Why is my USB not showing up on my Mac?
Why is my USB not showing up on my Mac?
I’ve been having an issue with my USB drive not showing up on my Mac. I plug it into the USB port, but nothing happens. There’s no indication that the computer recognizes it. The drive doesn’t appear in Finder, and it doesn’t show up in Disk Utility either. This problem is really frustrating because I need to access the files on the USB drive for an important project. I’ve tried different USB ports and other external drives, which seem to work fine on my Mac, but this particular USB drive is completely unresponsive. I’m starting to worry that there might be a more serious issue with either my Mac or the USB drive itself.
7 Answers
When my USB drive wouldn’t show up on my Mac, I discovered that sometimes macOS might not recognize the file system on the USB drive. Here’s what to do:
1. Plug in the USB drive.
2. Open Terminal (found in Applications > Utilities).
3. Type the following command: ‘diskutil list’ and press Enter. This command will list all connected storage devices.
4. Find your USB drive in the list by looking at the Name and Identifier. Note the Identifier, such as /dev/disk2.
5. To reformat the drive to a file system that macOS can recognize, use the command: ‘sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2’. Replace ‘/dev/disk2’ with your specific Identifier.
Be aware that this will erase everything on the USB drive, so only proceed if you don’t mind losing the data or have it backed up elsewhere.
I had a similar challenge before, and one solution that worked was to try using a USB-C to USB adapter if you’re using newer Mac models with USB-C ports. Here’s how you can do this:
1. Purchase or borrow a reliable USB-C to USB adapter.
2. Connect your USB drive to the adapter and then plug the adapter into your Mac’s USB-C port.
3. Check Finder and Disk Utility to see if the USB drive appears.
Sometimes, using an adapter can resolve compatibility issues between the USB drive and the Mac’s ports.
In my experience, trying a simpler approach first often works. Here is what you can do:
1. Plug in the USB drive.
2. Wait for a minute to see if it gets recognized.
3. If it’s still not showing, safely remove any other external devices, reboot your Mac, and once restarted, plug the USB drive in again.
Sometimes the simplest reboot can resolve these technical hitches.
- First, verify that the USB drive is working by testing it on another computer. If it doesn’t show up there either, the issue might be with the USB drive itself.
- Connect the USB drive to your Mac and open Disk Utility by searching for it in Spotlight. Sometimes, the drive may appear here even if it isn’t showing up in Finder.
- If the drive is visible in Disk Utility, select it and click ‘Mount’ at the top. This action should force the drive to appear in Finder.
- Check System Information by holding down the Option key and clicking the Apple menu, then open ‘System Information’ and navigate to the ‘USB’ section. If the drive appears here, but nowhere else, it may require reformatting.
- Run the First Aid feature in Disk Utility to check and repair possible disk errors. Select the USB drive and click ‘First Aid’ at the top. Follow the prompts to complete the process.
- Ensure your Mac’s software is up to date by going to System Preferences > Software Update. Sometimes, a software update can resolve compatibility issues.
I’ve had a similar problem with my USB drive not appearing on my Mac before. One trick that worked for me was resetting the NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory). To do this:
1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Turn it back on and immediately press and hold the Option, Command, P, and R keys together for about 20 seconds.
3. Release the keys, and your Mac will restart.
4. After the restart, try connecting your USB drive again.
One method that helped me was to check for hardware issues. Sometimes the problem isn’t the USB drive or the Mac’s settings but the port itself. Ensure the port is free of debris or damage. Try using an external USB hub, as they often support lower power requirements and can sometimes make the drive visible when plugged in through the hub. So, get an external USB hub and connect the USB drive through it to see if it shows up on your Mac.
When faced with my USB drive not showing up, I looked into privacy restrictions from third-party applications preventing the drive from being recognized. To check and adjust these settings:
1. Open System Preferences and go to Security & Privacy.
2. Click on the Privacy tab and then click on ‘Files and Folders’ or ‘Full Disk Access’ from the list on the left.
3. Check if any application is preventing full access to the drive. If so, adjust the settings as needed and try reconnecting the USB drive.