A Full Guide of How to Get Windows 11 to Recognize New SSD

Solid State Drive, commonly known as SSD, is a class of data storage devices that stores and retrieves data using flash memory. Because of its small size and quick read speeds, SSD is increasingly preferred by more people and has become one of the perfect storage options for laptops and portable media. However, just like any other storage device, SSD can malfunction for various reasons. SSD not showing up in Windows 11 is a special problem that impedes productivity and makes data unavailable. Read on to learn how to solve this problem in greater detail.

SSD Not Showing Up Windows 11

Part 1. If You can Find SSD in Disk Management

"I connected the external SSD, but it doesn’t show up on my computer!"

"Why isn’t my SSD not Showing up?"

It can always be a sticky problem when Windows 11 does not recognize an SSD, which is not shown in File Explorer. However, if you can find it in Disk Management, you can fix the problem by following the steps below.

Solution 1: Solve All Data Issues with Data Recovery Services

The most effective way to fix SSD not showing up in Windows 11 is to choose a data recovery service. Here, we recommend Aiseesoft Data Recovery as the top pick.

Recuperación de datos de Aiseesoft can automatically recognize your unshown SSD in File Explorer and quickly recover your data in it. What’s more, it can recuperar fotos borradas, documents, emails, audio, videos, and other types of data. Follow the steps below and recover your data with ease. Before that, you should download, install, and run this recovery software on your Windows 11. Then, connect your SSD to your computer.

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Paso 1.
After connecting, Aiseesoft Data Recovery will automatically recognize that your SSD is not showing up in File Explorer. Select Recuperación de disco duro on the left of the interface and find the SSD you want to recover.
Select Hard Drive Recovery
Paso 2.
Toque en el Iniciar escaneado on the bottom right corner of the interface, and Data Recovery will scan your SSD in detail.
Iniciar escaneado
Paso 3.
After scanning, all the deleted or lost files in your SSD will be shown in the interface. You can select whatever you want to retrieve, then click Recuperar todo.
Recuperar todo

Wait for a few minutes, and you will get your deleted data successfully.

Solution 2: Change the SSD Drive Letter

Occasionally, if your new SSD is not showing up in Windows 11, it indicates that the Windows Operating System cannot detect it, maybe due to a missing drive letter or a wrong drive letter conflicting with another disk. You can fix this issue by manually assigning the SSD a new drive letter in Disk Management.

Here’s how to set a new drive letter:

Paso 1.
Prensa Win + X y elige Administración de discos.
Paso 2.
Find and right-click on the SSD partition. Select Cambiar la letra y rutas.
Cambiar la letra de la unidad y las rutas
Paso 3.
If the SSD didn't have a drive letter set before, select Add; if one already exists, select Cambios.
Paso 4.
Pick a new drive letter from the drop-down selection to save the modifications and click OK.

Solution 3: Initialize the SSD

If your SSD is not showing up in File Explorer or cannot be detected by your Windows 11, it is probably uninitialized. The SSD needs to be initialized before Disk Management can access it. The same explanation applies if an older SSD displays the "disk unknown not initialized" message. To solve the issue in these two situations, you can try to initialize your SSD.

Unknown Disk Not Initialized

How to activate SSD on Windows 11? Follow the steps below.

Paso 1.
Prensa Win + X y abierto Administración de discos en tu ordenador.
Paso 2.
Find the SSD you want to initialize and right-click it. Then, click Iniciar disco.
Initialize Unknown Disk
Paso 3.
You can choose two partition styles: Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT). Then, click OK to initialize the SSD.

Solution 4: Format the SSD

If you have attempted all of the methods above, but the problem of your SSD not showing up in Windows 11 persists, you can try formatting the SSD. Formatting an SSD can generally solve many issues. However, one thing you need to know before is that formatting will remove all of your data from the SSD, so make sure you have backed up any crucial files before starting.

Here's how to format your SSD:

Paso 1.
Same as above, press Win + X y abierto Administración de discos.
Paso 2.
Locate and right-click on the SSD. Choose Formato.
Format The Drive
Paso 3.
In the drop-down menu, select a format. NTFS is the best and most broadly chosen format. After that, click OK to start the format.

Part 2. If You cannot Find SSD in Disk Management

If the SSD is not showing up in disk management, it can always be a connection issue. Confirm whether your SSD is properly connected. Verify that the USB cable for the SSD is inserted into the right port and pushed in firmly. Additionally, ensure the cable fits securely in the port and is not damaged.


If you have confirmed that the cable connection is not the problem and your computer is still not detecting the SSD, there's likely a hardware issue. In this situation, you need to contact the manufacturer or the official website for support.

Part 3. FAQs about SSD not Showing up in Windows 11

If SSD isn't identified, is it dead?

How can I tell if my SSD is failing? A dead SSD can be identified by the following symptoms: strange noises, frequent error messages, faulty blocks, corrupted data, and a total lack of response from the SSD.

¿Cuál es la vida útil de un SSD?

SSDs last five to seven years on average and are under typical use. However, this can change depending on the SSD's quality, how much it's used, and other factors. Keep in mind that they are not unbeatable and that frequent backups are crucial to protecting your data.

What is causing my M2 SSD to not appear in Windows 11's BIOS?

SSDs are typically connected to motherboards via SATA cables; if these connections are broken, neither the BIOS nor the computer will recognize the drive. You can connect the SSD using a different connection to rule out a cable issue. Certain SSDs, like the M, can be installed without a connector.

Conclusión

This post provides five solutions for solving the problem of the SSD not showing up in Windows 11. If your SSD is not showing up in File Explorer but in Disk Management, you can try to change its drive letter, initialize or format it, or use Recuperación de datos to fix the issue. If you cannot find it in Disk Management, you should check the connection or ask the manufacturer for help.

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