Mac or Windows computer not recognizing your external hard drive or flash drive? This is a common problem, especially when connecting hard drives between Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. https://downiload426.weebly.com/photo-collage-screensaver-windows-10.html. It can also happen on a single system where it was working just fine for a long time and then suddenly stops being recognized by the operating system. We summarize four common reasons: The USB port/USB adapter/USB cable is broken. The external hard drive is physically damaged. The incompatibility between the file system of the external hard drive and the Mac OS. Realtime landscaping architect 2 trial. The file system/partition table/other core information on the external hard drive is.
After you connect a removable disk through the computer’s USB port or SD card slot, the Mac OS will read the drive and mount it on the desktop, in Finder, and Disk Utility. Audio software windows. The Mac OS always enables you to have the most convenient access to open the disk and manage files on it.
However, people may not go as quickly as you expect. MacBook Air/Pro may not show up the external hard disk at all. One the one hand, the disappeared disk icon makes it inconvenient to open the drive. On the other hand, the disk might be corrupted and result in data loss or difficulties in file transfer.
East midland homes cooperative. After reading the article, you will learn:
- Why the MacBook doesn’t recognize the external hard drive
- How to make the MacBook detect the external hard drive
- Solving external hard drive not showing up problem
- An easy way to recover data from the unrecognized external hard drive
1. Why is the MacBook not recognizing my external hard drive?
The recognition process of an external device contains two parts – hardware and software. Any problems in either of the two parts will end up with the macOS doesn’t detect and recognize the external hard drive.
We summarize four common reasons:
- The USB port/USB adapter/USB cable is broken.
- The external hard drive is physically damaged.
- The incompatibility between the file system of the external hard drive and the Mac OS.
- The file system/partition table/other core information on the external hard drive is corrupted.
2. How to make the MacBook detect my external hard drive?
The very first step of solving the problem is to check the hardware conditions of the connection and the hard disk itself.
a) Use a different USB port/adapter/cable
After plugging and unplugging for multiple times, the USB/port/adapter/cable may get worn out or become wobbly if you have spare ones, the go-ahead to use them.
b) Reboot the MacBook
If you didn’t eject an external drive safely before you attach another one to the MacBook laptop, the computer might believe the USB port is still unavailable. As a result, the MacBook may not accept another external drive. Then you need to restart the computer and reconnect the external hard drive to it. After rebooting, the OS will release the USB port to the external hard drive.
c) Connect the external hard drive to another computer
If you are sure that the USB port/adapter/cable is all good and you have restarted the MacBook, but the problem stays unsolved, try to find another Mac or PC to see if the external HDD can be detected. Did you ever drop the external hard drive? If you did, the disk might suffer physical damages that prevent it from working correctly. Let it go and get a replacement.
3. Solving the external hard drive not showing up problem
Sometimes, your external hard drive is recognized by macOS, but it doesn’t show up on the desktop or in Finder. It makes you feel your external HDD is not known. To see if that is the case you come across, go to verify a few settings.
Go to the top menu bar where the Apple logo is and click on “Finder.” Select “Preferences,” and you will see four tabs on the top. Tick “External disks” under “General” and “Sidebar” tabs. Then the MacBook is set up to show up the external hard drive on the desktop and in the Finder.
If all settings look useful to you, the removable hard disk not showing up problem might result from the incompatibility between the file system and the MacBook, or the corrupted file system of the external hard drive. To make the external HDD work properly on MacBook, you need to erase it in Disk Utility. A small reminder: the erasing will deleted all your data.
4. An easy way to recover data from the unrecognized external hard drive
Many people probably won’t realize that they are facing a threat of data loss until they are. Fortunately, professional and reliable data recovery software are at your service. They are very efficient in restoring the essential pictures, videos, documents, and other files from the unrecognized external hard drive.
5. A final note
When the external hard drive suddenly becomes unrecognizable on Mac, don’t be panic because you can fix the problem by merely correcting the hardware connections or reformatting the disk. You may find more information about the unrecognized external hard drive on Mac in this post.
Your Mac not recognizing an external hard drive can be cause for panic. But try to remain calm — it’s unlikely that anything has happened to your files. All of your data will still be on the hard drive, it just that, for whatever reason, you can’t access it.
Just so that you worry not about losing data, get Disk Drill. Available via Setapp, the app is the best tool that will rescue your files.
Download Disk Drill FreeFortunately, there are ways and means of getting the hard drive back up and running. Let’s get into some of them right now.
Why a flash drive is not showing up on Mac?
If you’ve plugged in a flash drive or USB drive and it’s not showing up on your Mac at all, it could be down to a faulty cable or USB port.
V gear amvg1 drivers for mac. Before you try any system troubleshooting tips, start with the basics.
- Check that the drive is probably plugged in.
- Check the USB connector — does it look damaged or misshapen in any way?
- Check the cable — is it frayed or are there any wires exposed?
- If the external hard drive is plugged into a wall outlet, try a different outlet.
- Try a different USB cable — even cables with no visible defects can fail.
- Try connecting the hard drive to a different USB port — it could be a hardware issue.
- Try the drive in another Mac — if it works there, the problem is with the USB ports on your Mac.
- Test the hard drive on a PC — it could be formatted for PCs and not readable on Macs.
- Reboot your Mac — a simple on and off is sometimes all it takes.
- Reboot USB drives by shutting down your system and restarting it, holding Command+Option+P+R as you do. When you hear a sound and see the screen flash, release the keys and let your Mac boot up as usual.
If you’ve carried out visually inspections, tested your hard drive with different cables and power outlets, and tried different systems with no luck, it’s time to put your Mac to work.
1. Change the Finder settings
One of the most common reasons for Mac not recognizing external hard drives is due to the system not being set up to display hard drives on the desktop. There’s a simple fix for this:
- Open a Finder window.
- Go to Preferences > General.
- Check that the External disks option is enabled.
If your Mac is not recognizing a USB or external hard drive after this, you’ll have to try mounting it manually.
2. Mount an external hard drive on Mac
If Mac isn’t automatically recognizing your external hard drive, it’s time to force it to. Connect your hard drive and follow these instructions:
- Go to System Preferences > Disk Utility.
- Check that the external disk is listed in the left sidebar.
- Highlight your hard drive and select Mount. It should now appear under devices in the Finder.
If the hard drive still isn’t playing ball, the next step is First Aid.
3. Run First Aid on an external hard drive
Mac’s built-in First Aid tool is designed to verify and repair a range of issues related to corrupted files and apps, startup issues, and, crucially, external hard drive problems.
![Macbook Not Detecting External Hard Drive Macbook Not Detecting External Hard Drive](https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/80/Fix-an-"External-Hard-Drive-Not-Detected"-Error-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-44.jpg/aid10452744-v4-728px-Fix-an-"External-Hard-Drive-Not-Detected"-Error-on-PC-or-Mac-Step-44.jpg)
If your issue has to do with wanting to know how to open a flash drive on Mac that’s displaying but not allowing you access to files, First Aid might be able to help.
- Go to System Preferences > Disk Utility.
- Highlight your external hard drive and click on First Aid.
- Select Run to start running diagnostics and prompt Mac to automatically fix any issues.
Free word processor for macbook pro. If First Aid is successful in repairing any faults, your hard drive should be available to mount. If not, you’ll need to try the next option.
4. Delete potentially conflicting apps
How recent is the problem? If a flash drive not showing up on Mac was completely fine a few days earlier there could be an app causing conflict. If you’ve downloaded any new apps recently, uninstall them one at a time, connecting your hard drive after each uninstallation to see if the issue is resolved.
Internal Hard Drive For Macbook
You can delete apps using the Launchpad or by dragging them to the Trash, but neither method is recommended in this situation. You see, while an app might appear to be deleted, associated files will be left on your system — files that could be preventing access to your external hard drive.
Instead, let CleanMyMac X take care of it. CleanMyMac X has an Uninstaller tool that can define your installed applications and associated files and remove every trace of an unwanted app.
And it couldn’t be easier to use.
- Download CleanMyMac X (for free).
- Launch the app and select Uninstaller.
- Click on View All Applications and select a recently installed app.
- Click Uninstall.
If you’ve worked through all recently installed apps and are still no further forward, your hard drive may have crashed or, worse, be completely broken. In this case, you’ll need a heavy duty tool like Disk Drill to rescue files.
5. Repair disk permissions
Disk permissions keeps your files secure. Every file and folder has an associated set of permissions. Unfortunately, these can get messed up without you realising it, which can cause serious problems. You can fix these two ways. Either manually, as we mention in this article, or using CleanMyMac X, which is far easier.
Paint programs for the mac. All you need to do is:
- Click on Maintenance from the left sidebar menu.
- Check the box next to Repair Disk Permissions.
- Click Run.
The program will scan and fix any it finds that are broken or faulty. Your Mac should be running as good as new.
To prevent an external hard drive not showing up on Mac turning into an all-out disaster, always backup files on your system hard drive and in the cloud. Anytime you use an external drive, unmount the disk properly and store it safely. And finally, use CleanMyMac to uninstall apps and run regular Maintenance on your system to prevent applications conflicting with hard drive performance.