You may find some important files not showing in the external hard drive (internal hard drive, flash drive, SD card, etc.). Follow the on-screen instructions to continue.Click Run in the pop-up confirmation dialog window.Click on the First Aid option in the top menu bar.Select the problematic external hard drive from the left panel.Repeat step1 ~ 4 mentioned in method 4.If your external hard drive appears but not shows up on desktop, please run First Aid. Click Show All Devices from the drop-down menu to view all mountable and non-mountable drives.įirst Aid is a tool built in Mac to check disk for errors (startup problems, corrupted files, corrupted file system, etc.) and then repair them.Select View from the menu bar at the top of the window.Open Finder -> select Applications -> select Utilities -> choose Disk Utility.If your Mac is set to show only mountable drives, you should try to fix Mac not recognizing external hard drive by allowing Show All Devices. Click on the Mount option from the menu bar at the top.Select the target external hard drive from the left sidebar.If you find the external hard disk in Disk Utility but it doesn’t shows up, it may be not mounted. Not mounting and improper disk format (how to check disk format will be talked later) are two of the common reasons causing new hard drive not showing up. Sometimes, your external hard drive won't mount. Click on Disk Utility to open a new window.Choose Utilities from the right-hand panel.Select Applications from the left sidebar (under Favorites).Check External disks under Show these items on the sidebar.Then, go to the Sidebar tab at the top.Go to the General tab and look for the Show these items on the desktop section.Choose Preferences from the submenu you see.Select Finder from the menu bar at the top.

Why is my external hard drive not showing up Mac? Another common reason is that the Finder preferences settings are not proper. How to fix when USB flash drive not recognized on Windows?

Please try to connect the external device to its own power source, if applicable.

You can also test the disk on PC manually.

Connect the external hard drive to another Mac or a PC.

You can also try to use a different USB cable.

Please check the cable to see whether it’s physically damaged (whether there are snug fits, frayed cables, or missing pins).

If you’re plugging into a wall outlet, please try a different outlet.

If you’re using a hub, please try to plug your external hard drive directly into the Mac.

Check whether the USB connector/USB adapter works well.

Please try a different port on your Mac.

How do I get my Mac to recognize a hard drive connected through USB? Here are some quick tips.

Click on the System Report… button in the pop-up window (below the information about your Mac & its operating system).įix External Hard Drive Not Working - Analysis & Troubleshooting.

Select About This Mac from the drop-down menu.

Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner.

Finally, DisneyWorld got his drive showing up and working after inspected it in System Report. Many people are trying to help by providing possible solutions to Mac won't recognize external hard drive after DisneyWorld published this post to ask for help. posted by DisneyWorld in Apple Community If anyone has any useful information, that would be greatly appreciated. Also, this HDD works in my MacBook Pro, but not the Mac Pro. When I plug in the USB cable into the computer, the HDD starts to spin, but it never shows up in the finder or on the desktop. The System requirements for the external HDD are snow leopard or higher, so I don't know why it isn't working. The Mac Pro is the 2006 Intel Xeon model running 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. I have a 1TB Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive, and it won’t show up in my Mac Pro. Seagate external hard drive not showing up Mac: It’s important to figure out the causes of Mac not recognizing external hard drive (internal hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card) and try the corresponding methods to fix the problem.Ĥ Useful Methods For Getting Files Off Failing Hard Drive On Mac. A lot of reasons should be blamed when you can't see external hard drive: the cable or port issue, corrupted system settings, improper file system, virus attack, etc.

External hard drive not showing up Mac is a hot topic among users. However, it’s true that there are chances for Mac not reading external hard drive after users connected the drive to Mac. In general, a hard drive or flash drive will be recognized and showing up on the desktop automatically after it’s connected to Mac. Bonus Tip: Internal Hard Drive Not Showing Up.

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