The Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) format was introduced almost two decades ago. This format is a lightweight, highly compatible file system and great for large storage. It has become an excellent option for external storage. However, despite its flexible compatibility, there are cases where an exFAT drive is not showing or recognized on Windows 11.
Regardless of the situation, there are ways to fix it, and we will show you all the options in this guide.
Why Is exFAT Not Available on Windows 11?
One of the common reasons is that you do not have a drive letter assigned to the drive, and Windows 11 can not uniquely identify the partition.
Sometimes, you will encounter this problem because the drive has been damaged. It may have been dropped and taken a hit or might have been forcefully ejected.
The problem is often linked to the external drive rather than the operating system. You may adopt some simple steps to avoid feature occurrences, including:
- As much as possible, do not use third-party tools to partition or format an exFAT drive.
- Do not forcefully eject a drive that is in use.
- Avoid dropping or physically damaging your drive.
- Regularly back up your drives.
What Do I Do if the Exfat Drive Is Not Showing or Recognized in Windows 11?
Before exploring complex fixes, we recommend connecting the drive to a different port since a bad port may trigger the problem. You should also ensure your OS is updated. If the problem persists, proceed to the solutions below:
1. Make the Drive Status Active and Assign it a Drive Letter
Windows can only process a drive if the operating system has marked it as active. The same goes for drive letters, which the OS uniquely uses to identify the drive. You may use the Disk Management tool to correct the problem.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Disk Management.
Step 2: Right-click the exFAT drive and select Mark Partition as Active.
Step 3: Follow the prompts to complete the process, then right-click the exFAT drive again and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Step 4: Click Add on the popup screen.
Step 5: Select Assign the following drive letter, choose a letter from the dropdown list, and click OK.
2. Run the Hardware Troubleshooter
The hardware troubleshooter scans the computer, identifies potential issues, fixes them, or recommends fixes. This built-in utility will come in handy if the computer ports are bad.
Step 1: Press Windows + R and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt with admin rights.
Step 2: Type the script below and hit Enter to launch the hardware troubleshooter.
msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic
Step 3: Click Advanced.
Step 4: Tick Apply repairs automatically, and click Next.
Step 5: Let the troubleshooter run and apply any recommendations.
3. Reformat the drive
If the exFAT drive is not showing on Windows 11, reformatting can fix it by repairing corruption within files or tables that trigger the problem. Formatting will essentially re-write the file system and remove any elements stopping it from being recognized.
Before formatting the drive, please note that formatting will erase all the information stored on the drive.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Disk Management.
Step 2: Right-click the exFAT drive and select Format.
Step 3: Name the file in the Volume label section, select exFAT as the File system, and choose 128K as the Allocation unit size. Untick Perform a quick format and click OK.
Alternatively, you may format the drive using the Diskpart utility on an elevated Command prompt.
4. Run the SFC and Check Disk Scans
Both scans are essential utilities to find and fix system file corruption and will help if your exFAT drive is not showing on Windows 11. The Check Disk scan will additionally scan the drive for bad sectors and fix them.
Step 1: Press Windows + R and hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Command Prompt with admin rights.
Step 2: Type the script below and hit Enter to launch the sfc scanner.
sfc /scannow
Step 3: When the scan completes, type the script below, replacing C with your drive letter, and hit Enter to run the chkdsk scan.
chkdsk C: /f
Step 4: Restart your computer.
5. Update Disk Drive Drivers
An outdated disk drive driver may make your exFAT drive not show on Windows 11 since drivers are essential in linking software with hardware. You may use the steps below to update it.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
Step 2: Expand the Disk drive category, right-click your drive, and select Update driver.
Step 3: Select Search automatically for drivers.
FAQ on exFAT Drive Not Showing on Windows 11 Devices
1. Does Windows 11 recognize exFAT?
Yes, Windows 11 supports exFat file format as well as many other file formats.
2. Is exFAT better than NTFS for Windows 11?
When using Windows, it is recommended to use NTFS as the file system for internal hard drives and exFAT for external storage devices including external hard drives and USB.
3. Which Windows versions support exFAT?
exFAT is supported in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or 3 (with update KB955704), Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11.
Using your exFAT drives on Windows 11
By default, exFAT drives should be recognized automatically, but if they are not, the solutions in this guide will allow you to use them. We are curious to know which solution was most effective, so please tell us in the comment section below.