Why Hard Drive Keeps Disappearing in Windows 10? (Fixed)

User Case

Are you having trouble with your hard drive disappearing in Windows 10? If so, you’re not alone. Many users have reported this issue, and it can be a frustrating experience. Fortunately, this article provides you with some solutions. Before you start taking solutions, it is necessary for you to understand the main causes of this problem.

Cause of the Hard Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 10

When the hard drive is not recognized on Windows 10, you will not be able to access and access the saved data. And this will lead to data loss, storage space reduction issues and other problems. So what causes the "hard drive keeps disappearing on Windows 10" problem?

• The cause is typically due to a driver issue. Windows 10 may be unable to detect the hard drive due to an outdated or corrupted driver. This can be caused by a number of factors, such as a recent Windows update, a hardware change, or a virus.
• In some cases, the issue may be caused by a power management setting, where the hard drive is set to turn off after a certain period of time.
• Finally, the issue may be caused by errors on the hard drive itself, which can be caused by a number of factors such as a virus or a hardware failure.

Fix Hard Drive Keeps Disappearing on Windows 10 Error

Needless to say, there may be some other underlying factors in addition to the reasons mentioned to you above. But you don't have to worry, some general methods are provided for you below.

👉 Method 1. Check the Hard Drive Connection
👉 Method 2. Rescan Disks in Disk Management
👉 Method 3. Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter
👉 Method 4. Update Device Drivers in Windows 10
👉 Method 5. Run CHKDSK Command to Check Disk Error

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To protect your data from such disasters, it is highly recommended to backup your hard drive in advance.

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Method 1. Check the Hard Drive Connection

Sometimes the cable connecting the hard drive may stop working, which is why the hard drive keeps disappearing on Windows 10. The first thing you can try is to disconnect the hard drive and connect it to another computer with another cable. If this helps, then replace the cable, as it may have worn out or been mechanically damaged. If this doesn't help you and the problem persists, then you should try the other effective methods outlined below.

Method 2. Rescan Disks in Disk Management

Rescanning the targeted disk in Disk Management could reload the disk and solve the hard drive keeps disappearing problem.

1. Right-click the Start button and select “Disk Management”.
2. Select “Action” > “Rescan Disks”.

Method 3. Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter

This is one of the easiest ways to solve this problem, and you only need to follow these steps with great attention.

1. Press the "Windows + R" key.
2. Type "Control" and press the Enter key to open the Control Panel.
3. Type "Troubleshooting" in the Control Panel search box and open it.
4. Click on "View all" in the left pane.

5. In the last step, you need to run the hardware and device troubleshooter and follow the on-screen instructions. This may help you get out of the dilemma of having your hard drive disappear in File Explorer.

Method 4. Update Device Drivers in Windows 10

If the hard disk does not show up in Disk Management, you can follow the steps given below to get rid of this situation. Make sure that you follow the steps very carefully until the end.

1. To do this, press "Windows + X" and select "Device Manager".
2. Once the Device Manager is open, locate the hard drive in the list of devices and right-click on it. Select "Update driver" from the menu and follow the on-screen instructions.

3. Now, you need to select "Search automatically for updated driver software".
4. Assuming Windows doesn't find a new driver, you can try looking for one on the device manufacturer's website and follow their instructions. You can also try to reinstall the driver by clicking on "Uninstall device".

Method 5. Run CHKDSK Command to Check Disk Error

If the problem persists, you may need to check your hard drive for errors.

1. To do this, type cmd in the Windows search box. Then open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type "chkdsk /f/r" in Command Prompt window. This will scan the hard drive for errors and attempt to fix any errors found.

Backup Hard Drive to Prevent Data Loss

If your external hard drive keeps disappearing in Windows 10, you may encounter many problems such as data loss, system crash, or even system failure. To protect your data from such disasters, it is highly recommended to backup your computer in advance using reliable data backup and recovery software, such as AOMEI Backupper. It can help you easily and quickly backup your data to external hard disk, USB flash drive, NAS, network location or cloud storage. It also provides multiple backup modes, such as full backup, incremental backup and differential backup, to meet your different needs. With AOMEI Backupper, you can easily restore your data in case of any data loss or system crash.

You can use it to create automatic backup tasks to run backups to prevent you from duplicating work and save a lot of time. It can safeguard the operating system with system backup, and recover computer from system crash or ransomware.

If you don't have enough space to store the data on your hard drive, you can back up to the cloud. It enables you to backup folders to AOMEI Cloud, a cloud drive released by AOMEI Tech, which offers you 1 TB of free cloud storage from the time you sign up for an AOMEI account until 15 days.

Final Words

In conclusion, if your hard drive keeps disappearing in Windows 10, there are a few steps you can take to try and fix the problem. Data backup is essential to protect computer users from various system problems. Data loss due to hardware failure, software corruption, malicious attacks and user error can all be prevented by regular backups.

The AOMEI Backupper Standard provided in the article can help you backup your computer easily. It also provides you with many other powerful features, such as synchronizing, cloning hard drives. If you have the idea of upgrading your computer hard disk, you can use it to migrate your system and data.