Usually once you plug in an exterior exhausting drive to your Mac’s USB port you will note it seem on the desktop. You can even see it in a Finder window within the left column beneath Places (or Gadgets in older variations of macOS). If the drive just isn’t displaying up in your Mac likelihood is it has not been formatted appropriately, has been corrupted, or is defective. Alternatively, you might have set a password for the drive that you could enter earlier than it would join.
We present you the best way to work out whether or not the rationale the exterior drive just isn’t mounting in your Mac up is because of an issue with the drive itself, the cable or the port, and the best way to resolve the issue and entry information in your drive.
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This text assumes you might have an exterior drive that ought to hook up with your Mac through the USB-A, USB-C, or a Thunderbolt port. When you’ve got a NAS drive that connects over the community then it is best to learn our article about connecting to a NAS drive.
Why is your exhausting drive not displaying up on Mac?
We’ll begin by attempting to determine the rationale why your exhausting drive isn’t displaying up on the Mac earlier than explaining what you could do to seek out the exhausting drive in your Mac. In the event you can determine the trigger your ought to be capable to 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 at all times to examine that it’s plugged in, however we’re certain you might have achieved that. The issue may be with the cable.
One of many predominant 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 could examine 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 must each be plugged into your Mac, as a way to ship sufficient energy to the drive. Equally, make it possible for the drive doesn’t have an exterior energy provide it needs to be utilizing.
With reference to cables, make it possible for it’s not at fault. Attempt utilizing a unique cable with the drive to see if that fixes the issue. Equally, if you’re utilizing a USB port on a hub examine that’s not what’s inflicting the issue.
Additionally examine that the port in your Mac isn’t the issue. Attempt utilizing a unique port. Or in the event you solely have one port, plug one other system in and see if that works.
The following 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.
Drawback preferences
Hopefully, there’s a very easy repair to get the exhausting drive to mount in your desktop. Attempt the next to verify your Mac is ready to point out mounted drives on the desktop.
Open the Finder.
Click on on Finder within the menu on the high of your display.
Click on on Settings (Preferences in older macOS variations).
Click on on Common.
Make certain 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 comply with the steps beneath.
Password protections
You may shield a drive with a password once you initially begin utilizing it, so examine 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 may be learn by Window and Mac computer systems, however has limitation on what recordsdata may be saved.
A straightforward solution to discover out if that is the issue can be to examine on a PC. If the drive mounts on the PC it’s seemingly that you’ve found what the issue is: the drive is formatted for PCs and may’t be learn by your Mac. 
To ensure your drive may be learn by Macs and PCs you could format it utilizing exFAT or the older FAT32. We’ll clarify how to try this beneath.
It’s a corrupted or defective drive
If not one of the above have been the rationale why you couldn’t see the exterior drive in your Mac, maybe the drive is defective. Whether it is, you should use Apple’s Disk Utility program to entry the disk and doubtlessly repair no matter is inflicting the problem. We’ll focus on how to try this beneath. We’ll additionally have a look at methods you possibly can 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 seemingly the drive is both formatted incorrectly or broken.
Relying on the rationale why you possibly can’t see the drive, here’s what you could do to get it working.
How one can reformat a drive so you possibly can 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 unique file system (i.e. on a Home windows PC). In that case, if you could entry the information on the drive you’ll want to attach the drive to a Home windows PC that does acknowledge it and duplicate the information earlier than shifting on to the subsequent step as a result of the method will contain reformatting the drive and deleting all the pieces on i).
To ensure your drive may be learn by Macs and PCs you could format it utilizing exFAT or the older FAT32.
If you wish to format the drive to only be used on a Mac you should use the HFS+ or Apple File System (APFS) file codecs.
Having obtained the information of the drive through a PC you possibly can reformat the drive to be able to add the information once more. Right here’s the best way to reformat your drive so it may be learn by a Mac or a PC.
Open Disk Utility (as per the steps above).
In the event you don’t require the information on the exhausting drive, choose the disk and click on Erase.
Earlier than Disk Utility begins to erase the disk it would decide a format for you. You may change this in the event you click on on the Formatting choices. Select your format, ExFAT if you wish to make certain it’s suitable with PC and Mac, in any other case, Mac OS Prolonged (Journaled) might be the most suitable choice.
Click on on Erase and wait to your Mac to erase after which reformat the drive.
Give the drive a reputation.
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How one can repair the defective drive with Disk Utility
If the assorted checks above counsel that the disk is defective then you should use Apple’s Disk Utility program to entry the disk and doubtlessly repair no matter is inflicting the problem. 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.
In the event you can see the exhausting drive in Disk Utility examine 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 might be displayed as an alternative. (If there isn’t any quantity listed your Mac just isn’t in a position to entry the drive. The Mount choice might be greyed out.)
Your choices are First Support, Erase, and Restore. First Support will examine the disk for errors after which restore the disk if crucial and that is the choice to decide on. Restore permits you to erase the contents of the drive and substitute that with information from elsewhere. Erase deletes all the information saved on the drive. In the event you want the information on the drive don’t select Erase or Restore!
Click on the First Support tab and choose Run. 
If after operating First Support the Mac finds errors you possibly can repair you might even see the choice to Restore Disk. In the event you do, go forward and run the repairs.
Finest apps to get better 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 propose you comply with this tutorial about recovering information from a broken disk. You might also need to contemplate one of many information restoration apps for Mac we advocate in our round-up of the Finest information restoration apps for Macs.
Our suggestions embrace Recoverit from Wondershare, Information Rescue from Prosoft and Stella Information Restoration for Mac.
1. Wondershare Recoverit
Value When Reviewed:
1 month/2 Macs: $79.99 (often $109.99); 1 12 months/2 Macs: $89.99 (often $139.99); perpetual license/2 Macs: $139.99 (often $169.99)
Learn our full
Wondershare Recoverit overview
2. Information Rescue
Value When Reviewed:
Commonplace license: $79 for a 30-day; Skilled license: $399 for one 12 months
Learn our full
Information Rescue overview
3. Stellar Information Restoration for Mac
Value When Reviewed:
Commonplace version: $79.99 (at the moment $69.99) a 12 months, or $129.99 (at the moment $99.99) for a lifetime license. Skilled model: $129.99 (at the moment $99.99) a 12 months, or $199 (at the moment $149) for a lifetime license. Premium version: $209.99 (at the moment $99.99) a 12 months, or $319 (at the moment $199) for a lifetime license.
Learn our full
Stellar Information Restoration for Mac overview
How one can forestall 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.
Ensure that your exterior drive doesn’t develop into broken sooner or later by at all times unmounting the disk correctly after utilizing it. Don’t simply unplug the USB cable.
To unmount your drive you possibly can 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 isn’t any hope to your defective exhausting drive? We’ve a round-up of a few of the greatest we’ve seen right here: The very best Mac exhausting drives.
