It’s never fun when a storage device decides to play hide and seek, especially when it contains important files that you need. When Windows 11 can’t recognize or detect your SSD, fret not. Whether your new SSD is fresh out of the box or falling apart at the seams, there are a few things you can try before you give up on it.
Of course, depending on whether you have important data on the drive, some of these fixes may not be ideal, but it’s better than losing your SSD completely.
Check the connections on your SSD
Source: Crucial
If your SSD has stopped working or is no longer detected, you should first make sure the SSD is properly connected. For an M.2 SSD, which is likely the most common these days, you’ll just have to make sure it’s properly inserted into the M.2 slot. The contacts at the end of the SSD should be completely covered. For a SATA SSD, you’ll need to make sure the power and data cables are both plugged in on both ends.
To start, turn off and unplug your PC, remove all SATA cables, wipe the cable connections with a dry paper towel to remove any dust, and look for any damage to the connectors, like burn marks or scratches. If the cables are undamaged, plug them back in and start the computer. If it still doesn’t detect the SSD, try using a different SATA data cable and plug it into a different SATA port on the motherboard. You can also try using a different SATA power cable on the SSD (your power supply should have 3-5 of these cables).
If you have an M.2 SSD, you can remove it and wipe the connections, look for any damage to the connections or motherboard. If it seems fine, try to remove any dust or particulates in the M.2 slot.
Testing your SSD on a different PC
A Western Digital Blue SN550 M.2 SSD with no physical DRAM chip.
If the problem is still happening, it’s a good idea to tyr the SSD on a different PC so you can tell if the SSD or the PC is the problem. If you have a second/old PC lying around or know a friend who has a computer, plug your SSD into the secondary machine and see if it is detected.
If your SSD is detected on the second PC, then there is probably an issue with your computer’s BIOS/Windows settings or the computer’s connections itself. If the SSD isn’t detected, then the problem probably lies with the SSD. This could be because of the SSD’s settings, software, or hardware.
Another method to verify the source of the problem is to use a secondary (and working) SSD on your PC and see if it is detected. If this SSD is detected by your PC, then that means your connections are working fine. If the second SSD is not detected, then your PC is most likely the issue.
If everything has checked out so far, then it’s time to see if your BIOS can identify the drive. Entering the BIOS is different for every motherboard, and each interface looks different, so there is no one-size-fits-all guide.
However, to enter BIOS on any PC, you must boot it up and continually press a key before the start screen appears. The key you need to press will depend on your computer manufacturer, and will sometimes display on the screen before startup. The most commonly used keys to enter BIOS are: Tab, Del, Esc, F2, F10, and F12.
Once you have successfully entered BIOS, navigate to the Startup tab and look for a setting that says Boot (the actual name and location of this option will vary). In your boot settings, you will have a list of all HDDs and SSDs connected to your computer. If the drive is listed there, then you have a software issue that is easier to resolve. If the drive doesn’t appear, then it may be a hardware issue that’s harder to fix.
Another potential fix is in the BIOS is that SATA SSDs may not be configured properly. If you have the option to configure SATA SSDs, set it to IDE and see if your SSD is recognized by Windows afterward.
Initializing your SSD in Disk Management
If you just bought your SSD and you are using it for the first time, then you will need to initialize your SSD before your PC can recognize it.
- Press Windows + X, then select Disk Management.
- You should see a pop-up window prompting you to initialize the SSD. If not, select the correct SSD from the list.
- Rick-click on the drive and select Initialize Disk.
- Pick the partition style right for your SSD. Generally, you’ll want to go with GPT (GUID Partition Table) on modern PCs, though MBR (Master Boot Record) should still work.
- Click OK, and your SSD will start initialization.
After the process is complete, your SSD should be ready for use.
How to allocate space to a new SSD
If your SSD is not being detected, but the SSD you’re using has already been initialized, then you may need to create a partition on your SSD for your computer to register it. You also need to perform this task after initialization.
- Press Windows + X, then select Disk Management.
- Right-click on the SSD with unallocated space and select New Simple Volume.
- An installation wizard will pop up. Click on Next.
- If you’d like to partition your drive into more than one volume, then lower your volume size. Otherwise, click on Next.
- Choose your drive letter and Click Next.
- Select your file system (NTFS for internal drives). Rename the Volume label, and click on Next.
- Confirm the information on the screen and click Finish.
- Your SSD should now be partitioned and usable.
If all goes according to plan, your computer should recognize your SSD, and you can install programs into it.
Change the drive letter on your SSD
If your SSD is new and the cables are all working fine, then simply changing your SSD’s drive letter might fix the problem. If your SSD has a duplicate drive letter or a label that the PC does not recognize, it could cause the Windows PC not to detect it.
- Press Windows + X, then select Disk Management.
- Right-click on the SSD drive and select Change Drive Letter And Paths.
- If the drive already has a letter, click on Change. Otherwise, select Add.
- Pick a new letter for the drive from the drop-down menu.
- Once you’ve chosen your letter, click OK.
- Click Yes, and your drive will be re-labeled.
After you’re finished, reboot your PC. After your computer starts up again, the drive should be relabeled and recognized.
Update the Microsoft storage controller driver
Your storage controller driver controls how your storage devices are managed and identified on your computer. If your SSD is not detected, updating your Microsoft Storage Space Controller could rectify the issue.
- Use Windows’ Search function to find and open Device Manager.
- Click on the arrow next to Storage controllers to open a drop-down menu.
- Right-click on the name of the SSD you’re troubleshooting.
- Click on Update driver.
- Select the Search automatically for drivers option.
- If the pop-up says that you have the latest driver, then click on Search for updated drivers on Windows update, and look to see if any new Windows updates could be causing the problem.
After you have updated the driver, restart your computer. With any luck, the new software should let Windows recognize your SSD.
Update your SSD driver
If the SSD you’re using is old or from another computer, its drivers might be outdated. An outdated SSD driver might prevent your system from being able to recognize the device, so it is recommended to update your SSD driver and restart your computer.
- Use Windows’ Search function to find and open Device Manager.
- Click on the arrow next to Disk drives to open up a drop-down menu.
- Right-click on the SSD drive
- Click on Update driver.
- Select the Search automatically for drivers option.
- If you have the latest driver installed and the SSD is still not detected, then you can click on Search for updated drivers on Windows update.
Like with the storage control driver, you should restart your PC after the update has downloaded.
Format your SSD
We generally refrain from using the “F-word” when talking about storage devices, but if you have tried everything else and don’t have important data to lose on the drive, then there might be no other choice but to format your drive.
This will delete all your data from the drive.
- Press Windows + X, then select either Disk Management or Computer Management.
- Right-click on the Drive, and click Format.
- Name the SSD Drive label.
- Choose the appropriate File system format. The most common ones are NTFS, for Windows internal drives, and exFAT, for external drives compatible with Windows and MAC.
- Click on OK and your drive will be formatted and ready to use.
After the SSD is finished formatting, reboot your PC. Your computer should recognize the drive, but as formatting SSDs is the nuclear option of last-ditch efforts, you will lose all files that were previously on it. If possible, try backing up your data before using this option.
Do you have to replace your SSD?
The answer to this question depends on how old your SSD is. If the SSD you’re using is old, and the steps above didn’t solve the problem, then you will probably need to buy a new drive to replace the old SSD. If the drive is new or was recently purchased, then it is most likely faulty, and you will most likely be able to return the SSD and either get a new one or receive a refund. Check with your manufacturer to see if you can get a replacement.
Of course, some things are more valuable than money. If the SSD you are trying to fix has important documents or family photo albums on it, you may need to consult a specialist to recover your data. If you can still access it, consider copying your data to a new drive so you don’t risk losing it.