Fix Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes Error Free

  

Written By Ashwani Tiwari

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Modified On February 16th, 2026

Reading Time 9 Min Read

When your hard drive suddenly shows 0 bytes so this is definitely an alarming situation for any one as many users believe their data is permanently lost when they see messages like hard drive showing 0 bytes used on your computer or hard drive showing 0 bytes free in NTFS.

But in reality this issue usually indicates your file system corruption or simple partition problems not actual data deletion. In most of the cases your files are still present but temporarily it is inaccessible.

So as an experienced professional windows data recovery specialist I will explain to you in this problem solving guide why a hard drive shows 0 bytes, what it really means and how to fix the issue safely without losing your data.

Hard Drive Showing 0 Bytes – Facts Check

What Does “Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes” Mean?

So before anything else it is important for you to know what exactly this problem is and how we can easily identify it because many users are not able to identify it initially so you need to check if your internal or external drive suddenly displays the following:

• Used space: 0 bytes
• Free space: 0 bytes
• File system: RAW or Unknown
• Or opens as an empty drive

So if you find these well it usually means Windows is not able to read the file system correctly. Also there are many users who report:-

• hard disk shows 0 bytes
• external hard drive shows 0 bytes
• hard disk with 0 bytes free on an NTFS drive

These are the symptoms that indicate drive is detected but not accessible properly. And in this case your actual data may still exist on the drive but Windows completely fails to interpret its structure.

Common Reasons Why Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes

From my practical recovery experience I can tell you there are 6 major reasons and this problem occurs due to logical corruption rather than any physical damage.

1. File System Corruption:- This happens because of the Improper shutdowns, power failure or unsafe removal. This can corrupt the NTFS file system and cause the drive to display zero capacity.

2. Virus or Malware Attack:- Malware can damage the file structure completely and make your files invisible – this leading to a hard drive showing 0 bytes used on your computer.

3. Partition Table Damage:- If the partition table is corrupted well in this situation Windows cannot find the stored files and displays the drive as empty.

4. Bad Sectors on Drive:- Logical bad sectors prevent Windows from reading the storage correctly.

5. Drive Became RAW:- When the file system changes from NTFS to RAW – Windows cannot understand the data and shows you 0 bytes. You can also check how to change from RAW to NTFS file system.

6. USB Cable or Port Issues:- This is one of the most common reasons and for external drives, bad cables or ports can cause detection without accessibility.

Check If Hard Drive Is Visible in Disk Management

If you are ready to attempt repairs you need to take a moment and check if Windows detects the drive. And for this you can follow the simple steps:-

1. Press Windows + X
2. Click Disk Management

3. Locate your hard drive

Possible scenarios

If you find that it is visible here well this is the situation where recovery chances are very high.

Basic Fixes for Hard Drive Showing 0 Bytes

Based on my years of experience and handling similar cases I can definitely tell you that it is easy to fix if you understand the problem well and implement the steps correctly.

1. Try Different USB Port or Computer

If you are an external drive user you should first check hardware connectivity as sometimes the issue is not with the drive but with it is with the system. So you need to make sure first the proper hardware connectivity using different USB ports/computers.

2. Assign a New Drive Letter

If the drive has no letter assigned you can follow all these steps to fix this:

1. Open Disk Management
2. Right-click drive
3. Choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths”
4. Assign new letter

In many practical cases this fixes drives that appear empty.

How to Fix File System Errors Using CMD

Using Command Prompt is popular methods for pro and all tech users as Command Prompt can repair minor corruption but should be used cautiously. You just need to follow these given steps to fix the issue using CMD.

1. Just Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. And Type the following:

chkdsk X: /f /r

(Note:- Replace X with your actual drive letter)

What does this exactly do?

• Fixes file system errors
• Scans bad sectors
• Attempts recovery

Solution When Manual Methods Do Not Work

If your drive is still shows zero bytes after you applied basic fixes well the issue is likely deeper and this simply indicates:-

• Severe file system corruption
• Partition loss
• Bad sectors
• Hidden data structure damage

At this stage if you continue manual fixes well this can overwrite your recoverable data. So professional recovery should be your first priority before formatting.

How to Recover Data from Hard Drive Showing 0 Bytes

Well from the professional recovery experience the safest approach i can recommend you is to Recover using the automated solution like SysTools’ Best Hard Drive Recovery Tool first and then repair or format your hard drive.

Simple Steps to Recover using SysTools automated solution:-

1. Download and Install software

2. Select affected hard drive

3. Now you can click on formatted deep scan

4. You can preview all your recoverable files

5. Save to another location

After a successful recovery now you can safely format and reuse your drive.

Hard Drive Shows 0 Bytes vs SSD Showing 0 Bytes

Many users are completely confused when it comes to the issues of HDD vs SSD showing zero bytes so you can check the basic differentiation of both the issues.

So to better understand and clearly differentiate between the zero byte issue on HDD and SSD you can also read our detailed guide on SSD Showing 0 Bytes and understand the chances and risks of recovery.

How to Prevent 0 Byte Drive Errors?

To prevent this error in future you just need to follow these best practices and stay stress free:-

• Always use “Safely Remove Hardware”
• Avoid sudden power loss
• Keep antivirus updated
• Maintain backup of important data
• Avoid using faulty USB cables
• Check drive health regularly

Keep the golden rule in mind that prevention is always easier than recovery.

Final Verdict

So now it’s time for the final conclusion – Seeing a hard drive showing 0 bytes can be very frightening but it rarely means your data is gone forever as in most of the cases only the issue is caused by file system corruption, partition damage or because of the logical errors.

So if your hard drive shows 0 bytes you just need to avoid formatting it immediately and simply check disk management. Also you need to choose the safe manual fixes and prioritize recovery before you try any major repairs attempts. and yes If you handle everything correctly so even a hard disk with 0 bytes free on an NTFS drive can be restored without any permanent data loss.