SSD not showing up / not detected [Solved]

SSDs are a new type of storage units that emphasize speed and stability.
The guide below will show you exactly what needs to be done when your PC doesn't manage to detect a connected SSD.
For more fix guides on this topic, check out our dedicated Hard Drive Fix page.
For more troubleshooting guides covering hardware, check out our Laptop & PC page.

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Is your SSD not showing up in My computer, BIOS, or inside the Disk Management window?

Then you will need to read through this guide and apply the mentioned solutions.

Please follow the steps carefully to avoid causing any other issues, and to avoid losing any data from your SSD.

What do I do if my SSD doesn’t show up on Windows 10?

1. SSD won’t show up in My computer

Note: Please be aware that modifying values in the Disk Management window can cause your PC to fail. Follow the steps carefully.

Press the Win+R keys on your keyboard.

Type in diskmgmt.msc -> press Enter.

Identify your SSD drive inside the list and select it.

Right-click your SSD drive where the name is located -> Initialize Disk

This will format the drive).

Choose between the bootable (MBR) or storage device (GPT) -> click Ok

This will depend if you want to use your SSD as a bootable drive or not.

Right-click the HDD size of your SSD -> choose New Simple Volume.

Select the needed space (default will be the size of your SSD).

In the Format Partition window -> choose NTFS -> follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.

2. SSD won’t show up in BIOS

Depending on the brand of your PC, the exact steps for accessing the BIOS settings will vary. For Dell computers, pressing F2 during the startup process will activate the menu.

For specific instructions about how to enter your PC‘s BIOS setup menu, pay close attention to the black screen when you turn on your PC or find the information appropriate documentation.

You will need to Change the Onboard SATA Mode option to [AHCI] in order for your SSD to be recognized.

3. SSD won’t show in Disk Management

Turn PC off.

Unplug all the other drives connected to your PC.

Connect your SSD to SATA port 1.

Use a Windows disk or USB to start the Windows installation on it (this will give you access to the disk partition section).

Format the SSD.

Cancel the installation of your Windows and check to see if Disk Management recognized your SSD.

Want to move Windows 10 to SSD without reinstalling? Follow these steps

4. Kingston SSD won’t show up

If your Kingston SSD won’t show up on your Windows 10 machine, it is recommended that you try connecting it to another PC and see if it works.

In the case that the SSD is recognized by the other machine, you will need to follow the steps presented in the first and second methods of this article.

If you find that the Kingston SSD is not showing up there either, then it is safe to assume that your SSD has failed. If the SSD is still under warranty, you can contact Kingston for more help.

5. New SSD won’t show up

If you bought a new SSD and it will not be recognized by your computer, you will need to follow the methods mentioned in this article.

If you performed all the steps mentioned above and it’s still not recognized, please contact the manufacturer for support.

Please let us know if you found this guide helpful by using the comment section below.

The fixes mentioned above apply just as well if you encounter the following issues:

PC doesn’t recognize SSD – This most likely happens due to connectivity issues, such as bad cables of faulty USB ports.
New SSD not showing up – This issue is mostly related to the lack of preinstalled drivers, so your PC doesn’t recognize the new SSD.

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Enda Jantzen

Update: 2024-07-24

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