My external hard is connected to my laptop but not accessible

My external hard is connected to my laptop but not accessible i have tried discoonecting and conccecting again but no use. Please Help

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Hi @fraryk
Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the SD Technical Support team for best assistance and troubleshooting:
https://kb.sandisk.com/app/ask

To troubleshoot your external hard drive, start by checking its physical connections Update the disk driver in Device Manager and create a partition in Disk Management if necessary. Temporarily disable BitLocker encryption if applicable. As a last resort, reformat the drive (backing up data first) if other solutions don’t work. Adjust drive permissions in File Explorer if needed. Always back up important data before attempting any changes. If issues persist, then you can contact the support.

If your external hard drive is not accessible when connected to your laptop, start by checking the physical connections—try using a different USB port or cable to ensure it’s properly connected. Restart your laptop and reconnect the hard drive to see if that resolves the issue. Check if the drive appears in Disk Management on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac to confirm its recognition by the system. Update the disk driver through Device Manager on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac to ensure it’s running with the latest software. If possible, connect the drive to another computer to determine if the issue is specific to your laptop. Consider using data recovery software to back up important data from the drive if accessibility remains a problem.

If your external hard drive is connected to your laptop but remains inaccessible, you can first try some manual troubleshooting steps. Check if the drive is recognized in Disk Management by right-clicking on This PC or My Computer and selecting Manage > Disk Management. If the drive appears but isn’t accessible, try assigning a new drive letter by right-clicking on the drive and selecting Change Drive Letter and Paths. Additionally, check the USB cable and port for any issues.

If these steps do not resolve the problem, consider using the BLR Data Recovery Tool. This tool is highly recommended for recovering data from inaccessible external hard drives. It offers advanced scanning capabilities to detect and retrieve lost files from damaged or unrecognized drives. With its user-friendly interface and reliable performance, the BLR Data Recovery Tool ensures you can recover your valuable data efficiently and effectively.

Hope this will Help You :slight_smile:

Hey, fraryk

Could you describe the issue you are encountering in detail? For example, does your HDD appear in Disk Management or File Explorer? Are you receiving any error messages when you try to access the hard disk?

Attention: Primester’s statement is inaccurate. Data recovery software is ineffective when Windows cannot recognize the drive, and the same applies when your hard drive is physically damaged.

There are several potential reasons why your external hard drive might not be accessible, including faulty cables, corrupted disk drivers, hardware failures, and so forth. You can check this guide to fix the “external hard drive not showing up windows11/10” issue.