Acronis Does Not Recognize Crucial SSD: Why & How to Fix It

Why Acronis not recognizing Crucial SSD?

If you're trying to clone a drive and Acronis for Crucial not detecting SSD, it can be incredibly frustrating. This issue is more common than you might think. Let’s break down the most likely reasons this happens.

📍 Faulty Cables, Ports, or Power (SATA SSDs): For Crucial SATA SSDs (e.g., MX500, BX500), a bad SATA cable or loose power connection might be to blame.

📍 Software Incompatibility (NVMe SSDs): Older Acronis True Image versions may lack support for newer NVMe drives like the Crucial P3 or P5 Plus.

📍 Missing/Outdated Drivers: Acronis depends on system drivers—ensure your NVMe controller or Intel RST drivers are up to date for proper SSD detection.

📍 Uninitialized SSD: A new Crucial SSD may need initialization and formatting before Acronis recognizes it as a valid destination.

How to fix Acronis does not recognize Crucial SSD

In this part, you’ll learn 4 effective solutions to the Acronis not recognizing Crucial SSD issue. Check them one by one.

Fix 1: Reconnect Crucial SATA SSD

If Acronis does not recognize your Crucial SATA SSD, one of the simplest—and most overlooked—solutions is to reconnect the drive properly. Please follow the steps below:

1. Power down your computer, open the case and locate the Crucial SATA SSD.

2. Disconnect and reconnect the cables

• Unplug both the SATA data and power cables from the SSD and motherboard/PSU.
• Inspect the cables and connectors for dust, damage, or loose pins.
• Reconnect them firmly, making sure they click into place.

💡 Tip: If you suspect a cable is faulty, swap it with a known working one. Also try a different SATA port on your motherboard.

3. Close the case and power on your computer.

4. Enter BIOS/UEFI by pressing DEL/F2/F10 during boot. Verify if the Crucial SSD appears in boot or storage settings. If the SSD shows up here, move on to check if it appears in Acronis.

Fix 2: Update Acronis to the Latest Version

If your Crucial SSD is connected properly but still Acronis does not recognize the drive, it might be time to update Acronis. Follow the instructions below:

1. Visit the official Acronis website and download the newest version of Acronis True Image for Crucial.

2. Install Acronis software. Restart your computer to see if the Acronis True Image for Crucial not working issue is resolved.

💡 Tip: A bundled version of Acronis may have limited updates. In that case, consider upgrading to the full retail version for better compatibility.

Fix 3: Install Necessary Drivers and Firmware

Without the right drivers or firmware, Acronis may be unable to detect or interact with your drive correctly. Here’s how to fix it:

1. Install or update Storage Controller Drivers.

👉For Intel Systems:

• Download the latest Intel RST drivers from the Intel website or your motherboard manufacturer’s support page.
• Install them.

👉For AMD Systems:

• Download the latest AMD chipset drivers from AMD’s official site. Make sure to select your exact chipset (e.g., B550, X570) and OS version.
• Install them.

👉For Generic NVMe Drives (Windows 10/11):

Windows includes a native NVMe driver, but some Crucial SSDs may benefit from manual driver updates.

2. Update SSD firmware using Crucial Storage Executive.

• Download, install and launch Crucial Storage Executive.
• The tool will detect all connected Crucial SSDs and let you check current firmware version and update to the latest available firmware.

💡 Tip: Always back up important data before performing a firmware update.

3. Once all drivers and firmware updates are applied, reboot your system. Open Acronis again and see if the SSD is now recognized.

Fix 4: Format or Initialize the SSD

If your Crucial SSD is brand new or has been recently wiped, there’s a good chance it’s not initialized or formatted, which means Acronis will not recognize it as a usable drive. Here’s how to check and fix that.

1. Press Windows + X and select Disk Management.

2. Check if the Crucial SSD is listed.

👉If your SSD appears but shows as “Not Initialized”

• Right-click on the SSD and select Initialize Disk.
• Choose either MBR or GPT and click OK. GPT is recommended for modern systems (especially those with UEFI BIOS).

• Once initialized, the drive will show as Unallocated. Right-click the unallocated space and choose New Simple Volume. Follow the wizard to create a new partition on your SSD.

👉If your SSD appears but shows as “Unallocated”

As mentioned above, you need to create a new partition on your SSD by right-clicking and choosing New Simple Volume.

3. Open Acronis again and start your cloning task. The Crucial SSD should now appear as an available target drive.

Bonus: Best way to clone HDD to Crucial SSD

If Acronis continues to give you trouble or you simply want a more user-friendly option, AOMEI Cloner is one of the best tools for cloning an HDD to a Crucial SSD. It’s lightweight, highly compatible with both SATA and NVMe SSDs, and doesn’t require a steep learning curve.

Download AOMEI Cloner now and follow the steps below to clone HDD to Crucial SSD:

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Cloner. Go to Clone > Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select your source disk (the HDD) and your destination disk (the Crucial SSD).

Step 3. Before confirming the clone, check the SSD Alignment option. This improves performance and extends the SSD’s life. Finally, click Start Clone to launch the process.

To sum up

If Acronis does not recognize Crucial SSD, the issue is usually related to outdated software, missing drivers, uninitialized drives, or hardware connection problems. You can use the solutions offered in this article to get it fixed.

If all else fails, using a reliable alternative like AOMEI Cloner offers a hassle-free way to clone your HDD to a Crucial SSD. Besides Crucial SSD, it enables you to clone HDD to Samsung SSD, WD SSD, Kingston SSD, etc. Go for it now!