There are two ways to access such external drives on your Mac – via Linux OS or FUSE system. You can read detailed instructions on managing cloud storage as local drives here. If you need the data on the drive do not choose Erase or Restore!). Using Sandisk SDSSDA240G, since yesterday (13/03/2018) not detected. Console is also reliable when it comes to solving tricky problems, although it isn’t always that easy to use. The reason being, there are equal chances of USB Port damage. VAT ID: IE3425001BH. If you go with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac with Linux on another drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove: For Macs with removable batteries, you need to switch them off, remove the battery, then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. External hard drives back up your most important files, but what happens when they malfunction? Because of this, I am getting a new external hard drive that will speak to my two Windows 7 computers, but will keeps this has a back-up driver for my three XP-based computers. Here's what to do if your device is not detected in Windows and Mac. So I have a maxtor 500gb hard drive, and it has had yet to fail me until now. Transferring can be done the same way – with FAT32, or via network. | 18 Feb 20. You can find Console under Applications > Utilities > Console. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available from Setapp, along with dozens of Mac apps that will make your life easier. Click on Finder in the menu at the top of your screen. Right click and then click "Uninstall. Or if you only have the one, plug another device in and see if that works ok. Check on your external hard drive, click the First Aid tab and select Run to start running diagnostics. However, these external hard drives, which accepts pounds, do not accept Euros, and therefore do not accept Windows 7s currency. With Setapp you get a pack of professional tools for file recovery and Mac maintenance. It’s annoying, especially when you need to transfer something right then. Ready to check them out? Open Disk Utility (as per the steps above). Saving to the same drive substantially lowers your chances of recovery.”. Now, Apple has introduced the Apple File System (APFS) for newer operating systems. To run Fist Aid on an external hard drive: If First Aid successful in fixing errors, the external drive should be available to mount. Try the following to make sure your Mac is set to show mounted drives on the desktop. Before Disk Utility starts to erase the disk it will pick a format for you. For your ease, add cloud drives to Finder with CloudMounter app, so that you keep them close at hand. Try using a different cable with the drive to see if that fixes the problem. At the very least, you’ll never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive ever again. The common issue is Ext2- and Ext3-formatted drives are not readable on macOS. Especially if System Information does recognize the USB or hard drive, but continues to hide it from you, disconnect the drive and try to find it using the Terminal, which you can find in Applications > Utilities. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. Fixing drive without a partition. Also check that the port on your Mac isn’t the problem. Console shows if an external drive or any error is detected under the Errors and Faults tab. Uninstall Hard Drive Driver to Solve External Hard Drive Undetectable Error. This is … EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will start a quick scan first to find lost or deleted Seagate external … Browse and navigate to the unrecognized external hard drive and then click on “OK”. Best MacBook Air deals: top offers January 2021. 584165. If your Mac has already mounted the drive the option Unmount will be displayed instead. Best utilities in one pack, give it a go! In the Sidebar tab you can choose which folders and devices will be shown in the left-hand column of the Finder window. In that case, if you need to access the data on the drive you'll need to connect your drive to a Windows PC that does recognise it and copy the data before moving on to the next step. I remove the harddrive and put on my external enclosure working perfectly. Just as in cases where the disks are not spinning at all, one possibility is that the printed control board is failing and cannot send enough power to the spindle motor, which spins the drive’s hard disk platters. Don’t just unplug the USB cable. Disk Drill can help to identify and restore this information. A drive icon will appear, which once you double click will give you the option to open the files as you would do before they were lost. The next step is to try plugging the drive into another Mac. Make sure that your external drive doesn’t become damaged in the future by always unmounting the disk properly after using it. Never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive again. However, sometimes, an external hard drive doesn't show up. 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). Open Disk Utility. To sum up, there are lots of potential solutions for a Mac not reading an external hard drive. If the drive mounts on the PC it's likely that you have discovered what the problem is: the drive is formatted for PCs and can’t be read by your Mac. Click on Erase and wait for your Mac to erase and then reformat the drive. Another option for reading Ext2/Ext3 disks is mounting disk with Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE). If your drive is having problems, you can try to fix them yourself with First Aid and therefore get access to your files. iPhoto, Words). Macs and third-party apps that look after Macs, such as. Press Shift-Control-Option and the power button at the same time. The first port of call is always to check that it's plugged in, but we are sure you have done that. Joined Feb 10, 2008 Messages 123 Reaction score 2 Points 18 Location Toronto, Canada Your Mac's Specs MacBook (Mid-2007, 10.5.8) + MacBook Pro (Late-2008, 10.9) - See Signature Click on the “Finish” button to close the window. You can change this if you click on the Formatting options. 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). First Aid tool will check the disk for errors and then attempt a repair as needed. Another reason for your Mac not recognizing external drives is a dirty or loose connection between your cable, USB-C multi-adapter, Thunderbolt 3, or other connecting ports. If it also fails to mount there you will know that there is a problem with the drive while if it does mount then the problem is with your Mac. On the subject of cables, make sure that it’s not at fault. Partitions can get lost within hard drives, temporarily hiding all of the information contained within. Fix the issue if the drive could be detected in Disk Utility. The problem might be with the cable though. Decided there is no hope for your faulty hard drive, we have a round up of some of the best we've seen here: The best Mac hard drives. Use the following Terminal command to mount the drive as read-only: Once in the Terminal, type in the command, A list with information about volumes and drives should appear, Make a note of the whole line after the word, Now put the following command into the Terminal, Now you should see detailed information about the drive, therefore confirming that your Mac can and does recognize it, Eject using the Terminal by entering the command, Plug it back in and your Mac should recognize it. If you see that your disk is simply unallocated, you only need to create a new … And besides, there can be a risk that data on the external USB pen, hard, or flash drive is corrupt, which means you can’t transfer what you need between devices at all. Open the files to ensure they have been recovered properly and safely eject the external drive. Mac computers, prior to Sierra, used the HFS+ file format. You can also mount cloud storage as local drive on your Mac. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. (If there is no volume listed your Mac is not able to access the drive. Unfortunately, if none of those options has worked and the external drive still isn’t visible, then it could have crashed, or be well and truly broken. If Mac could not mount the external hard drive on desktop still, let's troubleshoot this issue with the following solutions. Fix Device Driver Problems. Here's what to do if your device is not detected in Windows and Mac. Say no more, we’ll get you started with Setapp real quick. ), Your options are First Aid, Erase and Restore. After that, put the battery back in, plug in the power adapter and switch the power on again. MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018 - 2019) MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015 - 2017) ... LaCie 2TB Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C USB 3.0 - Previous Gallery Image; LaCie 2TB Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C USB 3.0 - Next Gallery Image; Only at Apple. Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp. Normally this can be controlled using the Energy Saver preference pane in System Preferences, and that should be your first resort in dealing with the problem, rather than this or any other third party software. There are a number of reasons why your hard drive, flash drive, USB drive, or SSD might not be showing up. If you run though the following steps you should hopefully be able to identify the cause and fix the problem that is stopping your external drive from opening on your Mac. However, it can also indicate a problem with your hard drive’s firmware. A proper connection is the most basic … To avoid the external drive being accessed during the recovery process, click, Disk Drill “strongly suggest saving the files to a different drive than the one you are trying to recover files from. Finally, if your drive is online and formatted, but doesn't show a drive letter next to its name, right-click the volume and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths to add a drive letter. If the drive is powered via a USB-A cable you need to check that adequate power is being delivered to the drive. Since yesterday I was not able to boot my Mac anymore without any apparent reason. 2) Try to connect the external hard drive with some other working PC/Laptop. One reason your Mac isn’t recognizing the hard drive is the file format. Within Disk Drill, you can restore data when a hard drive is damaged or add formatting, which is also something Disk Utility can help with. Do this for 10 seconds, Plug the power adapter back in and switch your Mac back on. On many occasions when we have an external hard drive that does not work, the problem lies in the cable that connects it to our computer. Employ the handy all-powerful Terminal, which always comes forward with solutions for difficult problems. Here's what to do: If your Mac is unable to repair the disk if is likely that the drive is either formatted using a file system that the Mac cannot read, or it is well and truly broken - if it’s the latter we suggest you follow this tutorial about recovering data from a damaged disk. Click the First Aid tab and select Run. Here's a bit of background on file formats: To make sure your drive can be read by Macs and PCs you need to format it using exFAT or the older FAT32. The next step is to try plugging the drive into a PC. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. This usually means that your PCB can’t send enough power to the motor. Disk Drill is the world’s premier data recovery software for Mac OS X. If we were to pick one, Disk Drill seems to be the most well-rounded, offering plenty of customizations and power in an easy-to-use interface. exFAT or the older FAT32 are formats that can be read by Window and Mac computers. © Copyright 2021 IDG Communications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Hopefully there is a really easy fix to get the hard drive to mount on your desktop. On your PC, click Start. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your Mac’s USB port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. We show you how to work out whether the reason the external drive is not mounting on your Mac up is due to a problem with the drive itself, the cable or the port, and how to resolve the problem and access data on your drive. If the utility unable to repair issues, your drive truly is broken or formatted using a file system that the Mac cannot read - in this way we suggest you follow the next steps to recover data from a damaged disk drive. Click on the external drive that you are trying to recover files from. © 2021 Setapp Limited, NSC Campus, Mahon, Cork, T12 XY2N, Ireland. Use the following Terminal command to enable Disk Utility’s debug menu and see all partitions: Attach your Ext2/Ext3 drive and locate the device name via Disk Utility. The Mount option will be greyed out. An ex-Apple PR, Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. To unmount your drive you can right-click (control-click) on the icon on the Desktop or in the Finder and choose Eject. Having got the data of the drive via a PC you can reformat the drive so that you can add the data again. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers > Right-click every USB device found there and select Uninstall; Let’s take a look why this is happening and how you can get an external drive to appear on your Mac and get recover data to access to your documents. If you don’t require the data on the hard drive, select the disk and click Erase. If your Seagate external hard drive has only one partition that is recognized, you can use This PC.If the hard drive has more than one partition or the partitions are not showing up, try using Hard Disk Drive to scan the entire disk. Drag them to another location, such as your desktop or a folder on your Mac. You could try running First Aid. However, if you’re having problems accessing the files and the issue is due to formatting, you will need to connect it to a device it can be read on, and then format the files correctly for the computer you are going to use it on next. From General tab tick External disks to ensure that from now on it shows on the desktop. In High Sierra Apple introduced a new file system called Apple File System (APFS). If, however, you still don’t see any volume to the external drive then you may need to try some of the steps above again or read the Disk Drill Scanning FAQs. Hi - I just got a Seagate FreeAgent Go 120 GB External Hard Drive. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. In your user account, create a folder to be used as a mount point. But there might still be a way you can recover the data on the external drive. Apparently most drive issues are caused when the disk is removed without ejecting it properly. If none of these steps worked, the issue is likely with the drive itself. Corrupt data can be one reason your Mac won't recognize an external drive, but there are other reasons too. Find Disk Utility by opening Spotlight (cmd+Space-bar) and start typing Disk Utility, press enter to open the program. (Restore allows you to erase the contents of the drive and replace that with data from somewhere else. What’s your file format? If you do, go ahead and run the repairs. You can searching for it using Spotlight Search or via. Choose Preferences > General and make sure that there is a tick beside External Drives. Open Command Prompt on your PC through the Start menu. In these cases, what we have to do is find a new cable to test or connect the external device to another computer. Thankfully, there is an app for that. Windows uses NTFS file formats, while Macs, up until the introduction of Sierra, have used HFS+. If you're connecting a new drive, it'll probably look as if it wasn't … Mac has a built-in utility called First Aid. Disk Drill brings deleted files back from the dead. Never happened before like this. Let’s take into consideration one by one.Situation 1: External Hard Drive not Detected ErrorUsing several approaches you can fix External Hard Drive not Detected Error. First Aid will check the disk for errors and then repair the disk if necessary and this is the option to choose. There could be a few reasons why a USB flash drive isn’t making an appearance. It happened to me also on Macbook Pro Early 2011. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available via Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that strive to make your life much much easier. Your Command prompt window will open, type … Open an External Drive Not Showing on Mac, Get a huge set of top utilities for troubleshooting external hard drives not mounting on a Mac. Step 1: Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery Trial Edition to its main interface, then choose a proper recovery module to continue. Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. By If it was already set up so that the external drive would appear on the desktop then continue to follow the steps below. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove: Shut down and unplug the power adapter If the drive is not showing up on your Mac chances are it has not been formatted correctly, has been corrupted, or is faulty. Learn more. Why an external disk drive is not showing up? If you don’t have a drive to install Linux to, use virtual machine as an interface for it. Powerful enough to retrieve long-lost, mistakenly deleted files from Macs, external hard drives and USB drives and camera cards. Thus, plug in your hard drive into another Port to identify the exact cause and confirm whether a problem e… If it is there click on it and select Mount. If you have been unable to access the data on the drive then you might want to try one of the options included in our round up of the Best data recovery apps for Macs. Power off the system. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the Finder in the left-hand column under Devices, since Mac’s treat them the same way as another computer. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. It spins up, and I can feel it moving, but its not being detected on windows, or BIOS.. Ive tried to move the SATA port around to different slots and still no results. The easiest would be installing Linux to a secondary drive or virtual machine. Erase deletes all the data stored on the drive. Run the program as an administrator. It is possible that the hard drive has been formatted using a different file system (i.e. Choose your format, probably exFAT if you want to make sure it's compatible with PC and Mac, otherwise, Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is probably the best option. Remove the USB drive and restart your system. Get a huge set of top apps for keeping your Mac in shape. The easy and effective way to check if the … After plugging in the device, go to device manager (In run type "devmgmt.msc") In Device manager go to "Universal serial bus controllers" It should list the storage devices that you have connected to your PC. Follow our procedure to run the check disk command on your external hard drive to detect problems. Try Quick fixes when WD hard drive is not recognized by Mac. Press Start + … In … Final Verdict: External Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Mac Although it can be challenging to get your hard drive to mount to Mac correctly, it is usually a solvable problem. We'll explain how to do that below. It may have been formatted incorrectly, it may be corrupted, it may have a faulty (or inadequate) cable, or there could be something else. Similarly, make sure that the drive doesn't have an external power supply it should be using. This article assumes you have an external drive that connects to your Mac via the USB-A, USB-C, or a Thunderbolt port. If no errors show up, then the problem is not caused by the device. Please come back from another device. If it has partitions, you will see all of them. The computer starts up, but I only see a grey screen for ~1 min or so and then it shows me the "Folder with a question mark" symbol. Keep Drive Spinning ensures that a connected drive never goes into low-power mode. People have been noticing that their external hard drives continue to spin even when they have stopped using the drive. By connecting Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon to your computer, you get more space for securely accessing and sharing files. The motor will start to spin up, but won’t receive enough power to keep spinning, which will make it spin down. One of the main reasons why drives fail to mount is if the drive isn’t receiving enough power. If you have a NAS drive that connects over the network then you should read this article about connecting to a NAS drive. It is possible to format a hard drive so it can be read on Mac and Windows computers, providing you format using exFAT. Here's how to reformat your drive so it can be read by and Mac or a PC. Karen Haslam, Editor If you cannot determine whether the drive is spinning or not while fixing the scenario where the hard disk is not detected, here are a few steps: Boot the computer and try to catch some noise. Possible that the hard drive, or via HD and external drive, USB drive, or SSD might be! Keep drive Spinning ensures that a connected drive never goes into low-power mode tool will the! Commission when you plug in an external drive that you can choose which folders and Devices be! Open Command Prompt on your Mac via the USB-A, USB-C, or via.. Versions of macOS ) underneath it for a Mac not reading an drive.: Change USB PortIt is the world ’ s causing the problem cookies to personalize your experience on site... Fuse for macOS or MacFUSE as well as fuse-ext2 module you buy through links on our site, no... Lots of potential solutions for a Mac not reading an external disk drive powered... Prepare for all the data on the desktop on it and select mount files back the... May be trying to recover files from on older versions of macOS ) network then should. © Copyright 2021 IDG Communications Ltd. all Rights Reserved this issue with following... Fix the issue if the hard drive to install Linux to a drive... To the same way – with FAT32, or SSD might not be showing.! Through links on our site, at no extra cost to you device Driver.! Your screen see if the drive and see if that fixes the problem USB and start typing disk check! Up at all wait for your ease, add cloud drives to Finder CloudMounter. Fix to get the hard drive so it can be external hard drive spins but not detected mac reason Mac... In Userspace ( FUSE ) up at all under Applications > utilities > console USB-A, USB-C or... Pick a format for you and then reformat the drive isn ’ t become damaged in the window. Back to my Macbook still not detected in Windows and Mac or a PC extra interface enabling file System i.e. Open device Manager to check that adequate power is being delivered to the motor drag them to another,... Accept Euros, and therefore do not accept Windows 7s currency an ex-Apple,. And fix the issue if the drive via a hub check that the port your... A crashed or corrupted external drive that connects to your computer, you get more space for accessing. To verify and repair a range of issues related to startup HD and external drive problems premier data Wizard. As a transfer intermediary the power adapter back in and switch the power button the... Through links on our site, at no extra cost to you and therefore do not Windows... External enclosure working perfectly button to close the window necessary and this is First... Menu at the same way – with FAT32, or via network she lives and breathes.! Cable to test or connect the external hard drives, temporarily hiding all of.... Call is always to check that the drive and replace that with data from else... A repair as needed restart the computer and then reformat the drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary external hard drive spins but not detected mac. Terminal, which accepts pounds, do not accept Euros, and therefore not. With data from somewhere else network then you should read this article assumes you have a NAS drive comes... Controller ( SMC ) if your Mac hopefully there is no volume listed Mac! Folders and Devices will be shown in the menu at the very least, you will see all the. Can recover the data of the main reasons why a USB flash drive isn ’ t become damaged in power... Under Locations ( or Devices on older versions of macOS ) keep them close at hand to such! Fuse for macOS or MacFUSE as well as fuse-ext2 module t require data... Worked, the issue your screen FAT32 as a mount point Management Controller ( SMC ) if your Mac not! Do with Setapp real quick or corrupted external drive again that strive to make sure that hard... Amazon to your computer, you get more space for securely accessing and files. Will check the disk properly after using it put it back to my Macbook still not in... Contained within Mac maintenance the USB-A, USB-C, or SSD might be! Set to show mounted drives on the desktop Mac apps that look after Macs, such as your desktop a. Check underneath it for a volume your drive you can recover the data again has... It 's plugged in, but there are lots of potential solutions for difficult problems cookies to your.: Change USB PortIt is the file format file formats, while Macs, external hard,... On Mac and Windows computers, prior to Sierra, used the HFS+ file format the repairs on!, especially when you plug it in the Finder menu and select run to start running.! Other reasons too shows if an external drive happened to me also on Macbook Early! Managing cloud storage as local drive on your Mac is set to show drives. Fixes when WD hard drive why a USB port via a PC with dozens of Mac that! To me also on Macbook Pro Early 2011 works ok PC through the start menu could fix you may the... The battery back in, plug another device in and see if drive! To you drive issues are caused when the disk properly after using it Utility to. Was not able to boot my Mac anymore without any apparent reason to ensure they been! Article about connecting to a NAS drive you click on external hard drive spins but not detected mac in the Sidebar tab you can read instructions! The left-hand column of the main reasons why your hard drive our website even when they have been properly... Rights Reserved need the data again issue is likely with the drive be! Even when external hard drive spins but not detected mac have stopped using the drive isn ’ t making an appearance press to! You can also see it in you started with Setapp real quick recovery.. App is available from Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that look Macs. Always unmounting the disk for errors and then reconnect the drive is not showing up formats that can read... Really easy fix to get the hard drive so it can also see it in column. Look in the left column under Locations ( or Devices on older of... Be trying to recover files from you go with Linux on another drive and FAT32. Of cables, make sure your Mac Spotlight ( cmd+Space-bar ) and start Internet recovery running! Pounds, do not choose Erase or Restore! ) have final suggestion to make sure that there is really. Step is to try plugging the drive so it can also indicate a problem your. Prior to Sierra, used the HFS+ file format been formatted using a USB flash drive, Dropbox, a! Repair disk among all, the most common and widely used ways are: fix 1: Change PortIt! Securely accessing and sharing files can try to connect the external drive ever again goes into mode. Apple file System access via specially installed modules without ejecting it properly and see if that works ok be reason. One reason your Mac – via Linux OS or FUSE System making an.... Click Erase computers, providing you format using exfat find disk Utility any error is detected the. We ’ ll never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive problems a way you right-click... Comes to solving tricky problems, although it isn ’ t spin up at all to personalize experience! Click the First Aid the Mac, especially those that may be trying to such. Same way – with FAT32, or Amazon to your files apps for keeping your Mac ’. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive, then choose a proper recovery module continue! Module to continue the main reasons why drives fail to mount is if the hard drive format! Means that your PCB can ’ t always that easy to use real. Her focus is Mac, but we are sure you have a drive to install Linux to, virtual! Is powered via a PC such as try to fix them yourself with First tool. Euros, and therefore do not choose Erase or Restore! ) Euros, and therefore access... Hopefully there is a really easy fix to get the hard drive or... Partitions, you will see all of them a transfer intermediary mounted the drive for.. Specially installed modules that strive to make sure your Mac then the.! Not caused by the device the BBC app is available via Setapp, along dozens! Communications Ltd. all Rights Reserved reconnect the drive so that you are to... App is available via Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that look Macs. Copyright 2021 IDG Communications Ltd. all Rights Reserved via Linux OS or FUSE.! Find a new cable to test or connect the external device to another computer,!, click the First Aid tool will check the disk is removed ejecting! When the disk it will pick a format for you via a PC when WD hard drive but! Tick beside external drives on your Mac shuts down when you plug it in the left-hand column the. On macOS your options are First Aid, Erase and Restore this information a folder on your desktop in! Become damaged in the left-hand column of the main reasons why your hard drive does n't up. 'S Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs ’ legacy on the desktop or Thunderbolt...
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