WD My Passport Not Showing Up in File Explorer – How to Fix It

Western Digital’s WD My Passport series is one of the most popular portable hard drives used for personal backups, media storage, and file transfer. However, one frustrating issue that users occasionally face is the WD My Passport not showing up in File Explorer on Windows. If your drive is detected in Disk Management but not accessible in File Explorer, or not recognized at all, don’t panic. There are several practical solutions to resolve this issue.

Why Is WD My Passport Not Showing Up?

There are multiple reasons why a WD external hard drive may not appear in File Explorer:

USB port or cable issues

Drive is not assigned a drive letter

File system corruption

Outdated or missing drivers

Partition issues or unallocated space

Power supply limitations (especially on USB hubs)

Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix the Problem

1. Check Physical Connections

Start with the basics:

Ensure the USB cable is securely connected to both the drive and the computer.

Try plugging the drive into a different USB port, preferably one directly on the computer (not via a hub).

Test the drive on another computer to determine if the problem is with the drive or your system.

2. Open Disk Management

If the drive doesn’t show in File Explorer, press Win + X and select Disk Management. Look for a disk labeled "WD My Passport" or similar.

If it appears as Unallocated, you’ll need to create a new volume.

If it appears but has no drive letter, right-click on it and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”, then assign a letter.

3. Create or Format a Partition (If Unallocated)

Warning: This will erase existing data.

In Disk Management, right-click the unallocated space and choose New Simple Volume.

Follow the wizard to format it using NTFS or exFAT (recommended for cross-platform use).

Once completed, it should appear in File Explorer.

If you want to recover files before formatting, use third-party tools like Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, or MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

4. Update or Reinstall Drivers

Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause the drive to be invisible.

Open Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager)

Expand “Disk Drives” and “Universal Serial Bus controllers”

Right-click on your WD drive and choose Update driver

Or uninstall the device and reboot your PC to force automatic reinstallation

5. Check for Hidden Devices

Sometimes drives are hidden or disabled:

In Device Manager, click View > Show hidden devices

Look for any greyed-out entries under "Disk Drives" or "Storage Volumes"

Uninstall and restart if necessary

6. Use WD Utilities

Download WD Drive Utilities from Western Digital’s support site. It includes diagnostics and formatting tools specifically for WD My Passport drives.

Conclusion

If your WD My Passport is not showing up in File Explorer, the issue could be due to connection problems, missing drive letters, driver conflicts, or partition errors. Fortunately, most of these problems can be resolved with simple steps in Disk Management or Device Manager. Always try the drive on a different computer to rule out hardware failure. If all else fails and you need to recover data, turn to trusted data recovery software or consult a professional.