Troubleshooting: M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 11 - Qiling  

Troubleshooting: M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 11


Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
FIX 1. Qiling Partition Master Step 1. Right-click the target partition that has a problem; Step 2. Choose "Advanced" > "Check File System"...Full steps
FIX 2. Windows and Hardware Troubleshooter Step 1: Windows PowerShell can be accessed by right-clicking the Start button and selecting it (Admin)...Full steps
FIX 3. Disk Management Step 1: To access Disk Management, connect the SSD to the computer and click on the Disk Management...Full steps
FIX 4. Update Storage Controller Drivers Step 1: Device Manager can be accessed by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting it; Step 2: Locate the Storage...Full steps
FIX 5. Examine Cables and Connections To rule out a cable problem, you can connect the SSD through a separate connection. Some SSDs do not need...Full steps
FIX 6. Format the Disk to NTFS Step 1: cmd should be typed into the search box, then right-clicked and selected Run as administrator...Full steps

Introduction

Many PC and laptop users have experienced the frustration of an M.2 SSD failing to be recognized. This issue is more common with NVMe SSDs, although it can also occur with M.2 SATA drives. M.2 drives are sometimes invisible to the BIOS, while other times they are visible to the BIOS but invisible to Windows.

Frequently, compatibility and configuration concerns are to blame. The driver, the operating system, and, in rare cases, a faulty solid-state drive all play a role in this issue. If you're having trouble with this problem, we've got a list of the potential reasons and solutions below. So, without further ado, you can fix M.2 SSD Not Showing Up In Disk Management Windows 11.

m.2 ssd not showing up

Guide to Diagnose M.2 SS Problems on Windows 11 Quickly 

The moment you get this problem, you will want to fix this. While there are many fixes, we must first focus on what leads to M.2 disk not showing on Windows 11 - it causes!

It may be the time for you to do a thorough hard disk health check for your computer. 

Troubleshooting M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 11 [Fixes] 

Now that we are done with the causes, we can shift our focus to the potential fixes that will help you diagnose the M.2 Not Showing Up in Windows 11. Starting with the first fix…

FIX 1. Troubleshoot M.2 Not Showing Up Using Qiling Partition Master - The Best in the Business!

Third-party Disk Management similar product Qiling Partition Master, regarded as one of the best Windows disk management tools in 2020, addresses the drawbacks of Disk Management and provides customers with an alternative method of resolving the most prevalent hard disk difficulties. When you're attempting to edit, add, or assign a drive letter to a local disk or external hard drive in Disk Management but have encountered an issue, you'll need an alternate tool that can correct the problem and allow you to proceed.

When it comes to managing a hard drive or a removable/external hard disk, Qiling free partition manager performs very identically to Windows Disk Management, including the ability to modify a drive letter and routes. It simply assists in changing and adding a new drive letter to an SSD, initializing a new SSD, and creating a partition for the new SSD to appear on the computer's hard drive.

Step 1. click the target partition that has a problem. 

Step 2. Choose "Advanced" > "Check File System". 

Step 3. In the Check File System window, check the "Fix the error on the disk" option.

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to check errors on your partition.

Main Features

FIX 2. Run Windows and Hardware Troubleshooter

Another way to fix M.2 disk not showing up in Windows is by running Windows and hardware troubleshooter. This fix will erase the root problem. Here's how:

Step 1: Windows PowerShell can be accessed by right-clicking the Start button and selecting it (Admin). As a result, Windows PowerShell will be executed as an administrator.

windows powershell admin

Step 2: Enter the command msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic into the command line and hit the Enter key. The Hardware and Device troubleshooter will display on the screen after that.

Step 3: To finish the scanning and repairing process, click the Next button on the wizard.

hardware and devices troubleshoot

FIX 3. Initialize SSD in Disk Management

One of the reasons behind the problem was that you could not initialize your SSD in the system. Here's how you can do that:

Step 1: To access Disk Management, connect the SSD to the computer and click on the Disk Management icon. Select Disk Management from the Start menu by selecting it with the right-click mouse button.

select disk management from start menu

Step 2: If you have not yet initialized the SSD, you will see that it is labeled as Not Initialized. As seen below, right-click it and pick the Initialize Disk option from the menu:

initialize the disk

Step 3: Select a partition compatible with both the MBR (Master Boot Record) and the GPT (GUID Partition Table) and press the OK button.

Step 4: Select New Simple Volume from the context menu of the SSD. The wizard will guide you through the process of creating a partition and assigning a drive letter to your SSD.

select a new simple volume in disk management

Note: In rare instances, the SSD can be inaccessible. You can make it reactive again by right-clicking it and selecting Online from the context menu.

FIX 4. Update Your Storage Controller Drivers

One of the major reasons your M.2 doesn't show up in Windows is old storage controllers that aren't updated. Here's how you can update their fix:

Step 1: Device Manager can be accessed by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting it.

Step 2: Locate the Storage controllers in Device Manager once they appear. Update the driver by selecting it from the context menu.

update windows driver

Step 3: With the option to search automatically for updated driver software selected, Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the most recent drivers available.

Step 4: After the new drivers have been installed, the computer should be restarted.

FIX 5. Examine Cables and Connections of Your System

In most cases, SSDs are linked to motherboards by SATA cables, and if the connections are damaged, the device will not be identified by the computer or even by the BIOS.

To rule out a cable problem, you can connect the SSD through a separate connection. Some SSDs do not need a connection to be attached, such as the M.2 SSD placed into a slot on the motherboard.

Whether this is the case, you can try installing the SSD on a separate computer to see if it is detected there.

FIX 6. Format the Disk to NTFS

Whether the file system is the problem, you can attempt to format it to NTFS using Diskpart or a third-party program to see if it solves the problem. First, you can use DiskPart.exe to reformat the disk to a file system compatible with your operating system.

Step 1: cmd should be typed into the search box, then right-clicked and selected Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the command prompt, type diskpart and press the Enter key.

Step 3: Enter the following instructions into the text box and Enter.

format and create and new disk

Step 4: To quit Diskpart, type exit and check to see whether it worked.

Conclusion 

After reading this article, you will understand that SSDs not showing up on Windows 11 can be caused by various factors. The probable reasons and remedies are discussed in detail in this article. You can test each of the possible options one at a time.

If you don't want to lose your data, please attempt to format the disk at the very end. Qiling Partition Master is highly recommended for creating new partitions and labeling partitions with various letters, among other things.

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