Mac Not Recognizing Usb Hard Drive
If your USB hard drive is the bus-powered variety (that is, you don't plug it into the wall for power), then it is possible that it is requiring too much startup current to run on one of your computers. Some computers are pickier than others about how much current a device can draw, and over what period. You might try a cable like this. I restarted the MAC and it still won't recognize it - I've tried eSATA, USB, firewire- and nothing. The hard drive was all 3 connections. So, I tested the HD on a friend's MacBook Pro and the hard drive is recognized without any hesitation and it works fine. So, there is nothing wrong with the Hard Drive - its my MacBook that won't recognize it.
USB port types and names
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard for connecting computers and other devices. It's available with many types of ports, and each type has a unique shape. On Mac, USB is available with these ports, depending on your Mac model:
USB-A
Type USB-A ports are commonly called USB, USB 2, or USB 3 ports, depending on the USB specification they support. They aren't reversible, so a USB-A connector plugs into the port only when oriented correctly.
USB-C
Type USB-C ports are available on Mac as standard USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports. They all look the same, and the connector plugs into the port in either orientation.
Learn more about identifying the ports on your Mac, as well as the adapters and cables you can use to connect older devices to type USB-C ports.
USB specifications
USB specifications are important primarily when you want the most speed and power for your USB device, or your device needs more power or is using too much power. Every USB port supports a particular USB specification, which determines the port's maximum>USB specifications on MacData transferPower deliveryUSB 4Up to 10 GbpsUp to 15W at 5VUSB 3.1 Gen 2
Also known as USB 3.2 Gen 2
Up to 10 GbpsUp to 15W at 5VUSB 3.1 Gen 1
Also known as USB 3.2 Gen 1 or USB 3
Up to 5 GbpsUp to 900 mA at 5VUSB 2.0
Up to 480 MbpsUp to 500 mA at 5VUSB 1.1
Up to 12 MbpsUp to 500 mA at 5V
To learn which specification is supported by a type USB-A or type USB-C port on your Mac model:
- Choose Apple menu > About This Mac, click Support, then click Specifications.
- Check the System Information app for more details, including about USB devices connected to USB ports on your Mac. Select USB in the sidebar, then select a USB bus on the right.
Get the best performance from your USB devices
USB specifications all work with each other, but speed and power are limited by the cable or device that uses the earliest specification. For example, if you connect a USB 3 device to USB 2 port, your device is limited to USB 2 speeds, and it can't draw more power from the port than can be delivered over USB 2. In other words, to get the best performance, make sure that the USB port on your Mac and the USB cable to your device meet or exceed the USB specification of the device itself.
If your Mac doesn't recognize a USB device after you plug it into your Mac:
- Check all connections: Unplug the device from your Mac, then plug it back in, and make sure that all cables and adapters are securely connected at both ends. Test with another cable or adapter, if available.
- Plug the device directly into your Mac instead of a USB hub or other device, and if necessary test with a different USB port on your Mac or device.
- Some devices need their own software, such as drivers or firmware. Others work without additional software. Check with the maker of your device, and install all available Apple software updates as well.
- If your device came with an AC power adapter, use it. Some devices can be powered by the USB port on your Mac. Others need more power than your Mac can provide.
- Restart your Mac.
Learn more
- USB 3 devices can create wireless interference that affects Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices. Learn how to resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference.
- Mac notebook computers with USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, or Thunderbolt / USB 4 can charge over that port using a compatible USB-C power adapter and cable.
Whenever you plug in an external hard drive to your Mac computer, it should show on the desktop or Finder. If you are unable to mount the drive or external hard drive not recognized on Mac, this might be an indication of a hard drive being corrupt or faulty.
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This issue could be the result of an unsafe external hard drive ejection, virus attack, system crash, file system corruption and some hardware problems, etc.
This blog provides you a clear insight on different methods to solve external hard disk not recognized on Mac issues.
Case 1: Mac external hard drive is showing up in Disk Utility
Case 2: External hard drive is not showing up on Mac disk utility
Let us start with the first scenario that is the external hard drive is not recognized on Mac but it is mounted in Disk Utility.
Scenario 1: Mac not recognizing the external hard drive
If Mac external hard drive is not mounting on a desktop or in Finder. The next step is to verify the state of the external hard drive in Disk Utility.
macOS Utility is part of the built-in recovery system of your Mac, from which you can boot into Mac and use its utilities (Disk Utility) to repair certain logical errors of the hard drive.
Note: You can make use of all the below-mentioned methods to solve external hard drive not recognized on Mac if and only if it is mounted in Disk utility.
Solution 1: The external hard drive shows up in Disk Utility
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > Sidebar/General tab.
Step 2: Select Device < External disks(or you can find external disks under Show these items on the desktop).
This is the easiest method to make an external hard drive mount on Mac. If there are any logical errors or corruption in the disk, an external hard disk won’t be recognized on Mac.
You can try fixing external hard drive not recognized on Mac with First Aid in Disk utility.
Solution 2: The external hard drive not mounting on Mac
The issue that Mac doesn’t recognize the external hard drive could be fixed with Disk Utility under Mac Recovery Mode.
Step 1:Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R keys to get into Recovery Mode, release the keys when you see the Apple logo.
Step 2: Select Disk Utility in macOS/Mac OS X Utilities and click Continue
Step 3: Select the external hard drive mounted and run First Aid to check and repair errors in this drive.
What if you have accidentally deleted the Mac HD in disk utility? Do not worry, click on the given link to fix the issue and recover the data from the Mac drive.
However, if you are unable to recognize the external hard drive on Mac even after performing all the above-mentioned methods, this might be due to severe corruption in the drive. This can be easily solved by reformatting explained in the next solution.
Solution 3: Fix Mac not recognizing external hard drive by reformatting
Note: Reformatting will erase all your data stored on the drive. If you have any important files on the external hard drive, you need to restore data before reformatting. You can recover data using a safe and secure hard drive recovery tool.
Before you face a hard situation of data loss from your external drive use SFWare hard drive recovery tool. The tool is explicitly designed to recover data from all data loss situations from external hard drive including formatting or corruption on the drive. It supports APFS, HFS, HFS+, exFAT, FAT32 file system drives on all versions of macOS.
Once you are ensured all your important data is recovered from external hard drive, try fixing Mac doesn’t recognize external hard drive by reformatting.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility
Step 2: Select the Mac not recognized external hard drive from the left part of the window
Step 3: Click the Erase on the top of the Disk Utility window
Step 4: Complete the related information like name, format, scheme, then click Erase
Reformatting will surely help you in mounting the external hard drive on Mac if it is mounted in Disk Utility. What if the external hard drive is not showing up on Mac in disk utility?
Scenario 2: External hard drive not showing up in Mac Disk Utility
Let us start with some basic tests to make sure the external hard drive is connected securely.
Some initial tests to make your external hard disk recognizable on Mac
- Check whether the external hard drive is properly plugged in.
- Assuming the hard drive is properly plugged in and an external hard drive is still not mounted on Mac try using a different USB cable and port to ensure that they are not at fault.
- See if you can access the external hard drive on another Mac computer
- Try resetting NVRAM by restarting your Mac. Press Option, Command, P and R keys together for 20 seconds. Leave the keys if Mac has started again normally and you hear the second startup sound.
Performing these basic tests should make your external hard drive recognized by Mac. If you are still unable to mount the external hard drive on Mac or Disk utility the drive might have serious hardware problems that cannot be fixed with the above-mentioned methods. It is recommended to fix your hard drive with the help of a local hard drive technician.
Conclusion
Mac Not Recognizing External Drive
It is always rewarding to have back up of data as you never know when you might encounter data loss. However, there are few manual methods that can help you regain access to your external hard drive that is not recognized on Mac. This article also provides you a way out to recover data from the external hard drives if you fail to mount your external hard drive on Mac.
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SFWare hard drive recovery tool that supports recovery from all kinds of external hard drives including Seagate, Samsung, WD, Transcend, Toshiba and other external drives.
If you were successful in fixing external hard drive not recognized on Mac issue with the help of this article, do let us know in the comment section below.
Pc Not Recognizing Hard Drive
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