NVRAM has to do with storing different settings, including the startup disk selection settings. In the Sidebar tab, you can choose which folders and devices will be shown in the left-hand column of the Finder window. In General, click on External disks to ensure that from now on it shows on the desktop.What to do if external hard drive is not detected? In most cases, when Finder doesn’t see your drive, you just have to change a few things in Preferences. When you connect a drive to Mac, it should appear in Finder under Locations. If you’ve got another port, try connecting the device to that one. Change USB portsĪ damaged USB or flash drive port on your Mac could be the reason why external drives won’t show up. Try connecting the same device with a different cable. It sounds obvious, but since the connection relies on a wire - either a USB cable or HDMI cable - if it’s not connected properly, the drive won’t appear on your desktop.Īssuming it’s plugged in correctly, not wobbly or loose, the cable could be at fault. Try free Check whether the drive is properly plugged in While it’s impossible to instantly figure out why an external disk drive is not showing up, there are some working methods that will help you get things right. How to fix an external disk drive that won't show up on a Mac With M1 chips, the threat is very real due to the fact that it’s impossible to boot your Mac if your internal SSD fails. Your drive has been corrupted or broken.There could be a few reasons why SSD isn’t making an appearance (just as any other external drive), the most common being: Let’s say you’ve encountered the problem of SSD not showing up. Possible reasons why your Mac does not recognize external hard drive Let’s take a look at why this is happening and how you can fix the external hard drive not showing up problem. 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.Ĭorrupt data can be one reason your Mac won't recognize an external drive, but there are other reasons too. It’s annoying, especially when you need to transfer something right then. However, sometimes, an external hard drive doesn't show up.

Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the Finder in the left-hand column under Locations. 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.

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