Check that the External disks option is enabled.

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. If you’ve carried out visual 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.

Tip: If you want your Flash drive to be readable both on Windows and on Mac, you should format it as exFAT. Apple silicon Macs reset it automatically. This combination resets NVRAM. Note that it will work for Intel-based Macs only. When you hear a sound and see the screen flash, release the keys and let your Mac boot up as usual. Reboot USB drives by shutting down your system and restarting it, holding Command+Option+P+R as you do.Reboot your Mac - a simple on and off is sometimes all it takes.Test the hard drive on a PC - it could be formatted for PCs and not readable on Macs.Try the drive in another Mac - if it works there, the problem is with the USB ports on your Mac.Try connecting the hard drive to a different USB port - it could be a hardware issue.Try a different USB cable - even cables with no visible defects can fail.If the external hard drive is plugged into a wall outlet, try a different outlet.Check the cable - is it frayed, or are there any wires exposed?.Check the USB connector - does it look damaged or misshapen in any way?.Check that the drive is probably plugged in.

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.īefore you try any system troubleshooting tips, start with the basics: Why a flash drive is not showing up on Mac? Download Disk Drill Freeįortunately, there are ways and means of getting the hard drive back up and running. Available via Setapp, the app is the best tool that will rescue your files. Just so that you worry not about losing data, get Disk Drill.

How to format my hard drive mac