How to format external hard drive that is not visible​?

I. Troubleshooting the Visibility Issue

A. Check the Physical Connection

Cable and Ports: The first step is to ensure that the external hard drive is properly connected to your computer. Check the USB cable for any signs of damage, such as frayed wires or bent connectors. If possible, try using a different USB cable to rule out cable issues.

Power Supply: Some external hard drives require an external power source, especially those with high – capacity drives or those that support multiple disk spindles. Make sure the power adapter is plugged in and working correctly. You can try unplugging and replugging the power supply to reset the connection.

B. Device Manager (Windows) or System Information (Mac)

Windows – Device Manager:

Press the Windows key + X and select “Device Manager.”

Look for “Disk Drives” in the list. Expand this category and see if your external hard drive is listed. If it’s there but has a yellow exclamation mark or other error indicator, it means there’s a driver issue.

Right – click on the external hard drive device and select “Update driver.” You can choose to search automatically for updated driver software or browse your computer for driver software if you have a downloaded driver file.

Mac – System Information:

Click on the Apple menu and select “About This Mac.”

Then click on “System Report.”

In the sidebar, under “Hardware,” select “USB” or “Thunderbolt” depending on how your external hard drive is connected. Look for your external hard drive in the list. If it’s not listed, it may be a hardware or connection problem. If it is listed, but not showing up in the Finder, it could be a formatting or partitioning issue.

C. Disk Utility (Mac) and Disk Management (Windows) Initial Checks

Mac – Disk Utility:

Open “Disk Utility” (you can find it in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder).

Look in the left – hand sidebar for your external hard drive. If it’s not visible, click on the “View” menu and make sure “Show All Devices” is selected. If it still doesn’t show up, the drive may have a more serious hardware or connection problem.

Windows – Disk Management:

Press the Windows key + X and select “Disk Management.”

Wait for the disk management console to load and scan for disks. Look for your external hard drive in the list of disks. If it’s listed as “Offline” or “Not Initialized,” right – click on it and select the appropriate option to bring it online or initialize it.

II. Formatting the External Hard Drive

A. Backup Your Data (if possible)

Importance of Backup: Before formatting any drive, it’s crucial to back up your data if the drive contains important files. If the drive is not visible due to a software glitch, you may be able to recover the data. But formatting will erase all data on the drive.

Data Recovery Software: If the drive is not accessible in the normal way, you can try using data recovery software such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Recuva, or Disk Drill. These programs can scan the drive for recoverable files and allow you to save them to another location before formatting.

B. Formatting in Windows

Using Disk Management:

Open “Disk Management” as described earlier.

Right – click on the partition of the external hard drive you want to format and select “Format.”

In the Format dialog box, you can choose the file system (NTFS is a common choice for Windows – based systems, but FAT32 is also available and is more compatible with other operating systems). You can also give the partition a new label.

Click “OK” to start the formatting process. A warning will pop up informing you that all data on the partition will be erased. Confirm and wait for the formatting to complete.

Using Command – Prompt:

Press the Windows key + R and type “cmd” to open the Command – Prompt.

Type “diskpart” and press Enter to start the DiskPart utility.

In DiskPart, type “list disk” to display a list of all disks connected to your computer. Identify your external hard drive by its size and other characteristics.

Type “select disk [disk number]” (replace [disk number] with the actual number of your external hard drive).

Then type “clean” to wipe all partitions and data from the disk.

After that, you can create a new partition using commands like “create partition primary” and then format it using “format fs = ntfs quick” (if you want to use NTFS).

C. Formatting in Mac

Using Disk Utility:

Open Disk Utility as mentioned before.

Select the external hard drive in the left – hand sidebar.

Click on the “Erase” tab.

Here, you can choose the format. For Mac – only use, “APFS” (Apple File System) is a good choice. If you need to use the drive with other operating systems, “ExFAT” is a more compatible option. You can also give the drive a new name.

Click “Erase” to start the formatting process. A warning will appear, stating that all data will be erased. Confirm and wait for the process to finish.

III. After Formatting

A. Verifying the Format

Windows:

After formatting using Disk Management or Command – Prompt, you can go back to Disk Management and check the file system and status of the external hard drive partition. It should show the new file system you selected and the partition should be in a healthy state.

You can also try copying a few test files to the drive to ensure that it’s working properly.

Mac:

In Disk Utility, after the formatting is complete, the drive’s information should show the new format. You can try creating a new folder or copying some files to the drive to verify its functionality.

B. Troubleshooting Post – Formatting Issues

Drive Not Recognized: If the drive is still not recognized after formatting, it could be due to a faulty driver. Try reinstalling the driver for the external hard drive or updating your operating system to the latest version, as this may include updated driver support.

Data Corruption: If you encounter data corruption issues when using the newly formatted drive, it may be due to a problem during the formatting process or a hardware issue. Try formatting the drive again, and if the problem persists, consider testing the drive’s hardware health using diagnostic tools provided by the drive manufacturer.