- Macbook Pro External Hard Drive Reader
- External Hard Drive Not Reading Mac
- Laptop External Hard Drive Reader
The instructions below are for Windows 10, but other versions of Windows from Windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exFAT for use with Mac as well. Connect the drive to your. USB 3.0 SATA 2.5 3.5 Inch Hard Drive Reader,CE,FCC Approved, 18 Months Warranty Unitek USB 3.0 to SSD & HDD / 2.5-Inch SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable- External Converter for SATA III Hard Drives, Support UASP [Power Adapter Not Included].
Need to read Mac drives in Windows?
Unfortunately, it’s not a straightforward process; you can’t just connect the Mac drive and expect it to work. Here’s everything you need to know to get it working.
Why Can’t Windows Read Mac Drives?
Windows and macOS use different file systems. Windows uses the NTFS file system for its internal drives, whereas Apple replaced HFS+ with its successor—Apple File System (APFS)—in early 2017. Today, APFS is used on Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs.
External hard disks and USB drives are generally formatted with the Windows FAT32 file system for maximum compatibility. Most devices, including Macs, can read and write from FAT32 devices. There’s even a way to make a Mac read an NTFS driveWrite To Your NTFS Drives Again in OS X El Capitan (For Free)Write To Your NTFS Drives Again in OS X El Capitan (For Free)Some of the most common methods of adding NTFS support broke with the recent release of El Capitan, but you can still write to your Windows drives with a bit of tinkering.Read More.
All new Macs will be formatted with APFS. Older Mac drives may still be formatted with the HFS+ file system. Windows can’t read either file system by default.
We’ll show you how to access your Mac-formatted APFS or HFS+ drive on Windows.
How to Read APFS on Windows
Firstly, let’s look at how to read the newer Apple File System format on Windows. All these apps will allow you to read drives from any updated Apple device, not just Macs.
1. MacDrive
MacDrive has been one of the go-to apps for a long time. The first version was released way back in 1996. If you’re prepared to spend some money, you don’t need to look elsewhere.
The app works with APFS drives and HFS+ drives.
Unlike some of the options we’ll discuss later, MacDrive lets you read and write data to your Mac-formatted drive directly from Windows.
The app is focused around the freshly redesigned Disk Management Window. It acts as a hub for all the Mac drives connected to Windows.
You will also be able to see your APFS or HFS+ drive directly within File Explorer, allowing easy integration with the rest of the Windows operating system.
Other useful features include the ability to create and partition Mac disks direct from your PC, a powerful disk repair feature, and robust security tools.
The standard version costs $49.99. There’s also a Pro version. It adds several extra features, including automatic file defragmentation, support for RAID setups, and a way to create Mac ISO files.
A five-day free trial is available.
Download:MacDrive ($49.99)
2. Paragon APFS for Windows
Paragon APFS for Windows is another paid app. It is the main competitor of MacDrive.
The app provides read and write access to APFS-formatted partitions, read and write access to compressed and cloned files, and read-only support for encrypted volumes.
It supports disk auto-mounting at start-up, but doesn’t have MacDrive’s partition tools.
MacDrive has one big advantage over Paragon’s app: HFS+ support. Paragon APFS for Windows only supports APFS-formatted drives. If you have some older Mac drives lying around that are still running HFS+, you would need to separately purchase Paragon HFS+ for Windows. MacDrive, therefore, is a more economical option.
One license—which costs $49.95—works on three Windows PCs.
Download:Paragon APFS for Windows ($49.95)
3. UFS Explorer Standard Access
Our third and final recommendation for reading APFS drives on Windows is UFS Explorer Standard Recovery. Once again, it’s a paid option. The app will cost you €21.95.
UFS Explorer Standard Recovery is the most versatile app on this list. It can read the two formats we care about—APFS and HFS+—as well as NTFS, FAT, FAT32, exFAT, SGI XFS, Linux JFS, Unix/BSD, UFS/UFS2, and VMware VMFS.
As such, this is the app you should choose if you find yourself hopping between lots of different operating systems during your day.
UFS Explorer Standard Recovery also comes with RAID support as standard. The app has a built-in RAID builder, so you can customize it for your array.
There is a free version of the app with no time limits, but it will only let you copy files smaller than 256KB in size.
Download: UFS Explorer Standard Access (€21.95)
How to Read HFS+ on Windows
If your Mac-formatted drive is still running HFS+, use one of these three methods instead.
1. Install Apple HFS+ Drivers
If you only need read access, you can install the Apple HFS+ drivers for Windows. Be sure to remove Paragon or MacDrive before proceeding.
Download the correct Windows driver package, then follow these steps:
- Copy the ApplsHFS.sys and AppleMNT.sys files to C:WindowsSystem32drivers
- Merge the Add_AppleHFS.reg file with your Windows registry.
- Restart your system.
The video above also demonstrates the process.
After restarting, your Mac-formatted drive should show up under This PC. This method only gives you read access to the drive. If you would like to edit or delete files, try one of the alternative methods below.
2. HFSExplorer
HFSExplorer is completely free. You can use it to access Mac file systems from Windows without paying a dime. The developer hasn’t updated it since October 2015 due to the arrival of APFS, but it still works on older systems.
HFSExplorer requires Java. We generally recommend against having Java installed, but it’s necessary here unless you want to spend money. You also need to run the app as an Admin.
This tool is simple to use. Connect your Mac-formatted drive to your Windows system, open HFSExplorer, and click File > Load File System From Device. HFSExplorer can automatically locate any connected devices with HFS+ file systems and open them. You can then extract files from the HFSExplorer window to your Windows drive.
Note that HFSExplorer is read-only, so you can’t modify or delete files on your Mac drive. It also doesn’t integrate with Windows File Explorer—files are available in the HFSExplorer application and you must copy them elsewhere.
Download: HFSExplorer (Free)
3. Paragon HFS+ for Windows
Paragon HFS+ for Windows is a paid application, but it distinguishes itself with additional features.
Unlike HFSExplorer, Paragon HFS+ for Windows provides full read/write access to Mac drives and promises high performance. It even integrates HFS+ file systems with Windows Explorer or File Explorer on Windows. Any Windows program can read from or write to the Mac drive.
The app costs $19.95, but it also offers a 10-day free trial. If you just need to recover files from a drive, 10 days is plenty of time to install this file system driver, copy your files over, and uninstall it.
Paragon HFS+ doesn’t need Java to work.
Download: Paragon HFS+ for Windows ($19.95)
Or Format the Mac Drive for Windows
If you have a Mac drive lying around and you no longer have a Mac, you’re not stuck with the Mac file system forever. After recovering the files from your drive with one of the tools above, you can then format the drive and convert it to a standard FAT32 partition that will work with most devices.
Formatting will erase all the files on your drive, so make sure you have backed up your files. To format the drive, just use the dialog that appears when you connect the drive to your computer.
Check out our guide to learn more about using FAT32How to Format a Large Hard Drive With FAT or FAT32How to Format a Large Hard Drive With FAT or FAT32The FAT and FAT32 formats support up to 16TB. Yet Windows sets a 32GB limit for formatting with FAT or FAT32. We'll show you how to format larger drives.Read More.
Explore more about: File System, Hard Drive, Mac Tips, USB Drive, Windows Tips.
Apple data is so special that you have to buy some 'app' to access them from Windows.
Send them to dev/nullandroid mobile can also read the files using OTG micro usb port :)
Thank you so much for this. Just what I need.
Sometime back, my Mac has been acting up, to the point where I can't use it anymore. I'm thinking of reformatting it or re-installing Mac OS X.
On the other hand, my 1TB external hard drive was initially formatted to be read and written with Mac only. Now, I have a Win PC but no access to the files there. I will surely try this out.
Again, thank you very much. Cheers!
The Java application worked fine for me. Lucky I had the VM installed...
I bought today a WD my passport 25E3 from Curry Pc world. I was talking with the guy about Windows and an upgrade to my HP with another HP. For some reason ha gave me an external drive for MAC! I didn't notice until it was too late like why the hell my laptop can't see the hard and no drivers found for it. I literally black out when I saw it. No exchange or ref for opened boxes. But God I found you! and after bashing my head a few time, as I m not an expert I have managed to format my hard and now I can seeee it! Thank you sooo much!
This didn't work. Gave me the blue screen of death. Not worth it.
Thanks soo much!
Very helpful!
Another free way to do it - Download Ubuntu Linux, burn to a DVD (or put on a flash memory), boot from that - you can run Ubuntu without installing it. Ubuntu will see the Mac device as well as your Windows devices, and you can easily copy files from one to the other.
This method doesn't many ANY changes to your Windows software.
--GaryThanks Gary. These are the answers I've been looking for a long time. And it's free. Bill
Some of these programs cant access files if they are in 'core storage'. If your Mac is running OSX Lion or something newer this may be the case.
Tip: You must run HFS Explorer as Administrator on Windows in order for it to function properly.
thanks mate this Works. coz im using a hackintosh Laptop :)
I cannot get HFS Explorer to find my HFS+ formatted drive - containing a Time Machine backup of my MAC - when i plug the external hard drive into my USB port on my HP laptop running Windows 10. In fact the laptop doesn't even see the drive at all when I plug it in.
What could the problem be?
Can a 'seagate for mac' slim drive be formatted NTFS (not fat 32) and used with windows 10 for external backup drive? Thanks.
Don't install Paragon HFS+!!! This program is not working and you can't remove it from your computer!
I've distrusted Paragon's filesystem code for years. About a decade ago I bought their Windows driver for reading EXT3 (Linux) filesystems. It seemed to work OK for about a month, but then suddenly after writing a file under Windows, the entire EXT3 filesystem became unreadable! Creating robust filesystem drivers is hard. A bug that only occurs on one write in a billion but that clobbers some critical element in some data structure the filesystem depends on can end up with you LOSING ALL THE FILES in the filesystem! Given the high risk of data loss, extensive testing is necessary before a filesystem driver can be deemed trustworthy, and it doesn't look like Paragon's testing is up to the task.
Be very cautious installing Paragon HFS+ on Windows 10. I used it on 8 with no issues, but twice I have tried to install it on Win 10, and both times it's bricked my computer with an INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error...
I found out you have to go into your BIOS and set your SATA mode to IDE, then boot into Windows Safe Mode, do a System Restore, back into the BIOS and set SATA mode back to AHCI, then you can boot normally.
I didn't want to spring for MacDrive, but at least it works.
This exact thing happened to me as well. I am in the process of reinstalling 100s of GBs of programs right now.
Same issue reported by Terry, Paragon HFS+ trial is useless and doesn't do anything. The help is an equally useless small bit of text.
Transmac won't let you read/write but it works okay. I find I have to close / open the program once in a while to continue working with a drive.
MacDrive despite costing the most was the one that worked. I recommend this.
I needed to open some to open a DMG of an entire Apple DVD - no thanks to the waste of time MacDrive 'trial'.
All I had to do was Extract the DMG using 7-zip. Done.
To examine and edit Apple .pkgs or .mpkgs, I needed Transmac.
Note that it will BURN a DMG to disc, but just the uncompressed version (now an ISO) since its a PC.For step 4, formatting the drive to ExFat would be better than FAT32. FAT32 has a size limit of around 4GB, so you can't put any files over that on there. ExFat has unlimited size limits and can read/write from a Mac and PC.
But ExFat is legally-encumbered so that anyone who tries to write a Linux driver for it is subject to a nasty lawsuit from Microsoft. FAT32 is the only filesystem I know of that can be both read and written under all three major operating systems (Windows, OS-X, and Linux) as well as by various special purpose devices like digital cameras. It's unfortunate that FAT32 is an archaic design and has some serious limitations, but if your files are smaller than 4 GB and the partition containing your filesystem is under 2 TB, FAT32 provides portability between OS's that no other filesystem can.
For the record, The Paragon app won't let you run the free trial any more. I downloaded the app TWICE, restarted the computer both times, and nada...zero...zilch...bupkis...no funtioning app. What gives?? All I can access is the help menu, which ain't helpful at all! And like Pablo said earlier, Why offer a 'trial' version, if you won't let us TRY it?!?! Dumb!
MacDrive no longer allows access to Mac drives during the evaluation period... How we are supposed to evaluate it without actually evaluating it is beyond my little brain.
Is MacDrive the only option that allows formatting disks in HFS+ format (and is that identical to or is MacDrive able to format and partition Macintosh Journaled volumes?) ?
My wife's iMac HD died, I replaced it with a Crucial M550 1TB SSD and now it's telling me the disk is bad. All I have to check to see if the drive is actually bad is a Windows 7 x64 machine as her Air sure won't help. After two supposed hard drive failures in 3 months I'm a bit suspicious of the SATA controller or cabling. The Crucial SSD firmware update LINUX disc that boots a Mac or PC to update firmware failed repeatedly on the Mac with an error 13, which according to Crucial is common and issued an RMA. After I pulled the drive, I decided to plug into my test PC and the firmware updated fine and the disk management utility sees 3 healthy partitions, but I can't read them without one of the products mentioned in this thread. It sounds like MacDrive is the one I need, but seek confirmation as I do intend to purchase the product that best suits.
Paragon did everything i needed it to do, read, edit and save , job done!
With the trial version, happy to buy after trial experience.
Hmmm, HFS+ for Windows. After trialling the free version and finding it appeared to do what I wanted it to do and did it reasonably well and simply, I thought I'd do the right thing purchased a license.
But the purchased licence won't load while the trial version is installed & I can't uninstall the trial version despite being the administrator and disabling the User Account Control. So far, after 2 weeks, I'm still waiting for a response to my request for help from Paragon and it seems I could be waiting a while.
Apparently, irrespective of the fact I have purchased a license, because I didn't also purchase a 'support package' I've gone on a 'no guarantee' waiting list while those who purchased a support package get preferential treatment. (WTF! Doesn't Paragon understand any person who goes to the effort of purchasing a license expects sufficient technical support to at least get what was purchased working. But apparently not. Further it seems some customers are more important that others).
So, my strong recommendation is, 'think 2 or 3 times about when you want the application to work before you purchase. If you don't need it for several weeks, then go ahead but if you want it to work now, or if you expect support for your purchased license, FORGET IT!!!The problem with Microsoft proprietary disk formats like NTFS or EXFAT is that there are no repair tools for other platforms which can reliably detect & fix errors on the volume if it becomes corrupted. So if you dont want to buy a Windows machine just to maintain your portable drives, dont use Microsoft formats.
I am a Mac user, video editor. The Fat32 limit of 4 GB makes it unsuable for my needs.
I once had to prepare files for a non-profit client using windows XP. I instructed them to use the update for ExFat and prepared an ExFat drive to mail them original high quality HD video files on. It all went well until I realized some characters are illegal in ExFat and that made for a lot of initial problems. Once I removed any character like: !@#$%^&*() all was well.
Somebody should mention that when talking about ExFat. Does anyone have a good link to reference?
Thanks
Always format hard disk as EXFAT in mac. Read/Write both in Mac and Windows :)
'Always format hard disk as EXFAT in mac. Read/Write both in Mac and Windows :)'
Always and never are too terms not often used in IT. There are several situations where a Mac drive should be formatted in HFS+, but if you don't that then there's no point in explaining it to you. You can look it up if you care.
Typos, sorry.
Always and never are two terms not often used in IT. There are several situations where a Mac drive should be formatted in HFS+, but if you don't know that then there's no point in explaining it to you. You can look it up if you care to.
4GB filesize limitation.
Have not had success with HFS+. It randomly stops working, and I have to reinstall. Going to try MacDrive.
Wiz,
Exfat does NOT have any limitation in file size.
Fat 32 DOES have 4GB limitation.
You are getting the two confused.
i had a mac but reverted to windows after my board died installed a software not quite sure i think it was paragon hfs works fine i didnt need to format i still use the drive in mac format
Palu, installing the filesystem drivers that come with bootcamp on a non Apple computer is possible, I did it a few months ago to get files off an old hard drive.
It was read only, but that was good enough for what I wanted to do.
I have a imac with bootcamp, so my win partition reads mac drives correctly
This article comes in handy, if i ever need to go back to a windows machine full time.
Always had the idea you could install the bootcamp drivers on a non-apple branded pc, but doesnt look like its a possibility. Shake, would have been perfect :)
Most of us use external hard drives and USB flash drives from time to time. You can use iCloud or buy a bigger MacBook to reduce your reliance on external drives, but they’re still a necessary evil.
It can be a frustrating experience when your external hard drive doesn’t show up (or misbehaves in another way). Fortunately, there’s a long list of fixes you can try to isolate and hopefully fix your issue fairly quickly.
In some instances you might find that it’s impossible to recover your drive. This is why the 3-2-1- backup rule is so important.
If you’re having more serious problems with getting your Macbook Air to book, check out this step-by-step guide on what to do if your Mac won’t boot.
If Windows doesn’t recognize your hard driveExternal Drive Not Showing Up or Recognized? Here Is the FixExternal Drive Not Showing Up or Recognized? Here Is the FixIs your external hard drive not showing up in Windows? We'll help you fix a hard disk that is not detected.Read More, please refer to the article for that platform.
Before We Begin: Read-Only Volumes and NTFS
If your external hard drive is showing up but you can’t write to it, it’s likely using a Mac file systemWhich Mac File System Is Best for an External Drive?Which Mac File System Is Best for an External Drive?Formatting a hard drive for use with your Mac? Here are your macOS file system options and how to pick the best one for you.Read More that your computer cannot write to. Many Windows external drives are formatted to NTFS by default, and macOS doesn’t include an NTFS driver. In order to write to your drive, you’ll need to install a driver with support for that file system.
You can get your hands dirty and fix read-only problems for free with an open source solutionHow to Fix Your External Hard Drive Being 'Read Only' on MacHow to Fix Your External Hard Drive Being 'Read Only' on MacIs your external hard drive showing up as 'read only' on your Mac? Here's how to fix a locked Mac drive and get it working again.Read More, or by enabling macOS experimental NTFS support. Alternatively, paid options like Paragon NTFS ($20 per Mac) or TuxeraNTFS ($31 for all home computers) will quickly restore access to your NTFS volumes.
We’ve also looked at how to unlock Mac external drivesHow to Unlock and Format an External Hard Drive for Your MacHow to Unlock and Format an External Hard Drive for Your MacHere's a quick guide on how to format an external hard drive for Mac and solve any issues you may encounter.Read More, if necessary.
1. Connect Your Drive and Check /Volumes/
All connected and mounted volumes will show up in your /Volumes/ folder. Launch Finder and in the menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder. Then type /Volumes/ and hit Enter. You’ll be taken to a folder that shows you all mounted drives and disk images.
If you find your drive here, try accessing it. If you’re used to seeing (or would rather see) your drive appear on your desktop, launch Finder and in the menu bar head to Finder > Preferences > General. Check the boxes to determine which drives show up on your desktop.
2. Check Disk Utility
Launch Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility (or just search Spotlight for it). This system utility lists all connected drives, with mounted or unmounted partitions listed below. If your drive shows up but the partition isn’t mounted (shown grayed out), try right-clicking the partition and choosing Mount.
If your drive still isn’t accessible, you might want to try selecting the drive or affected partition then clicking First Aid. Disk Utility will check the volume for problems, and if it detects any you’ll be given the option to Repair Disk. If the drive isn’t writeable or supported by macOS, First Aid can’t do anything.
If your drive appears in Disk Utility but you are unable to mount any partitions, you may still be able to recover data from that drive. There are plenty of good Mac data recovery toolsThe Best Data Recovery Software for Mac to Find Lost Data & FilesThe Best Data Recovery Software for Mac to Find Lost Data & FilesDid your SSD happen to die? Digital camera SD card corrupted itself? Don't despair — here's what you can do to recover your files on your own.Read More, with TestDisk and PhotoRec being two of the best.
If you’re not concerned with your data and simply want the use of your drive back, feel free to use the Erase tool in Disk Utility to create a new partition.
3. Rebuild the Launch Services Database
Some users have reported success in getting their previously missing drives to show up by rebuilding the macOS launch services database. Apple describes this as “an API that enables a running application to open other applications or their document files in a way similar to the Finder or the Dock.”
You can rebuild the database by downloading and installing free maintenance app OnyX. Launch it and input your administrator password so that OnyX can make changes. The app may ask to verify the structure of your desk; click Continue and wait if so. OnyX will appear unresponsive while the process completes.
Once OnyX comes back to life, click on the Maintenance tab followed by Rebuilding. Make sure that LaunchServices is checked (you can uncheck the rest) then click Run Tasks at the bottom of the window. While this happens, Finder may become unresponsive.
Once the process is complete, restart your Mac. Try reconnecting your missing drive once it reboots.
4. Cycle USB Ports and Cables
Ports and cables are physical connections, and they’re prone to wear that can lead to total failure. If your external HDD isn’t showing up, try using another USB port to see if that makes a difference. If the drive shows up, it indicates there’s a problem with that particular USB port (you may be able to fix this in section seven, below).
And if that doesn’t work, turn your attention to the cable. If you haven’t used the drive in a long time, check you’ve got the right type of cable. Some older drives require USB leads with separate power connectors. Even older drives require dedicated DC power adapters, so make sure you’re not missing one of them.
You can try switching out the cable for another and seeing if that makes a difference. If you’re troubleshooting a USB flash drive, check the connector for signs of damage.
5. Try Another Computer
You can confirm whether or not the drive is faulty by trying to connect it to another computer, if you have one. Ideally you’ll want to try another Mac, but a Windows PC is worth a shot too. If you have access to both and your drive refuses to show up on any Apple hardware, it’s worth considering the possibility that it’s simply not compatible.
Though it’s rare to encounter this issue with modern hardware, some USB devices need to install drivers before they will work on certain operating systems. This is especially true for many “secure” USB drives that use some sort of software encryption to prevent unwanted access.
One potential solution is searching online for your particular brand and model. Manufacturers may have included Mac drivers as a separate download.
6. Update macOS
It’s basic advice, but sometimes it helps when your external hard drive isn’t showing up. If you have outstanding updates to apply, try applying them and trying again. In particular, some firmware updates relate specifically to peripherals and devices that connect via USB. Launch the Mac App Store app and head to the Updates tab.
It’s always a good idea to back up your Mac with Time MachinePartition & Use Your Time Machine Hard Drive To Store Files TooPartition & Use Your Time Machine Hard Drive To Store Files TooIf your Mac's hard drive is small and your Time Machine hard drive is big, it might be worth using the drive for both backup and storage purposes.Read More before installing major updates or upgrading macOS to the next major version.
7. Reset SMC and PRAM
If the signs point to your Mac as the source of the problem (or you’re completely out of ideas) you might want to try resetting your system management controller (SMC) and parameter random access memory (PRAM).
Tried resetting the PRAM and SMC on the MAC ? Even disk first aid or whatever the hell they call it now on the external drives ?
Macbook Pro External Hard Drive Reader
— Heartwood Institute (@Heartwood9) April 27, 2018
For issues relating to USB devices, resetting the SMC will provide the best chance of a fix. If that didn’t help, you might want to try resetting PRAM anyway since it can’t really cause your machine any long-term problems.
Instructions differ depending on your particular Mac, so check out our guide to resetting SMC and PRAMHow to Do an SMC and PRAM/NVRAM Reset on Your MacHow to Do an SMC and PRAM/NVRAM Reset on Your MacA reset of the SMC and PRAM/NVRAM can help any Mac, including MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, run smoothly again.Read More for details relevant to your machine.
8. Run Mac Diagnostics to Detect Hardware Issues
Convinced it’s your Mac to blame and want to know more? You can run Apple’s consumer-friendly hardware tests at home, but they likely won’t tell you much. If you really want to dig deep into the issue, you’ll need to find the Apple Service Diagnostic for your machine and test it extensively.
Apple Service Diagnostic is a set of diagnostic tools used by technicians to find faultsHow to Use Apple Service Diagnostic to Troubleshoot Your MacHow to Use Apple Service Diagnostic to Troubleshoot Your MacWant access to Apple's powerful Mac diagnostic software? It's called Apple Service Diagnostic, and we'll show you how to get it and use it for best results.Read More. Getting your hands on relevant disk images shouldn’t be too difficult, after which you can create a bootable Apple Service Diagnostic drive for testing purposes.
This isn’t going to fix your machine, but it will confirm or deny your suspicions. If you have a problem with a particular USB port, you might want to invest in a hub to make the most of your remaining connectivity. It might also be time to start thinking about upgrading to another machine, since this could be indicative of bigger problems.
Remember to Safely Eject Your Drives
Not everyone safely ejects their drives, especially small USB flash drives used primarily for data transfer. Larger external hard drives that store a lot of precious data are more worthy of your patience, however. You can eject a drive in several ways:
- Right-clicking it and choosing Eject.
- Using the Eject icon below the Devices section of Finder’s sidebar.
- By clicking and dragging the drive from your desktop or Finder to the Trash in the Dock.
- Using a free menu bar app like Ejector.
By taking the time to make sure nothing is writing to the volume and ejecting it safely, you’ll reduce the odds of ever needing to consult an article like this again. And to decrease your reliance on external drives, check out all the ways to add storage to your MacBookHow to Add More Storage to Your MacBook: 6 Methods That WorkHow to Add More Storage to Your MacBook: 6 Methods That WorkRunning out of space on your MacBook? Here are all your options for adding more storage space to your MacBook.Read More.
External Hard Drive Not Reading Mac
Explore more about: Hard Drive, Hardware Tips, Mac Tips, Troubleshooting.
Laptop External Hard Drive Reader
I installed a High Sierra OSX update, and after that the Lacie BIG5 RAID was not recognized. I have already updated the Firmware to the 2.5 / latest. I did this once previously and by calling Apple tech support I was able to rollback High Sierra to before the update, and the drive was recognized again.
For the majority of the time my USB will not show up in Finder. I am using a 27 inch 5K Mac. Yes, after rebooting it will be there, but why should I have to conduct a complete reboot and wait for ages just to see my USB. As I also need to use a particular Windows piece of software, I am also running Parallels and Windows 10 on the same Mac. Guess what? Yep, the USB is shown File Explorer and can be accessed and written to. I am sick of reading shallow advice about what to do to make the USB appear on the Mac when this is entirely a Mac problem which should be fixed by them before releasing almost daily software updates that do absolutely nothing.
Love the advice to always amke sure to use Time Machine to back up the Mac. THAT’s THE PROBLEM - CAN’T SEE THE EXTERNAL DRIVE TO BACK UP TO.
VERY frustrating!
HD is only blinking after connected to the laptop, Mac can't detect it.
Tried change cables, adapters, run Disk Utility, and connected to other laptops... still only the HD is blinking, MacBook can't locate it.
Any suggestions on what I can try next?Not so evident when there is a storm or blackout...its an instant shut down...external disk disappear fast..what are the safety,s there.
UPS: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-uninterruptible-power-supply-ups/