Windows 10: Is there any way to reuse an external hard drive for file history in Windows 10

I have successfully used file history on my Windows 10 pc for a long time. Lately, the pc says that it does not recognize the drive.

I understand that I can switch file history off and then on again, but that creates a new copy of my entire backup, which is not very practical as the size is too large. Thus, I do not wish to do that.

If I try to choose the drive again, the pc still tells me, it does not recognize it.

Is there any way of getting my drive recognized again? That is, without creating a new backup.

The external drive is not permanently attached to the pc.

:)

 

File History does not recognise external hard drive in Windows 10

I have attached an external hard drive and it has backed up my files I cannot access File History as It cannot detect the external hard drive.

I'm using Windows 10

 

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.

 

Reusing an external drive

Hello,

To use your external hard drive for your Windows 10 PC again, you need to format your device to a file format your Windows 10 PC will recognize. Refer to the steps below to format your hard drive:

To format an existing partition (volume):

• Open Disk Management by pressing the Windows key + X key and select Disk Management.
• Right-click the volume that you want to format, and then select Format.
• To format the volume with the default settings, in the Format dialog box, select OK, and then select OK again.

Disclaimer: Formatting the hard drive will remove or erase all the data in that drive.

Hope it helps!