Why won't my QNAP recognize a new drive?

A new drive that does not show up is usually a simple seating, initialisation or firmware issue rather than a fault — work through these in order.

Check the basics

1. Reseat the drive. Remove the tray, confirm the drive is screwed in and making contact, and reinsert firmly. A partially-seated drive is the most common cause.
2. Look in Storage & Snapshots. A brand-new drive often appears as uninitialised/unused rather than missing — you may just need to create or extend a pool on it.
3. Update firmware (QTS/QuTS hero). Recognition and compatibility improve with firmware; an out-of-date NAS may not handle a newer or larger drive.

Check compatibility

Confirm the drive model and capacity on QNAP's compatibility list for your NAS. Very large drives sometimes need a firmware level that supports that capacity.

Rule out a bad drive

Try the drive in another bay, or a known-good drive in the suspect bay, to isolate whether it is the drive or the slot. A drive that spins up but never registers in any bay — or is silent — may be dead on arrival. If it registers elsewhere, the original bay or its cabling may be the fault. Once recognised, use CMR NAS drives for your pool; the table lists options.