Steam Not Recognizing External Hard Drive: Resolve Within A Flicker Of Time

The Steam software is a great video gaming platform that enables you to download, install, update and buy games online in an easy way. Once the Steam software is installed on your system, it enables you to create a user account from your email address. Though it is very convenient for users to play games on Steam, there are many such issues that interrupt the game which you are currently playing. One of the most frequent errors on the Stream software is the “Steam not recognizing external hard drive”.

The issue occurs when the data in the storage device is corrupted or the drivers of the hard drive are out of date. Here, you will learn the causes and the solutions to fix this Steam issue on your own. But, before proceeding to the solution part of the article, we will first discuss the causes of the Steam issue. Therefore, have a look at the next section of the article below to get answers to Steam won’t recognize my external hard drive

Some Possible Causes of the Steam not recognizing external Hard Drive Issue

In this section of the article, you will get to know the causes that lead to the occurrence of the Steam not recognizing hard drive issue. Having a good knowledge of the causes will help you to better understand the solutions that are given later in this article. Therefore, without wasting any more time, let us discuss the causes of the Steam issue below:

1. The most common reason for the Steam issue to happen is due to the USB port or the USB cable. If the USB port of the system is defective, then the Steam software will not identify the external hard drive. Additionally, if the USB cable of the external hard drive is also defective, then also you can face the Steam issue.
2. The second reason for the Steam error to occur is when the driver of the external hard drive is out of date. If the driver of the external hard drive is not up to date, then it may not support the Steam software.
3. If in case, the system has been recently attacked by a virus or malware, then also you can get the Steam error while running the Steam software. The attack of the virus or malware may corrupt the Steam system files or the external hard drive drivers causing the Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue.
4. If there is an active Windows firewall on the system, then also you can get this Steam error. The firewall may restrict the file transfer between the external hard drive and the Steam software, thus causing the Steam hard drive issue.

Some additional causes of the Steam hard drive issue:

1. If somehow the Windows registry files are corrupt, or in case, you are using an old version of the Steam gaming software, then also you can receive the Steam hard drive issue.
2. Updating to the Windows 10 Operating System can also be a reason for the Steam gaming issue to occur.

Therefore, these were some of the causes of the Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue to occur. So, now after knowing the reasons behind the Steam error, we will move forward to discuss the solutions to fix this error.

Self-performing Methods to fix the Steam not recognizing Hard Drive Issue

In the next section of the article, we will now discuss the methods that you can try in order to fix the issue. These are tried and tested. Many Steam users have already tried these methods and got their issue resolved in an instant. Therefore, in order to know the methods of the troubleshooting process, you have a look at the next section which is given below:

Method 1: Check for Driver Updates of the External Hard Drive

In the first method, you can try to check for available driver updates of the external hard drive. Having an old driver version of the external hard drive may lead to the Steam not recognizing it. Therefore, you have to update the external device drivers. In case, you do not know the steps to perform this method, then follow the steps that are given down below:

• In the first step, you have to open the Start menu. When the Start menu opens, you have to type ‘Device Manager’ inside the search box. After that, you have to hit the Enter key from the keyboard.
• Now the Device Manager window will open. When inside the Device Manager window, you have to head towards the Disk Drivers section.
• Inside the Disk Drivers section, you have to find the external hard drive that you have to plug into the system.
• After finding the external hard drive, you have to right-click on it. Now, from the list of options, you have to select the Update Driver Software option.
• In case, there are updates available, you have to follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update process.
• Once the update process completes, you can now check if the Steam hard drive issue occurs again or not.

We hope that you were able to fix the issue of the Steam gaming software with the above steps. However, if you are still facing the Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue, then you can proceed to the next section of the article.

Method 2: Deleting the 0 KB file of the Steam gaming software

In this method, you can carry out the process of deleting the 0 KB form the Steam gaming software, which can be an underlying reason behind the error. In case, you do not know where this 0 kB file exists on your system, then follow the next section to find it out.

• First of all, you have to press and hold the Windows logo key and the R key at the same time. This action will open up the Run dialog box.
• Inside the Run dialog box, you have to type ‘%ProgramFiles(x86)%’ and then, you have to hit the Enter key from the keyboard.
• Now, a new window will open on the screen. Next, you have to find and double-click on the Steam folder.
• After the Steam folder opens, you have to again double-click on the Steam apps folder.
• In the next step, you have to again double-click on the common folder.
• Now, in the next window, you have to scroll down to find the file having 0 KB file size.
• On finding the 0 KB size file, you have to right-click on it and then, from the list of options, you have to click on the Delete option.

Therefore, these were the steps to find and delete the 0 KB file of the Steam gaming software. Now, we hope that you were able to fix the Steam hard drive issue easily. After following the above steps, if you are still facing the Steam error then you can have a look at the next method.

Method 3: Set the Steam Folder Security to take Full Control

Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue happens because you don’t have permission to access the external hard drive. Therefore, set the Steam folder security to have full access to the external hard drive. You can follow the steps that are given as follows:

• You have to exit the Steam gaming software completely by closing all its windows.
• Now, from your keyboard, you have to press together the Windows logo key and the R key. This action will open up the Run dialog box.
• Inside the Run dialog box, you have to type ‘%ProgramFiles(x86)%’ and then, hit the Enter key from the keyboard.
• Inside the new window, you have to right-click on the Steam folder. Now, from the list of options, you have to select the Properties option.
• In the new Steam Properties dialog box, you have to uncheck the box before the Hidden option.
• Now, click on the Security tab inside the Steam Properties window. After that, you have to click on the Edit button.
• Under the Group or user names section, you have to click on the User Account option. Then, ycheck for the box beside the ‘Allow for Full Control’.
• After that, click on the Apply button to apply all the changes and click on the OK button to save all the changes. Now, you have to close all the active windows.
• In the next step, you have to click on the Start menu logo to open it.
• Inside the Start menu, type ‘Steam’ in the search bar. Now, from the results, you have to right-click on the Steam option.
• From the popup list of options, click on the ‘Run As Administrator’ option.

Even after performing the above steps, if Steam issue persists, then you can have a look at the next method.

Method 4: Run the ‘Flushconfig’ Option or Command

In this method of the solution section, you can try to run the ‘flushconfig’ command. By running the command you can clear the Steam cache files that are causing the Steam hard drive issue. In case, you do not know the steps, then you follow the steps given down below:

• First, you have to close all the active Steam windows. Now, using your keyboard you have to press and hold the Windows logo key and R key at the same time. This action will open the Run window.
• As the Run dialog box opens, you have to type ‘Steam://flushconfig’. Now, you have to hit the Enter key from your keyboard.
• If prompted, click on the OK button to start the flush process.
• Once the flush process finishes, you have to restart the system. As the system reboots, you have to again open the Run dialog box
• Inside the Run dialog box, you have to type ‘%ProgramFiles(x86)%’ in the command box. Then, you have to click on the OK button.
• Inside the new window, you have to double-click on the Steam folder. After that, you have to double-click on the Steam Application logo or the Steam.exe file.

These are steps to flush out the Steam cache files of the Steam gaming software. If your Steam not recognizing external hard drive resolves, then you are good to go. If, in case, the Steam hard drive issue is still troubling you, then you can follow the next method given down below.

Method 5: Verify the Integrity of the Game Files of the Steam Gaming Software

The Steam not recognizing external hard drive error can also occur if some of the game files installed are corrupted or missing. Therefore, in order to verify the integrity of the game files, you have to follow the steps that are given down below:

• In the first step, you have to open the Steam gaming software. Now, you have to go to the Library section.
• Now, you have to right-click on the problematic game and then, you have to click on the Properties option from the list of options.
• In the next step, you have to click on the Local Files option and after that, you have to click on the ‘Verify Integrity of game files’ option.
• Now, you have to wait until the game cache verification finishes. When the process completes, you have to close the Steam window to exit the Steam gaming software.
• In the next step, you have to relaunch the Steam gaming software to check if the Steam issue occurs again or not.

This will definitely fix the Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue.

Bottom Line

Hopefully, after following the methods, you can now fix the Steam not recognizing external hard drive issue on your own. These methods are simple and easy to perform therefore, you may not face any problem while performing it. In case, you are still struggling with the issue, then you can post about it in the comments section below.