- External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Mac
- Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Hard Drive
- Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Os
- Drive Not Detected External
- Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Osx
- Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Macbook Air
- Normally when you plug in an external hard drive to your Mac's USB port you will see it appear on the desktop (aka mount on the desktop). You can also see it in the Finder in the left column under.
- Hi all, Last winter I bought a WD EasyStore external HD to use as a Time Machine back up for my MacBook Pro. Recently, my Mac won’t recognize it anymore. I connect the drive and the light flashes but nothing appears on my desktop or finder window. When I try to run Disc Utility, I get a spinning wheel and nothing happens until I take the USB cable connected to the external out of my mac.
- External hard drive connected to a USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt port on your Mac; Time Capsule or macOS Server on your network; External hard drive connected to the USB port of an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac) on your network If your backup drive isn't connected using one of these methods, Time Machine might not work.
Whenever you plug in an external hard drive to your Mac computer, it should show on the desktop or Finder. If you are unable to mount the drive or external hard drive not recognized on Mac, this might be an indication of a hard drive being corrupt or faulty.
What if you have your important data on the external hard disk? how would you recover data from the corrupt external hard disk?
Summary: There are several reasons why your Mac won’t recognize external hard drive. If you are experiencing external hard drive not mounting in macOS Sierra or High Sierra, read on this post to get potential solutions to this problem. In addition, you can also learn how to recover lost external hard drive data on Mac computer.
This issue could be the result of an unsafe external hard drive ejection, virus attack, system crash, file system corruption and some hardware problems, etc.
This blog provides you a clear insight on different methods to solve external hard disk not recognized on Mac issues.
Case 1: Mac external hard drive is showing up in Disk Utility
Case 2: External hard drive is not showing up on Mac disk utility
Let us start with the first scenario that is the external hard drive is not recognized on Mac but it is mounted in Disk Utility.
Scenario 1: Mac not recognizing the external hard drive
If Mac external hard drive is not mounting on a desktop or in Finder. The next step is to verify the state of the external hard drive in Disk Utility.
macOS Utility is part of the built-in recovery system of your Mac, from which you can boot into Mac and use its utilities (Disk Utility) to repair certain logical errors of the hard drive.
Note: You can make use of all the below-mentioned methods to solve external hard drive not recognized on Mac if and only if it is mounted in Disk utility.
Solution 1: The external hard drive shows up in Disk Utility
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > Sidebar/General tab.
Step 2: Select Device < External disks(or you can find external disks under Show these items on the desktop).
This is the easiest method to make an external hard drive mount on Mac. If there are any logical errors or corruption in the disk, an external hard disk won’t be recognized on Mac.
You can try fixing external hard drive not recognized on Mac with First Aid in Disk utility.
Solution 2: The external hard drive not mounting on Mac
The issue that Mac doesn’t recognize the external hard drive could be fixed with Disk Utility under Mac Recovery Mode.
Step 1:Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys to get into Recovery Mode, release the keys when you see the Apple logo.
Step 2: Select Disk Utility in macOS/Mac OS X Utilities and click Continue
Step 3: Select the external hard drive mounted and run First Aid to check and repair errors in this drive.
What if you have accidentally deleted the Mac HD in disk utility? Do not worry, click on the given link to fix the issue and recover the data from the Mac drive.
However, if you are unable to recognize the external hard drive on Mac even after performing all the above-mentioned methods, this might be due to severe corruption in the drive. This can be easily solved by reformatting explained in the next solution.
Solution 3: Fix Mac not recognizing external hard drive by reformatting
Note: Reformatting will erase all your data stored on the drive. If you have any important files on the external hard drive, you need to restore data before reformatting. You can recover data using a safe and secure hard drive recovery tool.
Before you face a hard situation of data loss from your external drive use SFWare hard drive recovery tool. The tool is explicitly designed to recover data from all data loss situations from external hard drive including formatting or corruption on the drive. It supports APFS, HFS, HFS+, exFAT, FAT32 file system drives on all versions of macOS.
Once you are ensured all your important data is recovered from external hard drive, try fixing Mac doesn’t recognize external hard drive by reformatting.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility
Step 2: Select the Mac not recognized external hard drive from the left part of the window
Step 3: Click the Erase on the top of the Disk Utility window
Step 4: Complete the related information like name, format, scheme, then click Erase
Reformatting will surely help you in mounting the external hard drive on Mac if it is mounted in Disk Utility. What if the external hard drive is not showing up on Mac in disk utility?
Scenario 2: External hard drive not showing up in Mac Disk Utility
Let us start with some basic tests to make sure the external hard drive is connected securely.
Some initial tests to make your external hard disk recognizable on Mac
- Check whether the external hard drive is properly plugged in.
- Assuming the hard drive is properly plugged in and an external hard drive is still not mounted on Mac try using a different USB cable and port to ensure that they are not at fault.
- See if you can access the external hard drive on another Mac computer
- Try resetting NVRAM by restarting your Mac. Press Option, Command, P and R keys together for 20 seconds. Leave the keys if Mac has started again normally and you hear the second startup sound.
Performing these basic tests should make your external hard drive recognized by Mac. If you are still unable to mount the external hard drive on Mac or Disk utility the drive might have serious hardware problems that cannot be fixed with the above-mentioned methods. It is recommended to fix your hard drive with the help of a local hard drive technician.
Conclusion
It is always rewarding to have back up of data as you never know when you might encounter data loss. However, there are few manual methods that can help you regain access to your external hard drive that is not recognized on Mac. This article also provides you a way out to recover data from the external hard drives if you fail to mount your external hard drive on Mac.
SFWare hard drive recovery tool that supports recovery from all kinds of external hard drives including Seagate, Samsung, WD, Transcend, Toshiba and other external drives.
If you were successful in fixing external hard drive not recognized on Mac issue with the help of this article, do let us know in the comment section below.
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By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: August 8, 2020
I use an external hard disk drive in order to save most of my pictures, videos, and music. I store my documents in my external hard drive too. The problem right now is I’m connecting my external Hard drive on my MacBook Pro but it’s not showing up. How do I fix this?
~External HDD User
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Part I: Why isn't my external hard drive showing up mac
You might be panicking right now because your external hard drive cannot be recognized by your Mac device. But you really don’t have to go crazy.
Most likely, nothing has happened to your files within the external Hard drive. All of it will still be intact within the storage device. But, whatever the reason may be, you simply cannot access these data.
Lucky for you, there are methods you can implement in order for your Mac device to recognize the external Hard Dick Drive and keep you back on your feet. Let’s get started on why your external hard drive or flash drive isn’t showing up on your Mac device.
Part II: Reasons For Disk External Hard Drive Not Showing Up On A Mac Device
External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Mac
There are cases wherein you plugged your external hard drive or flash drive on your Mac and the device cannot recognize it. This could be caused by a broken cable or a faulty USB port. Before you delve into some methods for troubleshooting your system, you should begin with the basics first.
First, you have to make sure that the external hard drive is really plugged into the device. It might not be plugged properly. After which you have to notice the structure of your USB connector. Is it damaged? Is it misshapen? Ensure that the cable is in perfect condition. There might be exposed wires or it might be frayed.
If you plug your external hard drive into an outlet, you should try a different one. It might be the wall outlet that’s faulty. You can also try using another USB cable. The USB cable might be broken even though it’s not obvious or physically damaged.
You can also opt to plug the external hard drive to another Mac device. If it works on other Mac devices, your USB ports on the previous Mac might be broken. There might be cases wherein your hard disk drive is formatted to work on Windows computers.
That’s why you should test it out on a laptop or computer with Windows in it. It might be possible that your external hard drive is formatted to work on Windows PCs and not on Mac devices.
Another thing you can do is to simply turn off your Mac device and turning it on again. Simple rebooting can do wonders on your Mac. You can also try to reboot USB drives.
First, turn off your Mac device, after which, restart it. While in the process of restarting, hold the keys CMD + P + R + Option. Release the said keys when a sound comes up and the screen flashes. Then, let your Mac devices boot itself up as it normally would.
If you have done everything that we have listed above-- inspected your device visually, tested the external hard drive on different power outlets, cables, and computer devices, and implemented various systems-- and nothing happened, then it’s high time to follow our guide below:
Part III: Methods To Help Your Mac Device Recognize The HDD
Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Hard Drive
There are different ways to let your HDD show up within your Mac device. The first thing would be to modify the settings of Finder. The next would be mounting the external HDD on your Mac device and so on. Let’s get started with the first one:
Method 01: Modifying Settings Of Finder
There is one common reason why Mac doesn’t display or recognize an external hard drive. The reason we’re stating here is the state wherein the Mac device’ system is not set up to actually show external hard drive within its Desktop.
This can be fixed easily by following the steps below:
- Launch a Finder window.
- Visit the Preferences.
- After which, visit General.
- Make sure that the feature External disks are activated.
But what if it doesn’t work after you have done this? Well, the next thing you should do is to mount the external hard drive manually on your Mac device.
Method 02: Manually Mounting Your External Hard Drive Within The Mac Device
If Mac still doesn’t recognize the external hard drive you plugged into it, the next thing you should do is to force it to recognize the said storage item. Here are the steps you should follow:
- Go towards System Preferences.
- Visit Disk Utility.
- Examine if the external hard disk drive is shown on the sidebar towards the left.
- Select the hard drive and make sure it is highlighted.
- Choose Mount. Now, the external hard drive should be seen within the Finder window under Devices.
Again, what if forcing your Mac drive to display external hard drive doesn’t work? Well, the next step is to utilize First Aid.
Method 03: Running First Aid Through Your External HDD
Mac has a built-in utility called First Aid. This is utilized for the verification and repairing of a wide variety of issues especially with those that are related to apps and files that are corrupted. It also fixes issues with regards to startup and of course, external hard drive.
The steps below are for one type of issue. This issue is with that of a hard disk drive that is displayed on your Mac but doesn’t give you access to data. First Aid would be the tool you would use if you have to fix this issue. Simply follow the steps below:
- Visit System Preferences.
- Launch Disk Utility.
- Make sure the external hard drive is highlighted or selected.
- Press First Aid.
- Choose Run. This will now start the process of diagnosing the Mac for any issues and fixing the corresponding problems.
If your attempt to fix this problem with First Aid is a success, your hard disk drive would now be available for mounting. If this doesn’t work again, you should try the option below:
Method 04: Removing Incompatible Or Conflicting Applications
Did you experience the problem of not having an external hard drive show up just recently? If it was okay a few days before (just a couple of days), then the problem might be with an application that is in conflict with it.
Think about it. Have you downloaded and installed apps just recently? These might be culprits. What you can do is to uninstall or remove these programs one by one.
Connect your hard disk drive towards your Mac device after you uninstall each program. Check out which app is causing conflict.
You can simply delete these applications by utilizing Launchpad. Or, for a very simple process, you can drag these apps towards the Trash Bin. However, we do not recommend each of the two methods.
It’s because of the fact that even when an app is deleted, leftovers and associated files are still kept intact in your system. These leftover files might be the ones preventing you to access the hard disk drive.
What we do recommend is for you to useFoneDog’s Mac Cleaner. It has a module called Mac Uninstaller that you can use to uninstall applications without leaving any leftover behind. Here are the advantages and the steps to use the tool:
Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Os
* It gives you the ability to make your Mac device perform faster by freeing up more space within the said device.
* It scanning mode is very powerful and helps locate duplicate files, system files, junk files, unnecessary applications, clutter, etc.
* It gives you the ability to clear up junk files. It helps you locate and remove duplicate files. It helps you find and clear up similar images. It helps you delete large files and old files. The Mac Cleaner helps you delete unnecessary applications without leaving any leftovers behind. Plus, it helps in securing redundant searching history. Finally, it helps in the management of extensions, shredding of files, and cleaning of browsers.
* All of the features of the Mac Cleaner can be implemented with just a few clicks.
* Scanned results of the Mac Cleaner can be sorted on a variety of factors including date, time, size, etc.
* The Mac device status is displayed by the device including disk usage, CPU status, memory usage, etc.
* It helps you locate and detect files that are identical. Thus, more space is freed up within your device because no two files are exactly the same. Redundancy is removed within your device.
Here’s how to use FoneDog’s Mac Cleaner step by step (The following screenshots are under dark mode on Mac):
Step 01 - Download the tool.
Drive Not Detected External
Step 02 - Launch it within your Mac device. The main interface will show a variety of the device’ system status.
Step 03 - Select Uninstaller, the tool under the ToolKit module. Thus, please click the ToolKit icon and select Uninstaller.
Step 04 - Press Scan button. The tool will now do a comprehensive scan of your device.
Step 05 - Once the process of scanning is complete, click View. This will allow you to check scanned results.
Step 06 - Choose a particular application. In this case, Uninstaller will begin to remove the application you select by clicking the Clean button.
Step 07 - Confirm the cleaning operation.
Step 08 - Wait until the cleaning process is finished.
Note that you simply have to select the Mac Uninstaller tool on Step 03. Select the module Cleaner to scan for unwanted files and clean them afterward.
Now, if you have gone through every installed application in your device and still nothing works, it might be because your hard disk drive has already crashed.
Marginnote x 2 7 11. Or maybe, it can be completely broken. What you have to do in cases like these is to use a utility called Disk Drill. This tool will help you rescue your files.
Method 05: Disk Permissions Repair
Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Mac Osx
Disk permissions are very important in keeping your files safe and secure. Every single file and folder within your Mac device has permissions associated with it. But sometimes, these permissions can become messed up.
You won’t even realize it. These messed up permissions can lead to a big problem. You can actually fix this on your own using a tool for repairing permissions.
Part III: Conclusion
External hard drives can be great for storage. If it is not showing up on your Mac device, you could try out our guidelines above for you to fix it.
Why External Hard Drive Not Recognized On Macbook Air
The best thing, though, is to back up your data all the time to avoid losing files. Finally, you can use FoneDog’s Mac Cleaner to uninstall programs and applications using the Mac Uninstaller Module.
It helps you get rid of applications without leaving any leftover files behind.
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