Windows 10 DVD Drive Not Showing: Getting the Disc Drive Back in File Explorer

You insert a disc to install old software or copy family videos, but the DVD drive is missing from This PC. When a Windows 10 DVD drive not showing problem appears, the drive may still open its slot online tray and spin, yet Windows acts as if it does not exist.

Optical drives depend on a driver and on a few registry entries that tell Windows how to talk to them. Disc-burning programs and virtual drive tools sometimes add their own entries, and when those programs are removed or updated, broken leftovers can hide the drive.

On desktop PCs, a loose cable or a BIOS setting can also stop the drive from being detected at all.

Microsoft has documented a fix for the common registry problem, and simple hardware checks cover the rest.

Possible Causes

The drive disappears for these reasons:

• Damaged UpperFilters or LowerFilters registry values left by burning or virtual drive software.
• The drive’s driver failed to load after an update.
• The BIOS does not detect the drive because of a loose data or power cable.
• The drive itself has failed.

If the tray opens and its light flashes, the drive has power, which points towards a software cause.

Quick Fixes to Try First

Start in Device Manager.

1. Restart the PC with a disc inserted.
2. Right-click Start, open Device Manager, and expand “DVD/CD-ROM drives.”
3. Select View > Show hidden devices, and look for a greyed-out or warning-marked drive.
4. Right-click the drive, choose Uninstall device, and restart so Windows reinstalls it.
5. Open This PC and check whether the drive now appears.

If the category is missing entirely, also expand “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers” and uninstall the controller entries, then restart.

Advanced Steps for Stubborn Cases

Remove broken registry filters.

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and select File > Export to save a backup.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
3. In the right pane, delete UpperFilters and LowerFilters if they exist. Delete nothing else.
4. Restart the PC and check This PC again.
5. On a desktop, switch off, unplug the power, and reseat the drive’s SATA data and power cables, then check whether the BIOS lists the drive.

If disc-burning software stops working after removing the filters, reinstall it to restore its own entries correctly.

Before You Go Further: Keep Your Files Safe

Always export the registry before editing it, and remove only the two values named. If the BIOS does not detect the drive after checking cables, the drive has probably failed. An inexpensive external USB DVD drive is a simple replacement.

Conclusion

A DVD drive missing from File Explorer is usually caused by a driver hiccup or damaged filter entries. Reinstall the device, remove UpperFilters and LowerFilters carefully, and check the hardware on desktops.