#External data storage for mac how to#

If your external hard drive has bad sectors or file corruption issues, the problem could be enough to cause macOS to be unable to see it.ħ Ways to Solve External Hard Drive Detection Issues.Although macOS does an excellent job of finding drivers, interference issues can cause recognition problems. Some apps can cause conflict with how Mac computers read your external drive.This problem sometimes develops right after you’ve installed a new app or upgraded to the latest macOS version. You could have a permissions issue interfering with your external hard drive.The most common issues involve cord health and system settings. Your Mac might struggle to read an external hard drive for several reasons.You might even have a faulty cord contributing to the problem! Reasons Why External Hard Drives Aren’t Showing Up on Mac Should you have an “ external drive not showing up on Mac” issue to manage, it is often due to corrupted system settings instead of an issue with your media. If you’re still using an older operating system, you might see the external drive appear under Devices or Locations. You’ll also see an access point appear in Finder windows with the latest versions of macOS. When you plug an external drive into your Mac’s port, it mounts (appears) on the desktop.

#External data storage for mac how to#

How to Find an External Hard Drive on MacĪs you go about the business to repair external hard drive on Mac issues, it is essential to review how macOS locates this resource. If you know how to restore this functionality, you can help your Mac see the external drive once again. When your Mac doesn’t recognize your external drive, accessing the files kept there is no longer possible. Instead of seeing it show up in Finder, macOS says that you don’t have anything there. You’ve connected an external hard drive to your Mac computer.