Solid State Drives, or SSDs, have transformed how we store data by providing faster speeds, better reliability, and improved performance compared to the older Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). As SSD technology improves, these drives have become a must-have for everyday users and experts, offering a great computing experience. But it can be frustrating and worrying when your SSD doesn’t appear in Disk Management.
In this article, we have discussed the causes of SSD not showing up in disk management and a few ways to help you fix the issue.
Causes of SSD not showing up in disk management issue
Below we have mentioned a few possible reasons that might be causing the SSD not to show up in the disk management issue.
- Faulty connection
- Driver issues
- The missing drive letter of the SSD partition
- SSD not initialised
- Incorrect BIOS settings
Also read: What to do when main SSD is full?
How to fix the issue?
If your SSD is not showing in the disk management, then we have explained some methods to help you fix the problem.
Fix the connection
If your SSD isn’t appearing on your Windows computer, the first thing to do is ensure it’s connected properly. Check if the cable is firmly plugged into the right port and isn’t broken. If the cable is fine and your computer still can’t find the SSD, there might be something wrong with the SSD itself. You might need to repair or replace parts that could be causing the SSD not to be recognised.
Update the SSD drivers
It is possible that you are using outdated SSD drivers or they are missing, and that is why SSD is not showing up in the disk management on your PC. Make sure to keep the drivers up-to-date. To update the SSD driver, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press the Window + X keys and click on the Device Manager option in the dropdown menu.
Step 2: In the device manager, expand the Disk drives tab and right-click on the SSD.
Step 3: Click on the Update driver option in the dropdown menu.
Also read: How to delete files in Google Drive?
Assign or Change the SSD drive letter
Sometimes, when the SSD isn’t showing up, changing the drive letter of the SSD can solve the problem. To change the letter, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press the Windows + X keys and click on the Disk Management option.
Step 2: Right-click on the SSD partition and click on the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
Step 3: In the pop-up box, click the Change button, select a drive letter from the list, and click OK to confirm. If you are setting up a new SSD, you can click the Add button.
Initialise the SSD
Initialising a new SSD is important for Windows to recognise the SSD as a usable storage device. Adding a new SSD to your computer won’t appear in File Explorer or Disk Management until you’ve initialised it. To initialise the SSD, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press the Windows + X keys and click on the Disk Management option.
Step 2: In Disk Management, locate the SSD that is not showing up, and if the SSD is listed as Not Initialized, right-click on the drive and click on Initialize Disk.
Step 3: Choose the partition style, either MBR or GPT depending on your requirement for your SSD and then click on the OK button.
Also read: Fix: Failed to get D-Bus connection: Operation not permitted
Change BIOS settings
The problem of the SSD not appearing can occur because the BIOS is not detecting the SSD. When the BIOS settings aren’t set up properly, the computer might struggle to find and utilise the SSD. To change the BIOS settings, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Restart your computer. Press the BIOS key F2 or others like F10 during startup, depending on your computer manufacturer.
Step 2: Navigate to the Storage Configuration section of the BIOS settings.
Step 3: Locate the setting for the SATA configuration and change the mode to AHCI.
Format the SSD
Step 1: Press the Windows + X keys and click on the Disk Management option.
Step 2: Right-click on the SSD you want to format, and then in the dropdown menu, click on the Format option.
Step 3: In the pop-up box, checkmark the box beside Perform a quick format and click on the OK button.
Also read: Why is my Sandisk SSD slow? Quick Fix
