showing Up on PC/Mac When you connect your iPhone to a computer, you may want to import some videos and pictures from iPhone. A better way to manage all your iPhone data on the computer is using AnyTrans for iOS, which is an iOS file transfer and management tool, and it works on both Windows PC and Mac.

• Mac Driver Software Not Showing Update
• Mac Driver Software Not Showing Updates
• Mac Driver Software Not Showing Up Windows 7
• Mac Driver Software Not Showing Up Windows 10

Jul 10, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

While the external hard drive connected to the Windows computer or Mac, and the device did not show up. How to fix external hard drive not recognized? Don't worry, the next guide we will show you the best solution to fix the hard drive not recognized problem.

This problem will cause by some partition issues: the external hard drive partition got damaged, the file system got crashed, the drive errors in Windows computer, or the dead USB ports. You can try the hard drive to another computer or connect it with other USB ports. If it all not get working, you can follow the next solution to fix the external hard drive not recognized on Windows computer and Mac, and you can recover lost data from external hard drive with Recoverit Data Recovery.

Part 1. How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Recognized on Windows

In windows, this problem can be because of partition issues, dead USB ports, driver windows conflicts, file systems, dead or outdated drivers. Here are the steps you can follow to fix this issue in case of USB flash or external hard drives:

Step 1You might be plugging in the USB cable in a dead USB port. Unplug your external hard drive and plugin it in some other USB ports. Now, see if it is present there in the My Computer window. If not, follow step 2.

Step 2Now, look for the external drive in the Disk Management Window. For this, click Start and then click Run or press windows key + r, press enter after typing diskmgmt.msc in the Run dialog. This will open the Disk Management Window. Now, look for the external disk in this window. In this window, you can find your drive even if it is not recognized because of no partition. If you cannot find the drive in the Disk Management window then you can go for step four.

Step 3If it is not recognized by plugging in some other port or it is not visible in the Disk Management Window, then there might be some issue with the external drive. Check it on some other computers. Now, follow step 1 to step 3 in that computer in case the external drive is not recognized. If the problem exists with another computer also then something is wrong with the drive, otherwise follow step 5:

Step 4If it is working in some other systems but not in yours, Windows is having some problem with the drivers. To diagnose a driver problem, open the run dialog by pressing Windows + r and type 'devmgmt.msc'? Now press enter. Expand Disk Drives and look for a device having a yellow exclamation mark. This yellow exclamation mark indicates a problematic driver. Now, right-click on that device and read the error message after selecting properties. This issue can resolve in following two ways:

1. Click on the update driver button for installing updated drivers.
2. Uninstall the driver and restart your computer. After restarting, the Windows will automatically reinstall and reconfigure the driver.

Now, plug in the external drive again or follow step 6 if the drive is still not recognized.

Step 5Problem in partitioning and formatting can also be a cause of this issue. Partitioning and file system issues can be fixed by using Windows Disk Management tools. To create a new partition, right-click inside the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume. You can create a new partition by following onscreen instructions. Sometimes, your drive is formatted with the ext4 file system of Linux, NTFS file system, HFS Plus file system, or FAT32 file system which is not recognized by your Windows. Reformatting of the drive can resolve this issue. For this, right-click on the partition, select format, and then select the file system. Here, it is important to know that all files in the drive will be deleted. Therefore, copy your files in some other systems before proceeding.

Video Tutorial on How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up

Mac Driver Software Not Showing Update

Part 2. How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Recognized on Mac

Like Windows, Mac also detects an external drive automatically. If it doesn't, follow these steps:

Step 1 First of all, look for the external hard drive in the finder window. For this, click on File and then click New Finder Window. Now, look for the drive below the remote disk.

Step 2 If the external drive is not there, make sure that USB cable is properly plugged in the external hard drive and the port.

Step 3 Sometimes, the drive is connected but not mounted. To mount a drive, open Disk Utility and look for the drive in the list. If it is there, check below it. Now click on the mounting button to mount it. Open a Finder window to see if the drive is mounted or not.

Step 4If you still cannot find it in the finder, it might not be getting enough power. Single USB ports can provide only 5 V. In that case, make use of USB cable having one USB connection for the external HD and two for Mac. This will supply the power required by the external hard drive.

These steps for fixing an external hard drive not recognized on Windows and Mac are suitable for external hard drives of all capacities and manufacturers. However, if still the issue is not resolved, you can avail of professional help.

Part 3. The Best External Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

While the external hard drive got damaged and did not detect on the computer, after you fix the problem, you should your data back. We will introduce the best external hard drive data recovery to help you retrieve data back. Recoverit Data Recovery Software is a powerful data recovery program, it can help you recover data from the external hard drives easily and effectively.

Recoverit External Hard Drive Recovery Software

Recoverit Data Recovery is the best external hard drive recovery program, it can easily and effectively help you recover lost or accidentally deleted files from the hard disk drive, or another external storage device: USB drive, flash drive, SD card.

Steps on How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive

Download and install Recoverit Data Recovery on your computer. Launch Recoverit Data Recovery and follow the next steps to perform external hard drive data recovery on Windows computer, if you are a Mac user, you can download Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac to go on.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to the computer, select it while the disk detected on the program.

Step 2. The external hard drive recovery software will start scanning the device to searching the lost files.

Step 3. In minutes， all recovered files will display on the result. You can preview photos, videos, music, Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF. Select your files and click 'Recover' button to restore.

When the external hard drive got damaged, you can try to fix it with the solution mentioned above. Also, get your data back with Recoverit Data Recovery in simple steps. Download and try it for now.

What's Wrong with Drive

Recover Your Drive

Fix Your Drive

Format/Wipe Drive

Know Your Drive

You might experience issues such as these when you try to print from your Mac or print from your iOS device:

• You can't see your printer from your device, or you get a message that no printers were found.
• You get a message that software for your device isn't available.
• You have some other printing issue related to the software on your Mac or iOS device.

For help with an error light or other error condition on the printer itself, check the printer's documentation or contact its manufacturer.

If your printer is AirPrint-enabled

If your printer is AirPrint-enabled for printing from your Mac or iOS device, just make sure that it's connected to the same Wi-Fi network used by the Mac or iOS device.¹

If you still can't print, try any of these solutions:

• Restart your Wi-Fi router. Then restart your printer.
• Move your printer closer to your Wi-Fi router.
• Update your printer and Wi-Fi router with the latest firmware from the manufacturer.²
• Update the software for your Mac or iOS device.

If you're using a Mac and you still can't print, it might help to reset the printing system. Otherwise, contact the printer manufacturer for support.

Mac Driver Software Not Showing Updates

If your printer isn't AirPrint-enabled

If you're printing from your Mac to a printer that isn't AirPrint-enabled:

1. If your printer is connected to your Mac with a cable, disconnect the cable from your Mac.
2. Turn off your printer.
3. Get software updates for your Mac. Your Mac automatically downloads the latest software for most printers as part of these updates, so it's best not to install software from the printer manufacturer.
4. Reconnect your printer to your Mac, if applicable.
5. Turn on your printer and wait for it to finish starting up.
6. Choose Apple () menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.
7. Select your printer in the list of devices.

Mac Driver Software Not Showing Up Windows 7

If your printer doesn't appear in the list of devices in Printers & Scanners preferences, click at the bottom of the list, then choose the command to add a printer or scanner. The window that opens offers more ways to find and add a printer, such as by IP address:

If you still can't print, and your printer is connected via Wi-Fi:

• Restart your Wi-Fi router. Then restart your printer.
• Move your printer closer to your Wi-Fi router.
• Update your printer and Wi-Fi router with the latest firmware from the manufacturer.²

Reset the printing system

Mac Driver Software Not Showing Up Windows 10

If the issue continues, reset the printing system on your Mac. This removes all printers and scanners—including their print jobs and settings—from Printers & Scanners preferences.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.
2. While holding down the Control key on your keyboard, click anywhere in the list of devices.
3. Choose “Reset printing system” from the menu that appears:

Remove printer drivers

If the issue continues on your Mac after resetting the printing system, take these final steps to remove any currently installed printer drivers. These steps don't apply to AirPrint printers.

1. From the menu bar in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder. Type /Library/Printers/ and click Go.
2. The Printers folder opens. Choose Edit > Select All, which selects all items in the Printers folder.
3. Choose File > New Folder with Selection, which puts all of the selected items into a new folder named New Folder With Items. To save storage space, you can delete this folder.

If the issue continues, contact the printer manufacturer for support.

1. In corporate environments, DNS records can be configured to allow AirPrint-enabled printers to appear across other networks instead of just the network used by the device you're printing from. You can also use configuration profiles in iOS to set up AirPrint printers.

2. Firmware updates—such as for AirPort base stations—update the software on the printer or router, not the software on your Mac or iOS device. If the latest firmware from the manufacturer is several years old, the manufacturer might have stopped supporting or updating your device. If so, you might need a more up-to-date printer or router.