Your computer may not even able to detect it from File Explorer.ĮaseUS partition manager software with its Check File System feature can help. If the system files are corrupted or the WD device contains bad sectors, Windows disk management may detect it as "*Others" or RAW. Fix Corrupted File System/Bad SectorĪpplies to: Fix WD passport external hard drive not showing up due to file system error or bad sectors.
After this, restart your PC and check if you can visit the WD external hard drive in Windows File Explorer. If the WD drive has already been assigned with a letter, click "Change" to choose another letter for it. Click "Add", set a new drive letter to assign to the WD external drive, and click "OK". Right-click on WD drive which fails to show up and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths.". Press Win + R keys, type diskmgmt.msc in the Run dialog, click "OK" to open Disk Management. You can change or add a new drive letter so to make WD passport detectable and accessible again in Windows PC: If your WD displays as "New Volume" with no drive letter in Disk Management, it won't show up in File Explorer. Add New Drive Letter to Make WD Passport External Hard Drive Showing UpĪpplies to: Fix WD passport external hard drive not showing up due to the drive letter confliction. Fix WD My Passport External Hard Drive Not Showing Up ErrorĬheck the state of your not showing up or not detected WD My Passport Ultra external hard drive and refer to the right fix to make your drive work normally again. Step 2. In Disk Management, locate and check the state of your WD external hard drive. Step 1. Press Windows + R keys, type diskmgmt.msc in the Run box, and click "OK". Follow steps here to check the state of your WD external hard drive in Disk Management: Check The State of WD External Hard Disk in Disk ManagementĬonnect the WD external hard drive to your computer via the USB cable.
So how to fix these errors and make your WD Passport Ultra external hard drive show up on PC again? Follow through the tutorials below to get rid of this issue immediately.
Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.WD External Disk Not Recognized Hard Drive Not Showing Up SSD Not Showing Format My Passport Ultra Full Advantage Of Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you dont have to constantly back up and reformat each time. Instead, it has very large file and partition size limits, like NTFS, but none of its extra features to maintain its svelte file system. While its compatibility is a result of its long history, its file size and partition limitations really show its age.Įven the filenames in FAT32 are limited, only allowing up to 8 characters. Originally created to replace FAT16 (File Allocation Table), it has since been used because it is compatible with modern and older systems. If you intend to use your external drive to move files between Macs running different OS versions, it is recommended that you format your drive in HFS instead.
You should use HFS if youre planning on using only Mac computers. Windows computers wont even recognize the drive if you plug it in and good luck trying to use them for other devices, such as gaming consoles. HFS also has optional journaled features for improved data reliability.
Format My Passport Ultra Code For NamingĪlso known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Extended, HFS is an improvement on the HFS file system, by supporting larger files and using Unicode for naming files. However, if youre working primarily with Mac computers, youre probably better off using HFS, which stands for Hierarchical File System, for native support. If you want to write to NTFS formatted hard drives in Mac OS X, youre going to need the help of a third-party driver. It is recommended to use NTFS if youre working strictly with Windows computers. Some versions of Linux can write to NTFS while others may not.Įven Microsofts own Xbox 360 failed to support NTFS, but Microsoft finally included NTFS support with the Xbox One. It also has a lot of additional features, such as security permissions to files and folders, hard links, a change journal, and more. NTFS has limits for file size and partition that are theoretically so large, you probably dont have to worry about them in this lifetime. While your instinct may be to find out if its some weird slang acronym defined only on scandalous websites, you may fare better by reading below.
While browsing the Internet for your external hard drive, you come across weird terms like NTFS, HFS, FAT32, and exFAT. Format My Passport Ultra Code For Naming.