Why My New M.2 Not Showing Up on Windows? Solve It Now

M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in Windows!

M.2 SSDs have become the go-to storage solution for modern PCs thanks to their lightning-fast read/write speeds and compact design. However, many users encounter an annoying issue: the new M.2 SSD not showing up in Windows 11.

This is a common situation among users upgrading their storage. Whether you’re installing a new M.2 drive, migrating data from an old SSD, or expanding storage for video editing projects, Windows may fail to recognize the drive for several reasons.

What Causes the M.2 SSD Not Showing Up on Windows 11

Let’s explore why your new M.2 SSD isn’t showing up in Windows. You might find some fixes from these causes. In most cases, the problem isn’t with the drive itself, but rather with system configuration, compatibility, or connection issues. Here are the most common causes:

🔌Loose or Improper Connection

If the M.2 SSD isn’t properly seated in the slot or the screw isn’t tightened correctly, the system may fail to recognize it.

💽Uninitialized or Unformatted Drive

A brand-new SSD doesn’t come with partitions or file systems. Until it’s initialized and formatted in Disk Management, it won’t appear in File Explorer.

🖥️Missing or Outdated Storage Drivers

Outdated SATA/NVMe controller drivers can prevent Windows from detecting your M.2 SSD. Updating or reinstalling the storage drivers often resolves this issue.

⚙️Incorrect BIOS Configuration

The M.2 slot might be disabled or not configured properly in BIOS/UEFI. In some motherboards, certain SATA ports are disabled automatically when the M.2 slot is in use, which can cause detection conflicts.

🛠️Compatibility Issues

Some older motherboards only support SATA-based M.2 drives, not NVMe. Installing an NVMe SSD on an unsupported slot will prevent the drive from being recognized.

How to Fix New M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in File Explorer

Now that we understand the root causes, let’s go through each potential solution step-by-step. When an M.2 drive shows up in Disk Management but not in File Explorer, it means Windows has recognized the drive—it just can’t read drive. You can try this method to fix it:

Solution 1. Initialize the Disk

A new M.2 drive won’t show up in File Explorer until it’s initialized. Open Disk Management and check if the M.2 Disk is labeled as "Unknown" or "Not Initialized". If it's, you can follow these steps to initialize the disk without losing data:

Step 1. Press "Win" + "X" and choose "Disk Management" to open it.

Step 2. Locate the SSD and right click on it, then select "Initialized Disk".

Step 3. Choose a partition style ("MBR" or "GPT") based on your needs and click "OK".

Now the SSD has been initialized. It will show up as "Unallocated" in Disk Management. You’ll also need to set up a usable file system for this new disk.

Step 4. Right click on the unallocated partition and choose "New Simple Volume".

Step 5. Specify the volume size and assign a new drive letter.

Step 6. Set a file system you want to use and check the "Perform a quick format" option, then click "Finish" to save the settings.

How to Fix New M.2 SSD Not Showing Up in Disk Management/BIOS

If the M.2 SSD showing not showing up in Disk Management or BIOS, things get more complicated. Whether the problem lies with the connection or configuration, the methods below can help you get the SSD working properly again.

Solution 1. Check Connection

Before doing anything complexed in Windows, checking the hardware connection is the simplest and the most effective methods.

• Turn off your PC and unplug it from the power source.
• Open your computer case and locate the M.2 slot.
• Ensure the M.2 SSD is fully inserted into the slot and secured with the mounting screw.
• Boot up the system and check if the it's now detected in BIOS or Windows Disk Management.

If the SSD still doesn’t appear, you can move to the following solutions.

Solution 2. Update Storage Controllers

Outdated or corrupted storage drivers can prevent your system from recognizing the M.2 SSD. Here’s how you can update the drivers to resolve this issue.

Step 1. Press "Win" + "X" and choose "Device Manager" to open it.

Step 2. Locate "Storage controllers" and expand it.

Step 3. Right click on the relevant controller and choose "Update driver".

Solution 3. Update Your Motherboard's BIOS

If your M.2 SSD still doesn’t show up after checking the physical connection and update storage controllers, the issue might lie in your motherboard’s BIOS. Outdated BIOS firmware can cause compatibility problems with newer M.2 SSDs especially NVMe drives, preventing Windows from recognizing them.

Step 1. Press "Win" + "R" and enter "msinfo32" in the Run dialog, then hit "Enter". Note down your Baseboard Manufacturer and Baseboard Product.

Step 2. Visit your motherboard manufacturer’s official website and download the latest firmware for your model.

Then you can enter BIOS Setup to update the BIOS. Once the update is complete, reboot your PC and re-enter BIOS to confirm if the M.2 SSD is now detected.

Solution 4. Configure BIOS Settings

Incorrect BIOS configuration can also cause the SSD not to be detected in the BIOS. The BIOS controls how your computer detects and communicates with hardware devices including storage drives. Configuring it properly ensures that your M.2 SSD is recognized at startup.

Step 1. Restart your computer and press the BIOS key repeatedly (usually Del, F2, F10, or Esc, depending on your motherboard) to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Navigate to Storage Configuration. If you’re using a SATA M.2 SSD, choose "Configure SATA as AHCI", as it’s optimized to work with M.2 SATA drives.

Once all configurations are confirmed, press "F10" to save changes and exist the program. Then reboot your computer and check if the SSD can be detected.

How to Recover Data from Not Detected M.2 SSD

It’s not just M.2 drives, sometimes other SSDs can also fail to be recognized by Windows. If important files on the SSD are lost during the repair process, you can use professional data recovery software like MyRecover to retrieve them. MyRecover is one of the most reliable SSD data recovery tools in 2025. It covers various complex data loss scenarios like data recovery from formatted SSD, unreadable USB, or deleted partitions.

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Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store.

Step 2. Run the program and select the SSD to scan for lost files, then click "Scan".

Step 3. Choose the files you would like to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a location different from the SSD to save the recovered files.

Wait for the process to complete. You'll see the message "Files have been recovered successfully". Then you can access and check the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or "Browse" button.

Summary

When a new M.2 SSD not showing up in Windows 11, it can stem from a simple connection issue to a more complex BIOS or driver problem. Start by checking physical connections to enabling the SSD in BIOS, you can find a reliable way to fix this issue.

If you suspect data loss on SSD, MyRecover offers a professional-grade solution to retrieve files safely and efficiently. The MyRecover's Professional Edition even allows unlimited recovery and even data recovery from unbootable systems, making you simply to rescue your data.