How to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac?

How to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac? External hard drives are ideal storage alternatives for storing gigabytes of data locally. Simply connect the disc to your Mac and access the files using the desktop or Finder. Things become complicated when an external drive fails to mount and appear.

But don’t be concerned! I’ve compiled the best solutions to the problem of an external hard drive not showing up on a Mac. But first, let’s look at the various explanations for this.

Why is my external hard drive not showing up on Mac?

Here are seven possible reasons why your external pen drive, HDD, SSD, or other similar disc isn’t showing up on your Mac.

1. The drives have insufficient power.
2. There is an issue with the Mac’s USB port.
3. The external disc is not formatted in a file format accepted by macOS.
4. Your Mac is experiencing a temporary problem.
5. You have decided not to display external drives on the desktop of your Mac.
6. The cable that connects the disc to the Mac is broken, frayed, or damaged.
7. Your external hard disc has been physically damaged.

How to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac?

Here is the list of 9 methods to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac:

Method #1. Change USB Ports to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac

This is a fairly frequent solution to such difficulties. I’m sure you’ve previously tried this. If you didn’t, unplug the drive from the current Mac’s USB port and plug it into another one. Allow a few seconds and check to see if it is visible.

Second, unplug your USB-C dongle/hub from your Mac and plug it into a new type-C port. If the dongle is too hot, wait a few minutes before trying again. This should resolve the problem. Don’t be alarmed if it didn’t! Proceed to the next one.

Method #2. Check the connecting drive cable

Is the cable that connects your hard disc to your Mac shaky at either end? If so, do not force it since this may exacerbate the condition. Set the Mac on a table or the floor. Do the same for the drive and carefully attach it to Mac. Check to see if it appears on your desktop or in the Finder.

If it appears, I would recommend moving the most important files to the Mac or another device. You could also get a new drive cord or a new drive. If the hard drive is not visible on your Mac, try gently moving the cable at the joints (where it connects to the drive and the Mac) to see if that helps.

Method #3. Restart your Mac to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac

Restarting is one of the simplest (and my favourite) ways to solve a variety of Mac and iPhone problems with a high success rate. If you still can’t see your drive after trying the preceding solutions, restart your Mac.

Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and select Restart. When your Mac boots up, attach the external drive, and it should appear on the desktop and in the Finder.

Method #4. Change Finder preferences to show the drive

The first step is to allow external drives to appear on Mac’s desktop.

1. Continue to use Mac’s desktop. Select Preferences from the Finder menu at the top of the screen.
2. Select General.
3. Check the box next to ‘External discs.’
4. Next, select ‘Sidebar’ and check the box next to ‘External discs.’

Method #5. Make sure the drive is powered adequately

Small hard discs, SSDs, and pen drives may not need extra power. The electricity supplied by the Mac’s USB connector is adequate.

However, if you have a large hard disc that requires external power, make sure you meet that requirement. Second, some drives have two ports that must be inserted into the computer at the same time. If everything is in order, proceed to the next stage.

Method #6. Try using another Mac or PC

Before proceeding with the ensuing solutions, we must first determine whether the issue is with the drive or the Mac itself. Borrow a Mac (or Windows PC) from a family member or friend to test this. Check to check if the drive appears on that Mac.

If the drive appears on a Windows PC but not on a Mac, this indicates a formatting problem. We’ll look at ways to solve that later.

Method #7. Access the drive using macOS Disk Utility

To bring up Spotlight Search, press command + space bar. Now, type Disk Utility and launch it.
If the drive is not physically destroyed, it should be shown under ‘External.’
Click to pick the drive if it is not already mounted. Then, select Mount. You can also mount it by right-clicking it.
The next solution is to run First Aid, which looks for faults and resolves them. Select the drive from the left sidebar and then click First Aid. Allow it to run, finish, and, if prompted, ask it to rectify any issues discovered.

Method #8. Change the drive format to fix the External hard drive not showing up on Mac

1. If you’re using a new macOS version and want to utilise the external drive exclusively with Mac, format it in APFS.
2. Next, if you have an older Mac, you can format it in HFS+, which is compatible with both new and old Macs.
3. Format your external drive in exFAT if you want to use it on both Mac and Windows (or FAT32 if you have Windows XP or earlier).
4. In addition, if you intend to use your external drive mostly with a Windows PC, format it in NTFS. When you attach this disc to a Mac, you can still read files from it.

Method #9. Reset NVRAM or PRAM on Mac

Last but not least, is the file format correct? Is the cable, USB ports, and everything else working properly? But you can’t see the external drive anymore? Reset NVRAM if necessary. If your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external drive, reset the SMC.

These are the solutions to the problem of the ‘external drive not showing on Mac.’ I hope these helped, and you can now use your drive. If you have any questions, please see the area below.