Windows 10: File History can't see external hard drive

File History can no longer see my external hard drive, 4tb WD My Passport. I have used this drive previously with file history on this very computer and on my laptop so I know it can work. A little while ago I decided to temporarily stop using File History, but now when I try to start it back up, File History can no longer find the external hard drive. The weird part is file explorer can see the external drive just fine. I can copy and paste files into and out of the external drive like normal using file explorer. So I know the drive is not corrupt. I have already tried formatting the hard drive to see if that would fix it but unfortunately it did not. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot and fix this problem?

:)

 

External Hard Drive

Hi John,

We suggest that you try the troubleshooting steps below:

• Open your External Hard Drive file in File Explorer.
• Type the name of the file you want to search on the search box and click Enter.

The file will show up in Search Results and you will be able to move it to the correct folder.

Let us know if you need further help.

 

How to stop File History on the old drive and start File History on a new drive?

I use the external drive
for File History and have a lot of information there. I want to restart the File History process on a new drive and place the previous File History drive off-site.

Please suggest the steps to stop File History on the old drive and start File History on a new drive.

 

File History is off and won't recognize my external drive

Hi,



Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community. Let me help you.

• 
  Have you made any changes in settings prior to the issue?
  
• 
  What is the status when you connect your external driver in your system?
  
• 
  Have you checked with a different external drive? What is the status?
  
• 
  Have you tried connecting the drive in a different USB port? What is the status?
  

I suggest you to disable your third party-software (If any) and check if it resolves the issue.

Important Note: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you have to temporarily disable it to install
other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

Check if it helps.



You can also try turning on file history by following the below procedure and check if it resolves the issue.

To enable file history on Windows 10, connect an external hard drive and follow the steps below:

• 
  Open Start menu and type
  File History
  
• 
  Click File History (control panel)
  
• 
  Tap or click Select a drive, and choose the network or external drive you want to use.
  
• 
  Turn on File History
  

Note: If the network drive you want isn’t in the list of available drives, tap or click Show all network locations. If the drive you want isn’t listed there either, open File History in Control Panel, tap or click Add
a network location, and follow the instructions on the screen.

Please reply with the details and updated status of the issue. We will be happy to assist you further.