Fix Hard Disk Partition Not Showing in Windows 10 & 11
In this age of technology, if a hard drive partition is not showing up in Windows, it can be alarming. However, this issue arises because of corrupted file systems, missing drive letters, faulty connections, or more. This missing partition may look lost, but the content inside is still recoverable. Relating to the same, in this guide, we’ll explore the reasons and step-by-step solutions to fix this problem.
Why is a Hard Drive Partition not Detected?
A missing hard drive partition (not appearing in File Explorer, Disk Management, or even BIOS) is indeed a challenging problem. On the other hand, you can also check the signs of a hard drive failure. Even though the physical drive is visible, this situation can happen due to the following symptoms:
- You will see (external drives) that the disk you attached was not readable.
- The partition is missing in Disk Management, unallocated, or not initialized.
- The drive is not visible under this PC or this PC -> Manage -> Disk management on Windows 10 / Windows 11.
- The disk may appear in Device Manager, but with an error.
- Now in BIOS/UEFI, it does show the drive, but then the partitions are not being detected
In simple words, when a hard disk partition not showing up, it generally implies that the partition table, file system, or drive metadata is corrupted, or there is a configuration/driver issue.
Now, we will cover several ways to recover or bring back the partition. After this, go through them individually until one works. And remember, do not overwrite data before trying recovery.
#1: Check Hardware Issues on the Hard Drive Partition Not Showing Up
Before even considering software methods, first go through the hardware errors:
Reconnect cables/ports:
- If it is an internal drive, turn off the pc, reconnect the SATA or power cable. If it is external, use another USB cable or USB port.
Test on another computer:
- Using another computer, connect the drive. If not, then the drive is probably failing.
Power issue (for external drives):
- External power is required for some drives; USB hubs may not provide sufficient current. Use a direct USB port.
- BIOS detects the disk, but not in the OS (or partitions on the disk are not available in the OS)
- That will identify the hardware but not identify the partitions, followed by software recovery.
If the drive fails on another system, too, it might require expert data recovery services. However, if it’s visible on the new system, move ahead to the following software steps.
#2: Rescan Disks and Bring the Disk Online / Initialize
In other cas?s, the hard drive partition not showing up simply because? Windows did not scan it or the disk is offline/uninitialized.
Open Disk Management:
- Go to Disk Management (Press Win + X -> Disk Management)
- Or type diskmgmt.msc in Run (Win+R)
In Disk Management:
- For any disk whose status shows as Offline, right-click it -> Online
- If the disk is marked Not Initialized -> right-click -> Initialize Disk -> MBR or GPT
- If the partition is Unallocated, create a partition by right-clicking -> New Simple Volume.
If required, assign a drive letter after initialization/creation:
- Select the partition -> Right-click the partition -> Change Drive Letter and Paths -> Add -> select a letter.
- Go to the Disk Management menu and click Action -> Rescan Disks to refresh.
This usually fixes problems if the partition is present but no drive letter is assigned, or the partition is offline.
#3: Use DiskPart to Repair or Reassign Hard Drive Partition Not Showing Up
DiskPart is a powerful command-line utility that can either repair, assign letters to a partition, or recover it. Warning: A command performed inappropriately will lead to data loss.
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Type diskpart and press Enter.
Inside diskpart:
- list disk — displays physical drives.
- Select disk X -> X is the disk number where the partition is missing.
- list volume — lists volumes.
- Select the volume Y — where Y is the volume of the lost partition.
- Assign letter=Z — Assigns the drive letter Z.
However, if the partition is corrupted beyond the range of repair. Then, you can try the clean and re-create the partition, as this will delete all data.
- clean
- create partition primary
- format fs=ntfs quick
- assign letter=Z
(WARNING: this will delete everything on the disk)
- Exit diskpart.
This fix is particularly useful if basic GUI tools are not working.
#4: Repair Partition Table/ File System Corruption
Windows is unable to read it if the partition metadata or the file system is corrupted. This approach is specifically handy for users adept at technical skills using the Command Prompt:
- chkdsk Z: /f /r (replace Z with the drive letter) — this fixes the file system errors.
- Check integrity using built-in sfc /scannow or DISM commands
- If the partition is RAW or unrecognized, you may attempt to repair it through a third-party partition repair tool.
- And for the most extreme cases, check the section below.
Tip: If you receive an it has a disk that is not readable error, it usually means Windows cannot read the file system. That needs to be dealt with before the recovery or repair. While dealing with CHKDSK command it deletes some files, so check out the process on how to recover files deleted by CHKDSK.
#5: Recover Hard Drive Partition Data using a Dedicated Software
If none of the above method works and the partition table is extremely corrupted or the metadata is lost. Then you can use the SysTools Hard Drive Recovery Tool as an option to recreate the partition manually. Even if partitions are not detected (corrupted), scanning with this tool, you are able to recover files and folders from those where the problem occurs.
Steps to Use the Above-Mentioned Tool:
- Download the tool and install it on your computer (not on the affected disk)
- Open the app; it will find the disks connected to the device automatically.
- Choose the disk that is either corrupted or has a missing partition, and then select a Scan (in case of logical errors) or a Formatted Scan (in case of formatted/damaged partition).
- Then, let the scan finish, providing you with a choice of files and folders that can be recovered.
- Select and preview the files/folders you want to recover.
- Save the recovered data to another healthy drive.
Using this method is often successful when manual methods are not, because the partitions are not getting detected by Windows. However, remember that this tool is to recover data, not to repair the partition table itself.
Final Takeaway & Precautions
- Do the process carefully; do not overwrite your data.
- Start with hardware checks, then Disk Management methods (online, initialize, drive letter)
- When GUI tools crawl, then turn to DiskPart or chkdsk.
- In such cases, if the file system or partition table is corrupt and manual fixes fail, then the aforementioned tool can be used to recover data from inaccessible partitions.
- When your data is protected, you can format partitions or create partitions as per requirements.
With this guide, you can solve most hard drive partition not showing up or hard disk partitions not detected problems.