External hard drive are among the most convenient ways to store, transfer, and back up important files and folders. However, sometimes you may encounter frustrating issues, like when you connect your External drive to your Mac, it won’t show up. There are several reasons, such as minor connection glitches to deeper disk errors, why this issue happens on your Mac.
Fortunately, there are several workarounds available that you can try to fix these issues on your Mac. In this guide, we’ll explore all possible causes and different methods on how to fix external hard drive not showing up on Mac. Let’s get started!
Mac Not Showing External Hard Drive – Common Reasons
If you are unable to find an External hard drive even after a proper connection on Mac, try finding the exact cause of this issue. Some main reasons include:
- Faulty or Loose Connection: One of the main reasons is a poor physical connection. Your external hard drive might not be properly connected, or your cable or USB port is damaged.
- Misconfigured Finder Preferences: Sometimes, your external hard drive is actually detected by macOS, but it’s not visible in Finder or on the desktop due to improperly configured Finder settings.
- Drive is Not Mounted: Your Mac might recognise the drive, but it needs to be mounted so you can access its contents. If the external drive is not mounted automatically, it won’t show up in Finder.
- Third-Party App Conflicts: Some third-party tools, such as antivirus programs, file system managers, or security utilities, can block external drives from mounting for safety reasons.
- Faulty External Hard Drive: If your external hard drive is inaccessible even after trying different ports, cables, and even another Mac, then the problem could be with the drive itself. Diagnose the issue and go for appropriate fixes.
Quick Fixes for External Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Mac
Now that you are familiar with some common reasons why your hard drive won’t appear on the Mac, it’s time to immediately go with the fixes. Here are some quick and easy workarounds that you can use to resolve the issue:
Method 01: Check Cable and USB Ports
Before applying advanced methods, let’s begin with the simplest approach to fix the issue. There may be a problem with the attached cable or the USB ports of your Mac. In such a case, you can go with the following initial checks:
- Disconnect all the external devices from your Mac.
- Reconnect them and ensure everything is proper.
- Test the cable by connecting another device to it.
- Also, try connecting your external hard drive to another Mac or even a Windows PC.
If the drive works on another device, it’s likely an issue with your Mac’s USB port or system settings.
Method 02: Configure Finder Preferences
Finder preferences may be the reason why your external hard drive isn’t appearing on the Mac, even though it’s being properly detected. To fix this:
- Launch Finder, go to Finder menu → click Preferences.
- Navigate to the General tab and check if “External disks” is enabled
- Switch to the Sidebar tab and ensure “External disks” is checked there too.
If these options are enabled on your Mac, your external drive should appear on the desktop and in the Finder sidebar.
Method 03: Reset NVRAM and SMC
Corrupt system settings, if improperly configured on your Mac, can prevent it from detecting external drives properly. In such a case, you can reset NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) and SMC (System Management Controller) to fix the issue. All you have to do is:
To Reset NVRAM:
- Firstly, you need to shut down your Mac.
- Restart it and immediately hold down Option + Command + P + R for 20 seconds.
- Release the keys when you hear the startup sound twice or see the Apple logo appear and disappear twice.
To Reset SMC:
The exact steps depend on your Mac model:
- For MacBooks with T2 chip: Shut down your Mac and hold Control + Option + Shift (right side) for 7 seconds. Keep holding them, press the Power button for another 7 seconds, then release and restart normally.
- For other Macs: Shut down your device, unplug the power cord, wait for 15 seconds, then reconnect it and turn the system back on.
Method 04: Update macOS and Drivers
If outdated drivers or an old macOS version are causing the issue, try updating them to fix the compatibility issues. To update:
- Go to Apple Menu, click System Settings.
- Now, click General > Software Update.
- Install if any update is available.
This ensures your Mac has the latest USB, Thunderbolt, and filesystem drivers that can help recognise external devices properly.
Additional Tip: Recover Data from an External Hard Drive on Mac
If your external hard drive is still not showing up on your Mac, there’s a chance that the drive is corrupted, unmounted, or has a damaged file system. However, while repairing such issues, you might encounter data loss instances on your external hard drive. In such a case, you can check previously created backups or use third-party free Mac data recovery software to restore your deleted files.
Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac is a powerful and easy-to-use software designed to restore lost or deleted files. You can use this tool to recover files deleted due to accidental deletion, formatting, system errors, or any other reason. Whether the file is deleted from an external hard drive or other storage devices such as SSDs, USBs, etc., this free Mac data recovery software can be the best solution.
Key Features of this free Mac data recovery software:
- The free version supports recovery of up to 1 GB of files for free.
- Can restore your deleted photos, videos, documents, and other files of various file formats.
- It supports recovery from drives formatted with APFS, HFS+, exFAT, and NTFS file systems.
- Allows you to preview the recoverable files before saving them on your device.
- It offers a simple, intuitive design suitable for beginners and professionals alike — no technical expertise required.
Here’s how to recover files deleted from an External hard drive not showing up on your Mac using this free data recovery software:
Step 1: Firstly, download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac tool on your device. Also, connect your external hard drive to that Mac.
Step 2: Launch the software and from the home screen, select the type of file you need to recover and click Next.
Step 3: Now, from the list of available drives, select your external hard drive and click Scan to initiate the scanning process.
Step 4: Once scanning completes, preview all recoverable files by type and folder structure. Select the files you want and click Recover to save them on your Mac.
Note: Save all the recovered files to a different drive or location on your Mac (not the same external drive) to avoid overwriting data.
Wrapping Up
Having an external hard drive that won’t show up on your Mac can be alarming, especially if it contains important files. However, in most cases, the issue can be easily resolved. Whether the problem is due to minor connection problems, incorrect Finder settings, or unsupported formats, you can try the methods outlined above to fix the issue.
Moreover, if you encounter data loss issues on the drive, try a trusted data recovery solution like Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac to restore your deleted files. With the right approach and timely action, you can restore both drive functionality and your precious data without panic.
