External Hard Disk Not Working On Mac

1. External Disk Drive Not Recognized
2. External Hard Disk Not Detected

Nov 23, 2020 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Discover the world of external hard drives for Mac. Compare portable, USB and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Now check on This PC to see if the external hard drive gets detected; If the external hard drive still does not show up, then restart your PC. In case it appears initially but later disappears, then repeat the step above, and go to Disk Management - Change Drive Letter - Reconnect it. Fix 3: Modify Registry. If method 2 is also not working out.

While the external hard drive connected to the Windows computer or Mac, and the device did not show up. How to fix external hard drive not recognized? Don't worry, in this guide we will show you the best solution to fix the hard drive not recognized problem.

This problem will cause by some partition issues: the external hard drive partition got damaged, the file system got crashed, the drive errors in Windows computer, or the dead USB ports. You can try the hard drive on another computer or connect it with other USB ports. If it does not get working, you can follow the next solution to fix the external hard drive not recognized on Windows computer and Mac, and you can recover lost data from external hard drive with Recoverit Data Recovery.

Part 1. How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Recognized on Windows

In windows, this problem can be because of partition issues, dead USB ports, driver windows conflicts, file systems, dead or outdated drivers. Here are the steps you can follow to fix this issue in case of USB flash or external hard drives:

Step 1You might be plugging in the USB cable in a dead USB port. Unplug your external hard drive and plugin it in some other USB ports. Now, see if it is present there in the My Computer window. If not, follow step 2.

Step 2Now, look for the external drive in the Disk Management Window. For this, click Start and then click Run or press windows key + r, press enter after typing diskmgmt.msc in the Run dialog. This will open the Disk Management Window. Now, look for the external disk in this window. In this window, you can find your drive even if it is not recognized because of no partition. If you cannot find the drive in the Disk Management window then you can go for step four.

Step 3If it is not recognized by plugging in some other port or it is not visible in the Disk Management Window, then there might be some issue with the external drive. Check it on some other computers. Now, follow step 1 to step 3 in that computer in case the external drive is not recognized. If the problem exists with another computer also then something is wrong with the drive, otherwise follow step 5:

Step 4If it is working in some other systems but not in yours, Windows is having some problem with the drivers. To diagnose a driver problem, open the run dialog by pressing Windows + r and type 'devmgmt.msc'? Now press enter. Expand Disk Drives and look for a device having a yellow exclamation mark. This yellow exclamation mark indicates a problematic driver. Now, right-click on that device and read the error message after selecting properties. This issue can resolve in the following two ways:

1. Click on the update driver button for installing updated drivers.
2. Uninstall the driver and restart your computer. After restarting, the Windows will automatically reinstall and reconfigure the driver.

Now, plug in the external drive again or follow step 6 if the drive is still not recognized.

Step 5Problem in partitioning and formatting can also be a cause of this issue. Partitioning and file system issues can be fixed by using Windows Disk Management tools. To create a new partition, right-click inside the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume. You can create a new partition by following onscreen instructions. Sometimes, your drive is formatted with the ext4 file system of Linux, NTFS file system, HFS Plus file system, or FAT32 file system which is not recognized by your Windows. Reformatting of the drive can resolve this issue. For this, right-click on the partition, select format, and then select the file system. Here, it is important to know that all files in the drive will be deleted. Therefore, copy your files in some other systems before proceeding.

Video Tutorial on How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up

Part 2. How to Fix External Hard Drive Not Recognized on Mac

Like Windows, Mac also detects an external drive automatically. If it doesn't, follow these steps:

Step 1 First of all, look for the external hard drive in the finder window. For this, click on File and then click New Finder Window. Now, look for the drive below the remote disk.

Step 2 If the external drive is not there, make sure that the USB cable is properly plugged in the external hard drive and the port.

Step 3 Sometimes, the drive is connected but not mounted. To mount a drive, open Disk Utility and look for the drive in the list. If it is there, check below it. Now click on the mounting button to mount it. Open a Finder window to see if the drive is mounted or not.

Step 4 If you still cannot find it in the finder, it might not be getting enough power. Single USB ports can provide only 5 V. In that case, make use of USB cable having one USB connection for the external HD and two for Mac. This will supply the power required by the external hard drive.

These steps for fixing an external hard drive not recognized on Windows and Mac are suitable for external hard drives of all capacities and manufacturers. However, if still the issue is not resolved, you can avail of professional help.

Part 3. The Best External Hard Drive Data Recovery Software

While the external hard drive got damaged and did not detect on the computer, after you fix the problem, you should your data back. We will introduce the best external hard drive data recovery to help you retrieve data back. Recoverit Data Recovery Software is a powerful data recovery program, it can help you recover data from external hard drives easily and effectively.

Recoverit External Hard Drive Recovery Software

Recoverit Data Recovery is the best external hard drive recovery program, it can easily and effectively help you recover lost or accidentally deleted files from the hard disk drive, or another external storage device: USB drive, flash drive, SD card.

Steps on How to Recover Data from External Hard Drive

Download and install Recoverit Data Recovery on your computer. Launch Recoverit Data Recovery and follow the next steps to perform external hard drive data recovery on a Windows computer, if you are a Mac user, you can download Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac to go on.

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to the computer, select it while the disk detected on the program.

Step 2. The external hard drive recovery software will start scanning the device to searching the lost files.

Step 3. In minutes� all recovered files will display on the result. You can preview photos, videos, music, Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF. Select your files and click the 'Recover' button to restore.

When the external hard drive got damaged, you can try to fix it with the solution mentioned above. Also, get your data back with Recoverit Data Recovery in simple steps. Download and try it for now.

What's Wrong with Drive

Recover Your Drive

Fix Your Drive

Format/Wipe Drive

Know Your Drive

Macs aren't immune from hard disk corruption and failures. They're just as common on Macs as they are PCs. Although most Macs have solid-state drives, even these systems can have problems. Apple's built-in utilities and some third-party programs will get you up and running.

External Disk Drive Not Recognized

Symptoms of a Hard Disk Problem

The worst noise you'll hear from a mechanical hard disk is a clicking or grinding noise. That means the drive is failing. At that point, the drive isn't repairable. It's time to back up your data and then replace the drive. You already have a backup though, right?

Not all drives exhibit symptoms in this way. Sometimes you'll get the prohibitory no symbol at startup or a flashing folder with a question mark. After turning off your Mac and turning it back on, the system boots just fine. Other times you'll get the spinning rainbow wheel, letting you know your Mac is waiting on something. That could be because your Mac is waiting on the hard drive.no symbol at startup or a flashing folder with a question mark. After turning off your Mac and turning it back on, the system boots just fine. Other times you'll get the spinning rainbow wheel, letting you know your Mac is waiting on something. That could be because your Mac is waiting on the hard drive.

Diagnosing the Problem

If you suspect your hard disk is failing, it is time to make a backup. Now. Again, you should already have a backup of your Mac. Don't proceed before you try to make a backup. Apple's

External Hard Disk Not Detected

When you reboot, you'll see the

Some Macs have a built-in hardware diagnostic. Reboot your Mac holding down the D key. That runs a full hardware test on your Mac. The diagnostic will report any problems, including the hard drive.

Your Might Have a Confused Hard Drive

The Mac's journaled file system usually keeps things in order. Glitches and improper shutdowns might leave things scrambled. If

Sometimes it isn't the Hard Disk

If you've tried all this and are still having problems, there could be something wrong with your Mac other than the hard drive. If you have a MacBook Pro, the ribbon cable that connects the hard drive to the rest of the computer can go bad. The Mac exhibits all the same symptoms as a failed hard drive. The best way to figure this out is to remove your hard drive and try it in another Mac. If the hard drive works on another computer, then it isn't your hard drive.

The other typical problem is operating system errors. A system update or upgrade was interrupted leaving your Mac in a confused state. You can reinstall your operating system from the recovery mode. That won't erase any data on your Mac.

Rarely the problem is in the Mac's System Management Controller (SMC) . Before you give up hope, try Apple's procedure for resetting the SMC.

What if You Have a Solid State Drive?

Solid State Drives (SSDs) don't make the typical noises of a mechanical hard drive. After all,they have no moving parts. The testing procedures are the same. You won't be able to easily remove the hard drive to test it in another machine. Programs like Disk Warrior are smart enough to change the optimization procedure for an SSD drive.

Some Macs have easy hard drives to replace. Some Mac models hard drives aren't replaceable by end users. Most Mac-savvy retailers know the difference and can guide you towards the right repair. Replacing your hard drive with an SSD will give you the best performance, but may limit your storage space. We cover the differences here.

ALSO READ:DaisyDisk: The Best, Most Intuitive App to Find Large Files on Your Mac's Hard Drive

Did You Know

In 2013, Qualcomm sold the OmniTRACS business to Vista Equity Partners.

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