When you plug an external hard drive into your Mac’s USB port, you’ll see your hard drive installed on your desktop. To find out if your hard drive has been safely and successfully installed on your desktop, you can easily find it in the Finder settings section in the left column under location.
But sometimes the process may not be as easy as it seems, and the external hard drive may not appear. Especially when you urgently need to transfer something, sometimes this problem can occur.
This may be due to the risk that data on an external USB drive, hard drive, or flash drive may be corrupted, meaning you may not be able to transfer what you need.
Data corruption on your drive or device can be one of the main reasons for your Mac not recognizing an external drive, but there are other reasons as well.
Read this article carefully and find out why such an error appears on your device and how you can fix this external hard drive not showing up.
Fixes for Your External Hard Drive Not Recognized on Mac:
- Make sure your cable has enough power
- Change your preferences
- Try other power devices
- Enable Disk Utility
- Execute first aid
- Change the format of your HD
- try to turn it on slowly
- Boot into safe mode
- Reset non-volatile memory
- Try another disk
1. Make sure your cable has enough power
In some cases, some hard drives require more power than other hard drives. It depends on the different types and brands of hard drives that provide and consume more or less power.
The device typically requires up to 500 mA, which can be provided by standard USB 1.0 or 2.0. But if your hard drive needs more power, it may start to run slower than expected or not connect.
You should check your USB cable to see if it provides enough power for the hard drive and if necessary, you should upgrade to a more powerful connection or a different USB port for your Mac.
You can also use an external power supply or a self-powered USB hub. It adds power to your Mac and solves any problem.
As a reminder, don’t forget to connect your Mac to the charger.
2. Change your preferences
In the settings section, your device may not be set to “show external hard drives”. “So it’s important to fix it.
The steps are below.
- Navigate to “Search”and click the search button in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- Then click “Settings”and then “General”.
- Now under the General tab, you will see an option to “show these items on the desktop”. Carefully check all the checkboxes next to “external drive and hard drive”.
- Then go to the sidebar and check the “hard drive and external drive”box there.
3. Try other power devices
If you see that no matter what cable you use, the hard drive does not appear on your computer, the problem may lie with your Mac’s hardware.
In such cases, you can try using a Windows device or a different Mac. The hard drive should work on the PC if you are using a Windows device as an alternative. If the hard drive only works on your Windows PC, your hardware is likely not formatted or compatible with your macOS device.
4. Use Disk Utility
Disk Utility is often seen as the ultimate solution to many Mac problems related to external drives. This solution helps you access and fix disk problems by checking Mac partitions and performing additional checks on the system.
The steps to use Disk Utility are given below:
- Navigate to “apps”and then click on “utility”.
- Click Disk Utility and then click Views. Then you will see the option “show all devices”. Click on it.
- The left sidebar will show all “external drives”. Here you should be able to identify your hard drive.
- Tap on the volume option to bring up the menu on the screen. If your device driver has been mounted, it will be possible to unmount the device.
- If you don’t see a list of volumes, your Mac may not be able to access Drive at all; therefore, you will not be able to install or uninstall it.
5. Run First Aid
No matter what, you can always start a first aid program. The first aid program thoroughly checks and scans the drive for errors that could potentially be the cause of the external hard drive (external hard drive) not being mounted on your Mac. If any errors are found during the scan, the first aid program will try to fix them.
If you try to right-click on the device icon, the first aid panel will appear as a drop-down menu on the screen.
You will then see the “restore”and “erase”options. These options clear any data from your hard drive, so if you have any important documents, files or any other data on your device, you should not let the program select them.
To start the first aid program, you need to click Run and then click Continue. Once the check is complete, you will be shown on-screen errors that your Mac may have found on the drive.
If the first aid finds an “overlapping extension selection”error, it means that some files on your device may be corrupted. A list of corrupted files will be displayed in the “corrupted files”folder of your drive.
You must direct yourself to this folder in order to remove them all. Before deleting them, if you think they may contain important information, you should make sure that they are not damaged and cannot harm your device in any way.
If the first aid program doesn’t work, you have two other options. You can either run the program and repair the drive, or you can back up all your data, change the drive’s format, and reinstall your current operating system.
After that, you will restore your backed up data.
6. Change the format of your HD
Typically, Macs use the HFS+ or APFS format. At the same time, Windows computers are known to use NTFS. Mac and Windows devices are known to recognize FAT32 and exFAT.
You can try checking the format by going to the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and clicking About This Mac. Then you will find the “storage”option. You can click on it and find out the format of your device.
If you find that your device’s format is incompatible or not suitable for Mac, you can change it by following these steps:
- To ensure a proper start, you should slowly plug your device’s connector into your Mac’s port.
- Then click “apps”. And click “Utilities”.
- Now click Disk Utility.
- When the diskutil list box opens, you will see “external hard drive”in the sidebar on the left. Click on the external hard drive option to open the drive information.
- At the top of the window, in the menu bar, click “erase”and select the format that is compatible with your Mac device.
- Now proceed to reformat your hard drive.
You should be aware that all contents of your hard drive will be erased during this reformat process. Therefore, it is recommended that you back up all your files, data, and documents in order not to lose them in the process.
If you don’t want to sacrifice all the data in the process, you can try reformatting it with a Windows device. All steps for this are given below:
- Connect your device’s hard drive to your Windows PC
- Locate your drive in the sidebar of the File Explorer window.
- Create a separate folder on your PC, and then copy and transfer the entire contents of the drive to this new folder.
- Now right click on the disks icon and you will see a drop down list. Click “Format”in this menu.
- Now a format window will open where you need to click “choose format”and select a format that can be compatible with your Mac and Windows device. exFAT is the most relevant and in demand.
- In the Volume Label window, enter a name for your hard drive.
Click “Start”to begin the formatting process. The process will only take a few seconds until it is completed and then you can use your hard drive on your Mac device.
Be sure to transfer the entire data package from the folder on your Windows device to disk.
7. Try connecting it slowly
The odd thing about most USB cables is that sometimes they connect better and work better with your device when connected slowly. This is due to an error in the power-on sequence design of some USB drives.
The power pins in USB connectors are designed so that they first make direct contact with the USB port.
Therefore, slowly plugging it into the USB port supplies power to the USB device and gives the hard drive extra time to initialize.
This ensures the proper functioning and order of events of your hard drive. It also greatly simplifies the hard drive installation process.
8. Boot into safe mode
Booting your computer in safe mode is a solution to various problems that people often face.
You can try booting your Mac in safe mode to fix the issue with External Hard Drive Utility not showing up on Mac.
This will help you solve problems with your external hard drive and perform various troubleshooting processes if your computer does not boot normally.
The steps to boot your computer in safe mode are given below:
The process for booting your Mac into Safe Mode is the same for all MacBooks and Macs (iMacs). It would be helpful if you consider whether your device is an Intel Mac or an Apple Silicon.
If you are running macOS M1, the steps to start your Mac in Safe Mode are listed below:
- If your Mac is still running, you need to click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen.
- Then turn off/turn off your Mac
- You’ll know that your Mac has successfully shut down when the screen goes completely blank and all lights (including those on the touchpad) turn off.
- Wait a few seconds or a minute until the computer shuts down properly.
- Press and hold the power button on your Mac computer until the startup options appear on the screen showing various boot drives and options.
- Select the system drive.
- Press the Shift key on your keyboard and click Continue in Safe Mode.
- Release the Shift key
- Login to your System
- When the computer restarts automatically, a login window will appear on the screen and you will be able to see “secure boot”in the menu bar.
If you’re running an Intel-based macOS, the steps to start your Mac in Safe Mode are listed below:
- If your Mac is still running, click the Apple menu in the upper left corner of the screen.)
- Click Shut Down or Restart Mac.
- Wait about 10 seconds or a minute
- Once your Mac starts up, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
- Release the Shift button when the login window appears on the screen.
- You will see “Safe Boot”(in red font) in the top right corner.
- Sign in to your Mac
- Your computer may ask you to enter a password in Safe Mode to boot your Mac. Do this and you’re done.
9. Reset non-volatile memory
NVRAM stands for Non-Volatile Random Access Memory.
NVRAM stores local general settings such as screen resolution, volume, and hard drive information. The Mac firmware can access this information in the first place before the device starts to boot when it restarts, the Mac firmware will access this information.
NVRAM takes care of small details like muting the volume button when you restart your Mac, or keeping your time zone consistent.
NVRAM errors are the source of many crashes and errors, including your USB drive not showing up.
In this case, you need to reset the NVRAM. Reset is a very simple and generally harmless process, just like we reset any major user settings on our laptop or other devices.
The NVRM restart process is described below:
- Restart your computer
- Press and hold command + option + P + R when you hear the startup sound of your device.
- This will cause your Mac to restart again.
- When you hear the startup sound for the second time, you can release the keys.
This process was mostly for older Macs, but for newer Macs, there is no need to restart the device. Simply pressing the command + option + P + R key combination for about 50 seconds will be enough for your NVRAM to start the reset process.
10. Try another drive
If you have tried all the above methods but have not solved the problem, you can try connecting another external hard drive.
If your Mac recognizes a different drive, the problem might be with the drive itself. There may be some physical damage to your hard drive, such as you may have dropped it recently or it may have been exposed to water.
In general, in the worst case, you will have to replace the drive.
Ways to Avoid Connecting an External Hard Drive to a Mac Problem
If you have read all the above points carefully, you will have a clear idea of how to access an external hard drive on Mac and what to do if it does not mount.
To make sure you don’t run into the same problem in the future, you should always check that the disk format matches your operating system.
How do you know if your disk format is suitable for your operating system?
- Your desk should have a powerful power supply.
- The USB cable connector must not be damaged or worn.
However, there are a few other additional points that you should follow to avoid any future complications.
1. Keep your operating system up to date
An outdated operating system can cause various problems in all areas of your computer’s functioning. Updating an outdated operating system improves the performance, stability, and efficiency of your device.
Updating your operating system also keeps your Mac safe and secure by minimizing the risk of your device’s files being corrupted.
The steps to download and install the latest version of your operating system are given below.
- Navigate to the Appleicontop menu bar in the top left corner of the screen and click on it.
- Click System Preferences and then Software Update.
- The software update window will open. If any update button is available, you can click on it to have your device download the update and eventually start the update process.
Sometimes your device may ask for this password to allow your device to start the update process.
To stay safe, you should always back up or have copies of your device’s important files and documents or media content before updating your operating system.
2. Make sure the USB port is clean and properly connected.
A dirty, rusty, or badly connected USB port can cause your external hard drive to not show up on your Mac. It can also create short currents and problems when reading data.
The connector usually shows such problems when you have been using it for a while.
This is due to incorrect alignment of the power contacts.
In this situation, the only solution is to purchase a new cable or fix the old one. If a USB port or connector is dusty, you can try cleaning it by scrubbing it with a very soft, thin brush, or by simply blowing compressed air into the port and gently wiping it with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
3. Try using a data recovery app
Repairing your Mac with this data recovery service might be the right solution. The steps to boot your Mac into recovery mode for data recovery depend on your computer’s chip.
The steps to boot M1 Mac into recovery mode are as below:
- Turn off your Mac
- Hold and press the power button
- When the Apple logo appears on the screen, you can release the power button.
- The launch options will appear on the screen. Then click Options and then Continue.
- You should now be able to see the “Restore from Time Machine”option.
- Click on it and the recovery process will begin!
The steps to boot Intel Mac in recovery mode are as below:
- Go to the menu bar by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen.
- Click on reload
- Now press and hold the Command and R keys until the Apple logo or a spinning globe appears on the screen. You may be able to see a spinning clock if your Mac is trying to run macOS online recovery because it might not start from the built-in recovery system.
- Your Mac will soon display a recovery mode utility window with the following options: “restore from a Time Machine backup”, “reinstall macOS”, “get help online”and “disk utility”with a Continue button at the bottom of the window.
Choose the appropriate option according to your Mac and click “Continue”to continue the recovery mode process with this data recovery software.
4. Always insert the device correctly and carefully
Ejecting or disconnecting a drive without safely ejecting it can corrupt the data on the device, causing your Mac to soon be unable to recognize it. Any operating system uses write caching.
When you are migrating or backing up, write caching is a situation where Apple file systems are not immediately written to your hard drive. But they are cached until all reads and side writes have completed.
If the USB drive is not carefully ejected while using the cache, all files and data on your device may be damaged or corrupted.
On the contrary, removing it safely clears the cache and stops all background activities on the device, thus protecting it.
Summarizing
There are many potential problems and solutions for a Mac that won’t read or write to an external hard drive. This blog mentions many of them to help you understand and resolve the issue. But if you need more help with a Mac, you should contact Apple Customer Support, which is available and ready to help its customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
FAQ
Why is my external hard drive not detected by Mac?
Follow the steps below to resolve the issue: 1. Go to Applications and open Utilities2. In the utilities folder, select Disk Utility3. Click “Show All Devices”in the “View”menu at the top of the screen, 4. Select your external drive and click Unmount5. Reconnect your external hard drive
Why won’t my Mac read my external hard drive?
Your external hard drive may not be formatted with NTFS, HFS+, or another format not supported by macOS. Another potential cause could be any poorly connected or frayed USB cable. You can try to replace the cable or connect it slowly.
How to revive a dead hard drive?
It’s best to stop using it as soon as possible if your hard drive fails. Try connecting it to a different port or even another computer to see if the problem is with the device itself. You can also try using a different cable.
How to connect an external hard drive to Mac?
You can try connecting the hard drive to a clean USB port using a suitable cable. Be sure to purchase an adapter if your Mac has a different port, such as Thunderbolt or Firewire. You can view its contents by opening the disc.