My WD Elements external hard drive was working fine on my Windows 11 PC. But recently, my son accidentally dropped it, and now it doesn’t show up in File Explorer anymore. I haven’t heard any clicking noises, but the light is on when connected. I’m worried the drive might be damaged:( How to fix the wd elements external hard drive not showing up issue? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
If your WD Elements external drive isn’t showing up after a drop, first try a different USB cable and port, and try it on another PC. Check Disk Management (Win + X) to see if the drive shows there; if it shows unallocated, recover data before formatting.
In Device Manager, look under “Disk drives” or “USB controllers” for errors and update or reinstall drivers if needed. Next, run the Hardware and USB troubleshooters from the Windows settings. If detected, use recovery software like Stellar or Recuva to recover files before reformatting. Avoid repeated plugging in if you hear unusual noises, as it may indicate physical damage.
Could you check if it appears in Disk Management? (Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management.) If it does show up there, the file system might just be corrupted. In that case, you can try reformatting the drive to see if that resolves the issue.
Your drive is probably physically damaged. Don’t bother thrashing it with software tools.
The typical result is a head crash (heads have scratched the platters), or stiction (heads are stuck to the platters), or a mangled headstack at the loading ramp. In each case you should refrain from powering up the drive. Instead, look for a professional recovery service.
If you don’t wish to engage pro recovery, check whether the drive can still provide a SMART report. If not, then it is physically damaged.
As @Ellinor_william pointed out, if your WD Elements external hard drive isn’t appearing, first go check Disk Management by right-clicking the Start button and choosing it. If the drive is showing but lacks a letter, right-click it and give it one. Next, go to Device Manager and check in “Disk Drives.” If the drive is there, right-click and remove it, unplug and plug it in again to allow Windows to reinstall it. If the drive has a letter, perform a disk check by opening Command Prompt as an Administrator and entering chkdsk E: /f (substituting E: for the correct drive letter). If the drive appears to be unallocated or RAW, do not format it—use data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery, Recuva, EaseUS, or Disk Drill.
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Hey @Aaron,
If the light is on but the drive isn’t showing in File Explorer, first check Disk Management (right-click Start > Disk Management). Like @Ellinor_william said, if it shows as RAW or Unallocated, don’t format it. Use data recovery tool as said by @DataWizard0103 to try getting the data back first.
Also, go to Device Manager, check if it’s listed under Disk Drives, right-click and uninstall it, then plug it back in so Windows reinstalls it. Try a different USB cable or port, or test it on another PC.
If the drive starts making clicking sounds, stop using it—it could be physical damage and using it more might make things worse.
Check what Disk Management shows and update here.
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