Usually whenever you plug in an exterior exhausting drive to your Mac’s USB port you will note it seem on the desktop. You may also see it in a Finder window within the left column underneath Places (or Gadgets in older variations of macOS). If the drive is just not exhibiting up in your Mac likelihood is it has not been formatted appropriately, has been corrupted, or is defective. Alternatively, you will have set a password for the drive that you’ll want to enter earlier than it can join.
We present you methods to work out whether or not the rationale the exterior drive is just not mounting in your Mac up is because of an issue with the drive itself, the cable or the port, and methods to resolve the issue and entry information in your drive.
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This text assumes you could have an exterior drive that ought to connect with your Mac through the USB-A, USB-C, or a Thunderbolt port. You probably have a NAS drive that connects over the community then you need to learn our article about connecting to a NAS drive.
Why is your exhausting drive not exhibiting up on Mac?
We’ll begin by attempting to determine the rationale why your exhausting drive isn’t exhibiting up on the Mac earlier than explaining what you’ll want to do to search out the exhausting drive in your Mac. When you can determine the trigger your ought to be capable of repair the issue that’s stopping your exterior drive from opening in your Mac.
Broken cable, port or inadequate energy
The primary port of name is all the time to verify that it’s plugged in, however we’re certain you could have finished that. The issue may be with the cable.
One of many most important the explanation why drives fail to mount is that if the drive isn’t receiving sufficient energy. If the drive is powered through a USB-A cable you’ll want to verify that satisfactory energy is being delivered to the drive. Very previous Macs could require a USB energy cable, a cable that splits into two USB connectors that have to each be plugged into your Mac, with the intention to ship sufficient energy to the drive. Equally, be sure that the drive doesn’t have an exterior energy provide it must be utilizing.
As regards to cables, be sure that it’s not at fault. Strive utilizing a distinct cable with the drive to see if that fixes the issue. Equally, in case you are utilizing a USB port on a hub verify that’s not what’s inflicting the issue.
Additionally verify that the port in your Mac isn’t the issue. Strive utilizing a distinct port. Or for those who solely have one port, plug one other gadget in and see if that works.
The subsequent step is to strive plugging the drive into one other Mac. If it additionally fails to mount there you’ll know that there’s a downside with the drive whereas if it does mount then the issue is along with your Mac.
Downside preferences
Hopefully, there’s a very easy repair to get the exhausting drive to mount in your desktop. Strive the next to ensure your Mac is about to indicate mounted drives on the desktop.
- Open the Finder.
- Click on on Finder within the menu on the high of your display screen.
- Click on on Settings (Preferences in older macOS variations).
- Click on on Basic.
- Ensure that that there’s a tick beside Exterior disks.
If it was already arrange in order that the exterior drive would seem on the desktop then proceed to observe the steps under.
Password protections
You possibly can shield a drive with a password whenever you initially begin utilizing it, so verify to see if the rationale your drive isn’t mounting is {that a} password request field has popped up and also you didn’t discover it.
Typically the password popup takes a couple of minutes to seem as properly, so it helps to be affected person.
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The drive is formatted for a PC
It’s attainable that the drive has been formatted utilizing a file system that your Mac can’t learn.
- Home windows PCs use NTFS or ExFAT file codecs.
- Mac computer systems earlier than Sierra used the HFS+ file format.
- In Excessive Sierra, Apple launched a brand new file system referred to as Apple File System (APFS).
- There’s an previous FAT32 format could be learn by Window and Mac computer systems, however has limitation on what recordsdata could be saved.
A simple approach to discover out if that is the issue could be to verify on a PC. If the drive mounts on the PC it’s probably that you’ve found what the issue is: the drive is formatted for PCs and might’t be learn by your Mac. 
To ensure your drive could be learn by Macs and PCs you’ll want to format it utilizing exFAT or the older FAT32. We’ll clarify how to try this under.
It’s a corrupted or defective drive
If not one of the above had been the rationale why you couldn’t see the exterior drive in your Mac, maybe the drive is defective. Whether it is, you should utilize Apple’s Disk Utility program to entry the disk and probably repair no matter is inflicting the difficulty. We’ll talk about how to try this under. We’ll additionally take a look at methods you’ll be able to cease a drive failing sooner or later.
How repair an exterior drive that gained’t present up on a Mac
If not one of the above solved your downside, it’s probably the drive is both formatted incorrectly or broken.
Relying on the rationale why you’ll be able to’t see the drive, here’s what you’ll want to do to get it working.
Easy methods to reformat a drive so you’ll be able to see it on a Mac
Hopefully, the drive is ok, however the format is fallacious.
It’s attainable that the exhausting drive has been formatted utilizing a distinct file system (i.e. on a Home windows PC). In that case, if you’ll want to entry the info on the drive you’ll want to attach the drive to a Home windows PC that does acknowledge it and replica the info earlier than transferring on to the subsequent step as a result of the method will contain reformatting the drive and deleting every little thing on i).
- To ensure your drive could be learn by Macs and PCs you’ll want to format it utilizing exFAT or the older FAT32.
- If you wish to format the drive to simply be used on a Mac you should utilize the HFS+ or Apple File System (APFS) file codecs.
Having bought the info of the drive through a PC you’ll be able to reformat the drive so as to add the info once more. Right here’s methods to reformat your drive so it may be learn by a Mac or a PC.
- Open Disk Utility (as per the steps above).
- When you don’t require the info on the exhausting drive, choose the disk and click on Erase.
- Earlier than Disk Utility begins to erase the disk it can choose a format for you. You possibly can change this for those who click on on the Formatting choices. Select your format, ExFAT if you wish to be certain it’s appropriate with PC and Mac, in any other case, Mac OS Prolonged (Journaled) might be the most suitable choice.
- Click on on Erase and wait on your Mac to erase after which reformat the drive.
- Give the drive a reputation.
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Learn extra: Easy methods to format a drive on a Mac.
Easy methods to repair the defective drive with Disk Utility
If the assorted checks above counsel that the disk is defective then you should utilize Apple’s Disk Utility program to entry the disk and probably repair no matter is inflicting the difficulty. Right here’s what to do:
- Discover Disk Utility by opening Highlight (cmd+Area-bar) and begin typing Disk Utility, press enter to open this system.
- Look within the column on the left to see if the exhausting drive seems there.
- When you can see the exhausting drive in Disk Utility verify beneath it for a quantity. Whether it is there click on on it and choose Mount. In case your Mac has already mounted the drive the choice Unmount will likely be displayed as a substitute. (If there is no such thing as a quantity listed your Mac is just not in a position to entry the drive. The Mount choice will likely be greyed out.)
- Your choices are First Help, Erase, and Restore. First Help will verify the disk for errors after which restore the disk if vital and that is the choice to decide on. Restore means that you can erase the contents of the drive and exchange that with information from elsewhere. Erase deletes all the info saved on the drive. When you want the info on the drive don’t select Erase or Restore!
- Click on the First Help tab and choose Run.
- If after working First Help the Mac finds errors you possibly can repair you may even see the choice to Restore Disk. When you do, go forward and run the repairs.
Greatest apps to get well information on a misplaced drive
In case your Mac is unable to restore the disk if is probably going that the drive is both formatted utilizing a file system that the Mac can’t learn, or it’s properly and really damaged. If it’s the latter we advise you observe this tutorial about recovering information from a broken disk. You might also need to think about one of many information restoration apps for Mac we suggest in our round-up of the Greatest information restoration apps for Macs.
Our suggestions embody Recoverit from Wondershare, Knowledge Rescue from Prosoft and Stella Knowledge Restoration for Mac.
Easy methods to stop points with exhausting drives on a Mac
We’ve ultimate suggestion to make that’s extra of a guard in opposition to this error occurring once more.
Make it possible for your exterior drive doesn’t turn out to be broken sooner or later by all the time unmounting the disk correctly after utilizing it. Don’t simply unplug the USB cable.
To unmount your drive you’ll be able to right-click (control-click) on the icon on the Desktop or within the Finder and select Eject. Drive points can happen when the disk is eliminated with out ejecting it correctly.
Determined there is no such thing as a hope on your defective exhausting drive? We’ve a round-up of a number of the finest we’ve seen right here: The most effective Mac exhausting drives.
