Select Run to start running diagnostics and prompt Mac to automatically fix any issues.

Highlight your external hard drive and click on First Aid.

If your issue has to do with wanting to know how to open a flash drive on Mac that’s displaying but not allowing you access to files, First Aid might be able to help. Mac’s built-in First Aid tool is designed to verify and repair a range of issues related to corrupted files and apps, startup issues, and, crucially, external hard drive problems. If the hard drive still isn’t playing ball, the next step is First Aid. It should now appear under devices in the Finder.

Highlight your hard drive and select Mount.

Check that the external disk is listed in the left sidebar.

Go to System Preferences > Disk Utility.

Connect your hard drive and follow these instructions: If Mac isn’t automatically recognizing your external hard drive, it’s time to force it to. If your Mac is not recognizing a USB or external hard drive after this, you’ll have to try mounting it manually.

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 visually 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. 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.

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