Fix Unallocated Hard Drive Without Losing Data Windows 10/11

Does your external hard drive suddenly become unallocated or shows up as unallocated in Windows 10/8/7 PC? Relax! EaseUS hard drive recovery software with effective methods are available here to assist you in fixing unallocated hard drive without losing data in Windows 10/8/7.

What is an unallocated disk or partition? An unallocated partition is a section of a hard drive's storage that has not been assigned to a volume and cannot be used to store files in its current state. This space is essentially unusable until you either create a new partition from it or merge it with an existing partition. It can occur from deleting a partition or from initially setting up a disk without using the full capacity.

How to fix an unallocated hard drive? To fix an unallocated hard drive, first initialize the disk if it's brand new by right-clicking it in Disk Management and choosing "Initialize Disk," then create a new simple volume by right-clicking the unallocated space and selecting "New Simple Volume". Alternatively, you can extend an existing adjacent partition by right-clicking it and choosing "Extend Volume" to use the unallocated space.

If you need to recover data from an old, unallocated drive, use a hard drive recovery tool before reallocating the drive! Follow the solutions on this page to fix hard drive unallocated errors without losing data!

Why a Partition Becomes "Unallocated"

How does your external hard drive become unallocated? Here is a list of reasons that may cause external hard drives or storage devices to become unallocated:

• File system and internal device error 
• Improper operations
• Virus attack
• Outdated disk driver

How to fix this unallocated drive? Is there a fix(if there isn't, please tell me how to completely reset the drive)?

- from Reddit r/Windows10 Forum

If you are experiencing the same issue on a hard drive, USB drive, or memory card, etc., stop using the device. Then, folloe the next part to restore data from the unallocated disk with the trusted and relaible disk repair software.

How to Recover Data from an Unallocated Hard Drive

When a hard drive that saves valuable files becomes unallocated, restoring data becomes the top priority. With professional data recovery software such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you can still recover data from the drive that is unallocated, formatted, corrupted, uninitialized, even recovering data from hard disk which is not detecting, etc.

EaseUS disk repair software enables you to recover lost data from unallocated space on a hard drive or external hard drive with ease. Download EaseUS hard disk recovery software here and follow the guide below to restore data:

Step 1. Select the drive where you lose your data and click "Search for Lost Data".

Step 2. Use "Filter" or "Search" to find the lost files when the scan completes.

Step 3. Select all the files you want and click "Recover". Then, browse another secure location to save them.

💡Tip: You can restore data on the local disks, external hard drives, and also the cloud storage.

Activation is required when you tend to restore all found files. Also, remember to save the recovered data to another secure device. Don't forgt to share this post on SNS to help more people learn how to fix allocated disk without losing data!

How to Fix Unallocated Hard Drive Without Data Loss

After saving your esential data using EaseUS hard drive data recovery software, it's easy to fix the external hard drive unallocated issue. All you need is to create a new partition on the external hard drive, set NTFS or FAT32 as its file system. Don't forget to restoring your essential files first!

Here, you can try two free methods provided below for help:

• Method 1. Create a New Partition
• Method 2. Extend an Existing Partition
• Method 3. Run CHKDSK

Method 1. Create a New Partition

By creating a new partition on the unallocated external hard drive with a compatible file system, users can store files on the device again. Free partition manager software like EaseUS Partition Master Free supports creating a new partition in simple clicks.

Another free method you can try is to create a partition on the unallocated space using Disk Management. Be careful while following the steps here to fix the unallocated external hard drive issue:

Step 1. Connect the unallocated external hard drive to the PC, and enter Disk Management: Right-click on "This PC/My Computer > Manage > Disk Management".

Step 2. Locate and right-click on the unallocated space of the external hard drive, select "New Simple Volume".

Step 3. Set partition size, drive letter and file system (NTFS), etc.

Step 4. Click "Finish" to complete the process.

After this, you'll be able to use the external hard drive to save and store important data again. You can also transfer the previously restored data back into the external hard drive.

Method 2. Extend an Existing Partition

Use this method if the unallocated space is immediately next to an existing partition you want to expand.

• Step 1. Open Disk Management.
• Step 2. Right-click the existing partition that is adjacent to the unallocated space (on its left side).
• Step 3. Select "Extend Volume" and follow the wizard to allocate the unallocated space to the existing partition.

Method 3. Run CHKDSK

If the drive has errors, use this command to scan and fix them.

• Step 1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
• Step 2. Type the command chkdsk F: /f /r /x (replace F: with the correct drive letter) and press Enter.
• Step 3. If the drive is in use, you may need to schedule the check for the next restart by typing 'Y' when prompted.

Tips to Prevent Drives from Being Unallocated

Here are some practical tips that you can follow to prevent further unallocated errors from happening on your external hard drive and other storage devices: 

1. 1. Update the driver of the external hard drive.
2. 2. Recover NTFS partition on external hard drive with CHKDSK  or EaseUS partition manager software.
3. 3. Run anti-virus software to clean up viruses in the PC and the external hard drive.
4. 4. Use storage devices and unplug carefully from your PC.

How to Fix Unallocated Disk FAQs

We have prepared four additional questions to help you learn more about repairing unallocated external hard drives:

1. How to repair an unallocated external hard drive manually?

You can fix an unallocated external hard drive by creating new partitions:

1. 1. Connect your external hard drive to your computer.
2. 2. Open Disk Management on your computer.
3. 3. Right-click the unallocated space and choose "New Simple Volume".
4. 4. Set the size, letter, and format. Then you should wait and click "Finish" to complete the process.

2. How to fix WD external hard drive not showing up?

There are four ways to fix WD external hard drive not showing up on your computer:

1. 1. Check the USB ports and cables.
2. 2. Run an antivirus tool or use CMD to remove the virus.
3. 3. Turn on the USB Root Hub in "Power Management".

3. Why is my external hard drive unallocated?

The external hard drive may appear to be "uninitialized" or "unallocated" for a number of frequent causes, such as sudden power outages, improper insertion or extraction, faulty sectors, physical damage, etc.

4. How to recover data from an unallocated external hard drive?

You can recover data from an unallocated external hard drive with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or find a data recovery service.

1. 1. Scan the external hard drive and scan the lost partition.
2. 2. Filter the files to find the required files more easily.
3. 3. Preview the data and click "Recover" to retrieve the files from the external hard drive.