Get a data lifeguard for Mac
By default, the 4TB hard drive uses the NTFS format for Windows PCs, but there's a Help file included on the drive that provides information for Mac users so that you can reformat the drive and set.
Discover the world of external hard drives for Mac. Compare portable, USB and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Global Nav Open Menu Global Nav Close Menu. LaCie 2TB Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C USB 3.0 Only at Apple. £89.95 All Colors. Sep 06, 2019 Click ‘Install’ and select your hard drive as the destination. Your Mac downloads the latest compatible version of macOS or OS X over the Internet and installs it on your hard drive. It may take some time. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete your macOS or OS X installation. Disk Drill brings deleted files back from the dead.
Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your Mac’s USB port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the Finder in the left-hand column under Devices, since Mac’s treat them the same way as another computer.
However, sometimes, an external hard drive doesn't show up. It’s annoying, especially when you need to transfer something right then. And besides, there can be a risk that data on the external USB pen, hard, or flash drive is corrupt, which means you can’t transfer what you need between devices at all.
Corrupt data can be one reason your Mac won't recognize an external drive, but there are other reasons too. Let’s take a look why this is happening and how you can get an external drive to appear on your Mac and get recover data to access to your documents.
How to fix an external disk drive that won't show up on a Mac
Why an external disk drive is not showing up? There could be a few reasons why a USB flash drive isn’t making an appearance.
Open an External Drive Not Showing on Mac
Get a huge set of top utilities for troubleshooting external hard drives not mounting on a Mac
Start with the basics:
*Check whether the drive is properly plugged in. It sounds obvious, but since this relies on a wire - either a USB cable or HDMI cable - if it’s not connected properly then it won’t appear on your desktop.
*Faulty cable. Assuming it’s plugged in correctly, not wobbly or loose, the cable could be at fault. Try connecting the same device with a different cable.
*Damaged USB or flash drive port. It could be a hardware issue with the Mac. If you’ve got another port, try connecting the device to that one.
*Reboot your Mac. Sometimes, if a USB disk won't boot, the cause is macOS issue. Hopefully, some data damage that can be fixed by restarting. Choose the Apple menu > Restart. Or press and hold the power button and, when a dialog box appears, click the Restart or press R. Restarting your Mac essentially clears your macOS’s memory and starts it up fresh.
*Incorrectly formatted drive. Not every external drive is optimized for Macs. It could be that you are trying to connect something only fit to interact with Windows devices. If you’ve got a PC or laptop, it’s worth connecting and seeing if you can access the files through another device. The best way to look for an incorrectly formatted drive is to go to
Apple (in the top toolbar menu) > About This Mac > Storage.
See if the external drive shows up here. For more information, go to the same menu option, then select System Report.
*Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. It could be that your Mac already recognizes the device, but just isn’t showing its icon on the desktop screen. Even if that is the case, the drive will still appear in the left-hand column of the Finder menu under Devices. You should be able to access your drive that way, and, in the Finder menu under Preferences > General, you can check External Drives to ensure that from now on it shows up on your desktop too.
*Reset NVRAM. To do this, shut down or restart your Mac, switch it back on and immediately press these four keys together for at least 20 seconds: Option, Command, P, and R. It should look as though your Mac has started again; if it has, release the keys when you hear the second startup chime. Hopefully, the hard drive has shown up now.
*Check Apple’s Disk Utility to see if an external drive is showing up. Disk Utility is within System Preferences, or you can find it using Spotlight. If it is visible, then click the option to Mount, which should make it visible on the desktop and in the External Drives option in the Finder menu.
Unfortunately, if none of those options has worked and the external drive still isn’t visible, then it could have crashed, or be well and truly broken. But there might still be a way you can recover the data on the external drive. How to show connected devices in Finder
*Go to the Finder menu and select Preferences (Cmd+comma).
*From General tab tick External disks to ensure that from now on it shows on the desktop.
In the Sidebar tab you can choose which folders and devices will be shown in the left-hand column of the Finder window.How to add cloud storages to Finder
You can also mount cloud storage as local drive on your Mac. By connecting Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon to your computer, you get more space for securely accessing and sharing files. For your ease, add cloud drives to Finder with CloudMounter app, so that you keep them close at hand. You can read detailed instructions on managing cloud storage as local drives here. Repair the failed external drives with First Aid
If your drive is having problems, you can try to fix them yourself with First Aid and therefore get access to your files. First Aid tool will check the disk for errors and then attempt a repair as needed. It helps to verify and repair a range of issues related to startup HD and external drive problems. If you are able to fix the hard drive or SSD in your Mac (or an external drive) using Disk Utility you will hopefully be able to recover your files.
To run Fist Aid on an external hard drive:
*Open Disk Utility. You can searching for it using Spotlight Search or via Finder > Application > Utility
*Check on your external hard drive, click the First Aid tab and select Run to start running diagnostics.
If First Aid successful in fixing errors, the external drive should be available to mount. If the utility unable to repair issues, your drive truly is broken or formatted using a file system that the Mac cannot read - in this way we suggest you follow the next steps to recover data from a damaged disk drive.How to recover data from a crashed drive
Thankfully, there is an app for that. Disk Drill is the world’s premier data recovery software for Mac OS X. Powerful enough to retrieve long-lost, mistakenly deleted files from Macs, external hard drives and USB drives and camera cards.
Get a file recovery app
With Setapp you get a pack of professional tools for file recovery and Mac maintenance.
An easy way to recover lost files on an external hard drive
Providing you already have Disk Drill Pro version, which you can get automatically by downloading from Setapp:
*Connect your drive to the Mac.
*Quit all other applications on the Mac, especially those that may be trying to access the external drive (e.g. iPhoto, Words)
*Launch Disk Drill.
*Click on the external drive that you are trying to recover files from. If it has partitions, you will see all of them. If, however, you still don’t see any volume to the external drive then you may need to try some of the steps above again or read the Disk Drill Scanning FAQs.
*To avoid the external drive being accessed during the recovery process, click Extras next to the drive or drive partition or file, then select Remount Volume As Read Only. A padlock will appear, protecting the drive during the process.
*Now click Rebuild (or Recover) next to the file(s) you are trying to recover. Once the scan is finished - it may take some time if the files are large - a list of files will appeal.
*Next, click Mount Found Items as Disk button on the bottom-left below the scan results.
*Disk Drill “strongly suggest saving the files to a different drive than the one you are trying to recover files from. Saving to the same drive substantially lowers your chances of recovery.”
*A drive icon will appear, which once you double click will give you the option to open the files as you would do before they were lost. Drag them to another location, such as your desktop or a folder on your Mac.
*Open the files to ensure they have been recovered properly and safely eject the external drive.
Disk Drill does have other ways to recover lost files but assuming there aren’t complications, this method is the most effective. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available from Setapp, along with dozens of Mac apps that will make your life easier. Never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive again.A few more tips on getting your files back
*Macs and third-party apps that look after Macs, such as Disk Drill and iStat Menus come with a S.M.A.R.T. (also known as Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) status monitor. If a SMART check reports errors, then it could mean the hard drive is at risk of failing completely. Within Disk Utility and Disk Drill, there are several solutions for this: Repair Disk Permissions and Repair Disk. If neither work, it’s recommended that you backup all of the data from the disk, erase, then run a SMART check again. The external hard drive should show up as Verified.
*Partitions can get lost within hard drives, temporarily hiding all of the information contained within. Disk Drill can help to identify and restore this information.
*Within Disk Drill, you can restore data when a hard drive is damaged or add formatting, which is also something Disk Utility can help with.
*CleanMyMac, another useful app available from Setapp, can help you identify external hard drive errors and repair them. It is an essential tool worth trying when you’re having external hard drive difficulties.
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Alternative ways to recover data from an external hard drive
Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove:
*Shut down and unplug the power adapter
*Press Shift-Control-Option and the power button at the same time. Do this for 10 seconds
*Release all keys
*Plug the power adapter back in and switch your Mac back on
For Macs with removable batteries, you need to switch them off, remove the battery, then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. After that, put the battery back in, plug in the power adapter and switch the power on again.
What’s your file format? One reason your Mac isn’t recognizing the hard drive is the file format. Windows uses NTFS file formats, while Macs, up until the introduction of Sierra, have used HFS+. Now, Apple has introduced the Apple File System (APFS) for newer operating systems. It is possible to format a hard drive so it can be read on Mac and Windows computers, providing you format using exFAT. However, if you’re having problems accessing the files and the issue is due to formatting, you will need to connect it to a device it can be read on, and then format the files correctly for the computer you are going to use it on next.How to make Ext2/Ext3 drives readable on Mac
The common issue is Ext2- and Ext3-formatted drives are not readable on macOS. There are two ways to access such external drives on your Mac – via Linux OS or FUSE system. The easiest would be installing Linux to a secondary drive or virtual machine.
If you go with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac with Linux on another drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary. If you don’t have a drive to install Linux to, use virtual machine as an interface for it. Transferring can be done the same way – with FAT32, or via network.
Another option for reading Ext2/Ext3 disks is mounting disk with Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE). Basically, it works as an extra interface enabling file system access via specially installed modules. Here’s how to mount drives with FUSE:
*Install FUSE for macOS or MacFUSE as well as fuse-ext2 module.
*Use the following Terminal command to enable Disk Utility’s debug menu and see all partitions: defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled 1
*Attach your Ext2/Ext3 drive and locate the device name via Disk Utility.
*In your user account, create a folder to be used as a mount point.
*Use the following Terminal command to mount the drive as read-only: fuse-ext2 /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint
*For write support, use the command: fuse-ext2 -o force /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint
And that’s not the only case where Terminal helps you access external drive.
Employ the handy all-powerful Terminal, which always comes forward with solutions for difficult problems. Especially if System Information does recognize the USB or hard drive, but continues to hide it from you, disconnect the drive and try to find it using the Terminal, which you can find in Applications > Utilities.
*Once in the Terminal, type in the command diskutil list
*A list with information about volumes and drives should appear
*Look for a section labelled /dev/disk_ (external, physical)
*Make a note of the whole line after the word disk
*Now put the following command into the Terminal diskutil info disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
*Now you should see detailed information about the drive, therefore confirming that your Mac can and does recognize it
*Eject using the Terminal by entering the command diskutil eject disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
*Physically remove the disk from you Mac
*Plug it back in and your Mac should recognize it
Console is also reliable when it comes to solving tricky problems, although it isn’t always that easy to use. You can find Console under Applications > Utilities > Console. Console shows if an external drive or any error is detected under the Errors and Faults tab. If no errors show up, then the problem is not caused by the device.
To sum up, there are lots of potential solutions for a Mac not reading an external hard drive. If we were to pick one, Disk Drill seems to be the most well-rounded, offering plenty of customizations and power in an easy-to-use interface. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available via Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that strive to make your life much much easier. At the very least, you’ll never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive ever again.Categorized under Data Recovery
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If you’re selling your computer or trading it in for something newer, you’ll probably want to wipe your hard drive.
After all, you don’t want to give it to its new owner with all your pictures and documents on it — or lose those things!
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But how do you wipe it? How do you erase everything on your Mac and restore it to factory settings, so the next person gets a clean computer with none of your documents?
We’ve got all the answers right here!
Read on to find out how.
Jump To:Backup Your Computer Using Time Machine
Before you even think about wiping your hard drive, make sure that you have everything backed up.
After all, even if you don’t want the computer anymore, you probably want all of the stuff on it.
And once you restore your computer to factory settings, all your photos, videos, documents, and downloads are going to be gone.
Whether you’re getting rid of the computer or wiping your hard drive to fix an error, the best way to back up your Mac is to use Time Machine.
Essentially, this is a tool that Apple created to help people create a “copy” of their computer that could be accessed at a later date.
Read Related Article: Hard Disk Drive vs. Solid-State Drive (SSD)
Here’s how you use it to back up your computer:
*Open System Preferences, located on the Apple Menu bar.
*Select the Time Machine icon in the System Preferences folder.
*Click Select Backup Disk, located in the top-middle of the window.
*Choose the disk you’d like to use to back up your computer. Typically, you’ll want to plug in an external hard drive and select that. This will create a copy of your internal hard drive and write it onto the external one.
*It’s a good idea to do this regularly even if you don’t plan on wiping your hard drive. By plugging in an external HD and backing everything up to Time Machine on a regular basis, you’ll create a copy of it that you can use in case you lose your data for any reason (it happens, believe us).
*If you’d prefer not to use Time Machine for any reason, you can use alternative methods. For example, you can use iCloud or another cloud storage solution to store all of your files online.
Click here to learn how to back up your computer to iCloud.Deauthorize Your iTunes Account
If your iTunes account is connected to your computer, then the next owner will be able to access it.
So, you need to deauthorize the account. That way, your account will no longer be linked to the machine.
Here’s how you do it:
*Open iTunes on your computer
*Select Account from the options on the Menu bar.
*Scroll down to Authorizations and select Deauthorize This Computer.
*iTunes will ask you for your Apple ID and your password. Once you enter that, it will give you the option to Deauthorize your account. Click that, and you’re all set.Log Out of iCloud and iMessage
Similar to iTunes, you have to sign out of your iCloud account, too. Otherwise, the next owner may be able to access it.
Luckily, it’s pretty simple.
Here’s what you do:
*Select System Preferences from the Menu bar.
*Click on the iCloud icon.
*Click the Sign Out option on the bottom-left side of the window.
Once you do that, you’ll be signed out!Reformat Your Hard Drive Disk (HDD)
“Reformatting” is a fancy tech word for wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling the operating system. Once you reformat it, everything will be gone, and the computer will be restored to factory settings.
The first step in the reformatting process is erasing the drive.
You can erase your computer by using the Disk Utility feature in any version of Mac OS.
Here’s how you do it.
*Turn your computer off entirely.
*Boot it up again by pressing and holding the power button, just like you would if you were starting it up for normal use.
*This time, however, you want to hold the command and R keys down simultaneously. Press and hold them as soon as you hit the power button.
*An Apple logo should appear on your screen. Once that appears, you can let go of the buttons.
*The Apple logo should be followed by a Mac OS X Utilities Menu with several different options. Select Disk Utility (it’s a little hard drive with a stethoscope) from the Menu and click Continue.
Screenshot via Macworl
*Once you enter the Disk Utility, you’ll have to select the drive you want to erase.
In this case, you’ll want to choose Macintosh HD to wipe the entire drive.Mac Os Hard Drive Space
*Then, click the Erase button at the bottom of the window.
Note: The Erase option will only appear as a clickable button when the computer is booted up using the command + R keys. If you attempt to reformat your hard drive after starting your computer as you normally would, this option won’t be clickable.
*Once you click the Erase button, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from a range of different security options. The security options window contains a sliding bar that allows you to select the comprehensiveness of the erasure.
There are four different levels you can choose from, ranging from fastest to slowest. If you select the slowest option, you’ll erase the maximal amount of data. But, the process takes a little longer.
If you choose the fastest option, however, the process goes quite quickly. But, the data is not removed as thoroughly (and could be restored through a file recovery application).
*After you’ve determined the level at which you want to erase your computer, click Erase. The operating system will proceed with the erasing process.
Read Article: Apple Watch Review (Full Breakdown)How to Secure Erase a Mac SSD
Newer MacBooks don’t have a traditional hard disk drive. Instead, they have a solid state drive or SSD.
Now, the process for wiping your solid state drive is the same as erasing a hard drive.
So, if you want to clean it, go ahead and follow the steps outlined in the section above.
It’s important to note, however, that erasing an SSD completely is not recommended.
Here’s why:Apple Mac Os Hard Drive 2017
Solid state drives can only be rewritten a certain number of times. In other words, the more times you rewrite your drive, the worse it’s going to function.
So, even if you reformat your drive just once, you may notice that it functions slightly worse afterward.
Of course, there may be cases in which you have no choice but to erase your drive. If you’re getting rid of your Mac, for example, and you want to be sure that every tiny bit of data is wiped clean from it, then you’ll probably want to erase it.Apple Mac Hard Drive
But, if you’re erasing the entire thing with the intention of restoring it afterwards — don’t.
It’s going to do more harm than good. You can either erase as many files as possible on your own or take it to the Apple store directly (provided that it’s still under warranty) and ask them to help you with whatever problem you’re experiencing.
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Don’t know if your computer has a solid state drive or not?
Here’s how to figure it out:
*Press the F4 key on your keyboard (the one with the six little squares on it).
*Select the Other icon.
*Click the System Information icon.
*Select the ATA option from the Hardware drop-down menu on the left side of the window.
*A profile of your device should appear on the right-hand side of the window.
*Look for the row that reads “Model.” The corresponding product number should have either an HDD or an SSD in it.
These letters will let you know whether your device is equipped with a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).
You should approach the erasure process accordingly.Reinstall the Mac OS
The second half of the reformatting process is the reinstallation of the operating system.
When you erase your data, you also delete the OS that allows you to use the computer.
So, you’ve got to install it again if you want the computer to work.
Even if you’re selling the computer to someone else, it’s a nice courtesy to reinstall it beforehand so that they don’t have to do it themselves. After all, not everyone will be able to figure out how.
Here’s what you do:
*You’ll need internet access to do this. It’s going to be impossible otherwise, so make sure that the wifi connection is turned on.
*Boot the computer up by pressing the power button.
*Hold command + R, the same way you did when you erased your drive.
*Let go once the Apple logo appears.
*In the Mac OS Utilities Menu, select Reinstall MacOS.
*Click Continue.
*You may need to enter your Apple ID upon installation. Only do this if you intend to use the computer yourself. If you plan on selling it or handing it off to another person, you can end the process here.
*Once the installation is done, you’ll be free to start using your freshly-cleaned Mac.FAQSCan you reset a MacBook without losing data?
The only way to reset your computer without losing data is to back it up first. Once you’ve erased your hard drive, that data is gone.
You might be able to use a recovery app to restore your files if you ran a fast, low-level erasure. But most of the time, the data is completely cleared from the device.Do you have to wipe a Mac’s hard drive before you sell it?
No law says you have to. But it’s smart. Unless you erase it (and erase it thoroughly), the next owner could get access to your files.Can you erase your hard drive and keep the same programs?Apple Mac Os X Snow Leopard
Once you reinstall the OS, your computer will be loaded with all of the programs that come with that software. Any programs you installed on your own before erasing the drive will be gone.
Of course, if you’ve backed up your drive, you can reinstall them using Time Machine.Can you wipe a Mac without the password?
No. To erase the hard drive, you’ll have to enter the owner’s Apple ID and password. Otherwise, you will not have the option to wipe the drive.Can you install Windows on a Mac after you erase it?External Hard Drive Mac Os
Yes. You can use Boot Camp to install Windows on your Apple computer if you’d like to. Please note, however, that not all Apple products support Windows.Wiping Your Hard Drive is Simple
Clearing the hard drive may seem confusing at first, especially for the average Mac user, but it’s not.
Just a few clicks and you’ll have your computer restored to factory settings in no time.Mac Os Hard Drive
Always remember to back up your data.Apple Mac Os Hard Drive Software
Whether you’re using the computer again in the future or moving onto a new model, you’ll probably want to hold onto those files.
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