- Ranging from 1TB up to 5TB, WD Passport Ultra external hard-drives have a modern metal design and come with USB-C.
- If the drive is not detected by Windows 10 PC you should replace the cable, run the troubleshooter or use a partition manager. Find out more in the article.
- For other articles related to these kinds of drives, visit the external hard drives section.
- If you have any other issues with various devices, check out the Peripherals Hub.
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WD My Passport Ultra is an external hard drive that users can utilize with Windows 10 desktops and laptops. However, some users have stated that their connected desktops and laptops don’t detect the WD My Passport Ultra drives.
Consequently, the drive is not recognized and doesn’t appear in Windows 10 File Explorer. These are a few potential resolutions that might fix WD My Passport Ultra when it’s not detected.
Why isn’t WD My Passport not showing up in File Explorer?
If an external hard drive isn’t showing in Windows, the first thing you should check are you cables. Ensure that the device is properly connected and powered.
Driver issues can also lead to your hard drive not appearing in File Explorer, so make sure that USB drivers are up to date.
It’s possible that you have an issue with your USB port if the external drive keeps disconnecting on Windows, so try using a different port or a different PC.
What to do if Windows 10 doesn’t detect WD Passport Ultra HDD
How to fix WD My Passport Ultra not showing up or being detected
1. Connect the Drive With Alternative USB Cable
First, try connecting My Passport Ultra to the desktop or laptop with an alternative USB cable. It might be the case that the USB cable is faulty. If so, changing the cable will probably fix the issue.
In addition, connect the My Passport Ultra drive with an alternative USB slot. Some users have stated that the drive is recognized when they connect it via USB 2.0 slots, but it isn’t detected when connected with USB 3.0 ports. So the issue might be due to one of the USB controllers.
2. Open the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter detects and fixes external hardware issues. So that’s a troubleshooter worth noting when a device isn’t recognized. This is how users can open that troubleshooter within Windows.
3. Update USB Controller and WD My Passport Ultra Device Drivers
Refreshing device drivers often fixes devices that aren’t recognized. In this case, users might need to update the USB controller or the My Passport Ultra drivers.
Driver updater software provide a quick and straightforward way to scan for antiquated or corrupted drivers that need updating.
On top of that, they can accurately match your hardware with its corresponding drivers. This guarantees that you will not face any errors that may occur when you install an incompatible driver.
We recommend you to try DriverFix because it is very user-friendly and lightweight and it provides all necessary features to update and fix your drivers.
4. Plug the My Passport Ultra HDD into the laptop or desktop
- Open the Cortana app by pressing the Type here to search button on the taskbar.
- Enter the keyword ‘troubleshoot’ in the search box.
- Click Troubleshoot to open a list of troubleshooters listed within Settings.
- Then select Hardware and Devices and press the Run the troubleshooter button.
- The troubleshooter will open and might provide a fix for the My Passport Ultra HDD. Press the Apply this fix button to apply suggested resolutions.
5. Adjust the Path and Drive Letter for WD My Passport Ultra
- Windows might detect My Passport Ultra when users change its drive letter and path. To do that, Open the Run dialog by pressing the Windows key + R hotkey.
- Enter ‘diskmgmt.msc’ in Run, and click the OK button.
- Next, right-click the WD My Passport Ultra drive on the Disk Management window and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
- To assign a drive letter, click Add and select the Assign the following drive letter option. Then select a drive letter from the drop-down menu.
- Alternatively, users can click the Change button to select an alternative drive letter.
- Then press the OK button to apply the new drive letter.
- Restart Windows 10 after modifying the drive letter.
6. Check the Drive’s File System
The file system on the My Passport Ultra drive might be corrupted. Users can check for and fix corrupted system files with the EaseUS Partition Master software.
Click Free Download on the software’s webpage to add the freeware EaseUS partition software to Windows.
After installing the software, plug the My Passport Ultra HDD into the desktop or laptop. Open EaseUS Partition Master and right-click the My Passport Ultra drive to select Check File System.
A Check File System window will then open. Click the Start button to check the file system.
If none of the above resolutions fix WD My Passport Ultra when it’s not detected, the drive might need repairing. My Passport Ultra comes with a three-year warranty. As such, users can return the external hard drive to Western Digital for potential repairs within that warranty period.
All of the solutions from above can be applied to similar issues that some users have:
- WD my passport problems – Most problems are related to the drive not being detected in Windows and not showing in File Explorer. Follow the article to fix this.
- WD passport not recognized – This issue is another way of saying that the connected drive is not detected so the same solutions apply here as well.
- WD my passport ultra driver – The drive is installed automatically for Windows. In case of errors, a Driver Manager might be able to find a better one for your device.
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