External SSD only working on boot up

I recently bought a lexar sl500 external SSD. When I have the ssd plugged in when booting up the PC while it’s plugged in. But if I plug in the ssd while the pc is still on my computer recognizes the ssd but it freezes up if I try accessing anything from the ssd.

I have tried updating drivers, reformatting the ssd, and I should have no viruses on my ssd, I have only installed games from steam and photos I have taken myself.

This isn’t super important but it would be nice to plug in my ssd and have access to my games without restarting my PC. Any suggestions I appreciate.