When you want to permanently delete all files from your 4TB Western Digital portable hard drive on Mac, you may spend much time on cleaning up all your data. And the deleted data can be recovered by Mac data recovery software.In order permanently and completely wipe Western Digital, Seagate external hard drive on Mac, you need a powerful data erasing tool. Using a third-party disk utility that allows you to see Macintosh formatted volumes is an alternative to using FAT32 file system for the external hard drive. MacOS to MacOS: Some Seagate external drives, such as the FreeAgent Go for Mac and FreeAgent Desk for Mac, come formatted in MacOS Extended format, which is supported by Mac OS 8.1 and later. Backup your hard drive. Before formatting the drive, it's a good idea to back up the drive and save any files you want to keep. You can save them to another hard drive like an external hard drive or USB drive. You can also use cloud-based storage like iCloud or Google Drive which have a limited amount of free storage.
by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2020-09-29 / Update for Mac OS
So you plugged in your Seagate hard drive into your Mac and it ain't showing up, right? Well, perhaps, the files and folders or the disk itself is unapproachable and therefore, your Mac was unable to detect the Seagate external hard drive. Consequently, the Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac Sierra! But worry no more, we've got your back! We are going to uncover some proven ways to fix Seagate hard drive not showing up Mac. Open cut editor. Stay glued!
Part 1: Why Seagate External Hard Drive Not Showing up Mac?
Usually, when an external hard drive is plugged into Mac via a USB port, it gets mounted over the desktop. You can even find it under the Devices column on the left in the Finder. Just in case, your Seagate hard drive not showing up on Mac, there can be a number of reasons behind it. Here are they.
- 1. Chances are that your hard drive may have been corrupted.
- 2. Perhaps, it may not have been formatted properly.
- 3. Maybe, the drive got broken internally due to physical damage.
- 4. Or, your Seagate hard drive is faulty.
How To Wipe A Mac Hard Drive
Part 2: Quick Fix The Issue of Seagate Hard Drive Not Showing up Mac
1. Check If Connected Properly
First things first, check if the Seagate external hard drive that is not showing up Mac is properly plugged in to the USB port. It is one of the most notable reasons when Mac fails to mount the drive. If you are using an older Mac ensure that the drive is receiving enough power supply. Older Macs need a special USB power cable, which splits up into two USB connectors and both of which has to be plugged into the Mac.
2. Troubleshoot the Seagate Hard Drive
If the above mentioned solution brought you no good, then you need to troubleshoot the Seagate Hard Drive. Try reconnecting the hard drive into a different USB port and check if it shows up or not. If not, you should then plug it in a different Mac or Windows PC to check if it is the hard drive itself that is faulty.
3. Restart your Mac
Performing a restart has known to be an ideal solution to resolve various software glitches in the first place. If your Seagate external hard drive not showing up Mac Sierra, try restarting it with the help of the steps mentioned right below.
Hit on the 'Apple' icon available on the top left corner of your Mac screen and then opt for the 'Restart' option from the appearing drop down menu.
4. Fix The Seagate Hard Drive with Disk Utility
If the above methods were not able to produce good results for you, the next method to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up Mac is via Disk Utility. Here's what you need to do.
Step 1: Launch the 'Spotlight search' by hitting the 'cmd + spacebar' key over your keyboard and punch in 'Disk Utility'. Hit the 'Return' key afterwards to launch the program. Crossftp 1 99 0.
Step 2: On the left panel of the Disk Utility, you'll be able to locate your Seagate hard drive. If your drive is there and not mounted, it should appear as greyed out. Select the drive and then opt for 'Mount' option. Once mounted, the drive will now turn to normal.
Step 3: If Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac yet, try running the First Aid and Erase options to fix or format the drive respectively.
Part 3: The Ultimate Way to Recover Files from Formatted Seagate External Hard Drive
Since, the Seagate hard drive has now been formatted and is now accessible on your Mac, the data stored over it have been wiped off completely. Now, if you wish to recover the data contained within the formatted Seagate external hard drive. We have brought you the ultimate way to serve the purpose. Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery is your life saver when it comes to recovering data from various data loss scenarios. No matter if the data was stored over your Mac or over the external storage drive, Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Dasta Recovery can retrieve the lost data without any hassle.
Step 1: Install and launch the Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery over your Mac and then opt for the desired location from where the data has been lost. Then hit the 'Scan' button to initiate scanning of lost data.
Note: If you're recovering data over the macOS High Sierra system or higher, you need to grant access to Mac files by disabling SIP first.
Step 2: Soon after the scan completes, you will be allowed to preview the data detected for recovery. You can selectively check the categories or the individual files as well that you wish to recover. Once done, hit the 'Recover' button. Lastly, set the destination location and you're done.
Conclusion
Well, that was all about how to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac Sierra. We are now positive that you've successfully got your issue resolved. And just in case, you need format your hard drive for some reason, you can always look up to the mighty tool Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery to retrieve the lost data back.
Summary: This blog explains five best ways to resolve the 'external hard drive not mounting' issue on Mac.
It also shares a reliable software-based method to recover data from unmounting (or un-mountable) USB hard drive on Mac. Free evaluate the best Mac external drive recovery software from the below.
When you connect an external hard drive on Mac, it will show up on Desktop, Finder, and DiskUtility. But sometimes the external drive won't appear on any of these places. Consequently, data inside the unmounted external hard drive turns inaccessible. The contained files and the external drive's integrity comes to a stake.
Don'tworry, read and apply the below fixes to resolve Mac unmounted external drive issue.
1. Change macOS Settings
Ensure Finder preference to show external disks on Desktop or Finder is enabled.
- Open Finder from Dock. From the top Menu Bar, go to Finder > Preferences.
- On the 'Finder Preferences' window, click the General tab.
- Under the 'Show these items on the Desktop' section, select the 'External disks' checkbox. Your Desktop will now show the external hard drive icon.
- Click the Sidebar tab. Under the Locations section, select the 'External disks' checkbox. Your Finder sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
Ensure Disk Utility's View menu has 'ShowAllDevices' option selected.
- Press Command + Space Bar keys to open Spotlight.
- Type ‘disk utility' and hit Return to open Disk Utility.
- Click the View menu located at the top left corner of Disk Utility and select 'Show All Devices'. Your Disk Utility's sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
2. Reset Mac Firmware Settings
Reset NVRAM (Non-volatile RAM) & PRAM (Parameter RAM).
- Restart Mac then immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R keys until you hear a second chime.
Reset SMC (System Management Controller) on your Mac.
- For iMac, Mac Pro/mini, or laptop with a removable battery—detach the power cable or take out the battery then press and hold the Power button for 5 seconds.
- For MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or MacBook with non-removable battery—press and hold Shift + Control + Option + Power Button for 10 seconds.
3. Fix External Hard Drive Connectivity Issue
Step 2: Soon after the scan completes, you will be allowed to preview the data detected for recovery. You can selectively check the categories or the individual files as well that you wish to recover. Once done, hit the 'Recover' button. Lastly, set the destination location and you're done.
Conclusion
Well, that was all about how to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac Sierra. We are now positive that you've successfully got your issue resolved. And just in case, you need format your hard drive for some reason, you can always look up to the mighty tool Tenorshare 4DDiG for Mac Data Recovery to retrieve the lost data back.
Summary: This blog explains five best ways to resolve the 'external hard drive not mounting' issue on Mac.
It also shares a reliable software-based method to recover data from unmounting (or un-mountable) USB hard drive on Mac. Free evaluate the best Mac external drive recovery software from the below.
When you connect an external hard drive on Mac, it will show up on Desktop, Finder, and DiskUtility. But sometimes the external drive won't appear on any of these places. Consequently, data inside the unmounted external hard drive turns inaccessible. The contained files and the external drive's integrity comes to a stake.
Don'tworry, read and apply the below fixes to resolve Mac unmounted external drive issue.
1. Change macOS Settings
Ensure Finder preference to show external disks on Desktop or Finder is enabled.
- Open Finder from Dock. From the top Menu Bar, go to Finder > Preferences.
- On the 'Finder Preferences' window, click the General tab.
- Under the 'Show these items on the Desktop' section, select the 'External disks' checkbox. Your Desktop will now show the external hard drive icon.
- Click the Sidebar tab. Under the Locations section, select the 'External disks' checkbox. Your Finder sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
Ensure Disk Utility's View menu has 'ShowAllDevices' option selected.
- Press Command + Space Bar keys to open Spotlight.
- Type ‘disk utility' and hit Return to open Disk Utility.
- Click the View menu located at the top left corner of Disk Utility and select 'Show All Devices'. Your Disk Utility's sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
2. Reset Mac Firmware Settings
Reset NVRAM (Non-volatile RAM) & PRAM (Parameter RAM).
- Restart Mac then immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R keys until you hear a second chime.
Reset SMC (System Management Controller) on your Mac.
- For iMac, Mac Pro/mini, or laptop with a removable battery—detach the power cable or take out the battery then press and hold the Power button for 5 seconds.
- For MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or MacBook with non-removable battery—press and hold Shift + Control + Option + Power Button for 10 seconds.
3. Fix External Hard Drive Connectivity Issue
Ensure proper connectivity of your external hard drive to your Mac.
- Reconnect the USB connector or adapter to fit the hard drive snugly.
- Connect the hard drive to a different USB port or a different Mac.
- Replace the USB cable or adapter in case you suspect it to be damaged.
- Connect external power source if the hard drive requires one.
- Check the LED light to ensure the storage device is powered on and working.
- Swap the hard drive with a different case if you presume it to be faulty.
Can i install windows on mac. ReadCaseStudy: Whooping 94% data recovered from unmounted external drive on MacBook Pro
4. Troubleshoot External Hard Drive
Mount the external hard drive from Disk Utility.
- Open DiskUtility then select the greyed out hard drive from the sidebar.
- Click the Mount tab. The drive will mount automatically.
Repair hard drive from Disk Utility.
- Open Disk Utility then select the hard drive from the sidebar.
- Click First Aid then hit Run to verify and repair logical issues with the hard drive.
Check the SMART status of the external hard drive if it unmounts intermittently.
- Open Disk Utility then check the SMART Status of the external hard drive.
- In case the SMART Status is failing, then back up the drive by cloning.
- Replace the failing drive with a new one to safeguard against data loss.
5. Recover Data from Non-Mounting External Mac Hard Drive
Ensure the external hard drive is detected in Disk Utility, then fulfill the following data recovery prerequisite.
- On your Mac system, download and install the *trial version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.
Can T Add Files To Seagate Hard Drive Mac And Pc
- Launch the software by double-clicking on its icon. [You'll interact with its intuitive graphical user interface.]
Leverage the Mac external drive recovery software to recover data from the not-mounting external storage drive.
- Select the types of files present on the drive then click Next.
- Select the not-mounting external hard drive then toggle on Deep Scan.
- Click Scan. And let the scan to finish till completion.
- View the scanned items in Classic, File, or Deleted List. Once a view mode is selected, navigate the folders then preview any scanned files from the right pane.
- Select all the required files by clicking their corresponding checkbox, then click Recover. Specify a save destination then click Save.
Note: *Trial software allows you to scan storage drive and preview scanned files. Activate Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac by using its activation key and recover the files.
Watch the next video to know more about the software and its usage.
Conclusion
This blog presented 5 different methods to troubleshoot ‘external hard drive not mounting' issue on Mac. You can begin with fixing the external hard drive connectivity issue, changing macOS settings, resetting Mac firmware settings, troubleshooting the drive, and finally recovering data from the hard drive.
If the external hard drive is not detected in Disk Utility, then it may have a hardware issue. And if the basic hard drive connectivity fixes don't resolve the problem, then you need to try Stellar Data Recovery software for Mac.
We hope this blog post helped you understand the possible reasons, as to why macOS can't mount the external drive on Mac and how to troubleshoot and recover the unmounted Mac external drive. For any query, write to us in the comments section below.
