- Some Windows 11 users are facing issues with SSD not showing up, impacting access to critical data.
- Possible reasons for this problem include SSD initialization/formatting for new SSDs and other issues for already in-use SSDs.
- Solutions include checking connections, initializing the SSD, assigning a drive letter, and updating the SSD driver to resolve the problem.
Does your newly updated Windows 11 not show up SSD containing your essential information? Then you are in the right place. This Quick guide on Possible Ways to fix this problem will help you to solve this problem.
Recently, several users have reported that Windows 11 is not recognizing SSD. Whenever you connect any external device to your personal computers, like disk, HDD, or SSD, it should be listed automatically in the File Explorer, Device Manager, and Disk Management.
There are mainly two types of issues for this problem:
- If using a new SSD: This scenario is encountered when you are using a new SSD and connecting it for the first time to your personal computer. The probable reasons for this problem are the disk is either not yet initialized or formatted.
- If using an old SSD: But the problem lies elsewhere for SSD’s already in use.
Don’t worry. We will be focusing on both these problems for Windows 11 is not recognizing SSD, this article will provide solutions for both issues.
Fix Windows 11 Not Recognizing SSD
Check connections of your SSD
If you use an external SSD, the problem is most likely in connection. Remove the SSD, clean port, and both sides of the USB cable, and replug the SSD to your system. This solution should resolve the issue.
If the problem continues, try connecting to another port. If SSD starts working, the issue is in port which you need to get checked and repaired by a hardware expert.
Regardless, Windows 11 still does not display the SSD, try connecting it to another computer. If it’s not identified on the other system, reconnect it to the first system, and push the methods listed below to solve the issue.
Initialize the SSD
- Launch the Search menu by pressing Windows + S, enter Create and format hard disk partitions in the text field, and click on the delivered search result.
- Suppose the SSD says Not Initialized and has a black bar at the top. Then, right-click on it and choose Initialize Disk option from the menu options.
- Choose the desired partition style from the given options, either MBR or GPT. We suggest selecting GPT since it allows you to create more partitions, but there’s a drawback too. Windows 8 and earlier versions do not recognize GPT partitions.
- After initializing the SSD, right-click on it and select New simple volume from the context menu.
- Click on Next to proceed.
- Enter the volume size in MB. Leave the default entry since it’s the maximum volume size, and click Next.
- Choose a drive letter from the given dropdown menu, and click the Next
- Next, select a volume label and file system for the SSD, and click Next. If you create a volume for the first time, we recommend going with the default entries on every step.
- After verifying the details, click Finish.
If the SSD data is corrupt for some reason or SSD has not been initialized. In this case, initializing the drive and creating a new volume would help fix the issue.
Change/Assign Drive Letter
- Launch the Search menu by pressing Windows + S, enter Create and format hard disk partitions in the text field, and click on the open button.
- Right-click on the SSD volume and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths from the options.
- Next, click on the Add If a letter is assigned already to the drive, click on Change.
- Choose the “Assign the following drive letter” option, pick the desired letter for SSD from the dropdown menu, click on OK to assign it.
Update the SSD Driver
- Launch the Search menu by pressing Windows + S, enter Device Manager in the text field, and click on the open button.
- Locate the Disk driver and double click on it to view all the disk drivers attached to the system.
- Right-click on the problematic SSD and select update driver from the options.
- Next, select Search automatically for drivers option to update the drivers of problematic SSD.
- Now your computer will search for the best available driver and install it.
Conclusion
So, this was a simple guide on Possible Ways To Fix the problem of Windows 11 not recognizing SSD. Share with us, did these tricks work for you? Or do you have anything else to suggest? Feel free to share with us in the comments section below.
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