If you think the drive works fine, let us see if we can manually attach it to macOS. By default, it doesn’t display much and the setting to not show external disks may be enabled. Use a USB power cable if you suspect this to be the issue.ĭepending on what you find here, you can troubleshoot either the drive or your Mac.įirst, make sure Finder will display drive icons. A USB cable carries 5V and if this is the sole power source for the drive, it may not be enough.
Reboot your Mac to see if it was an open program or app stopping the drive from being detected.Try a different wall outlet if there is one nearby.Change the hard drive power cable if you have a spare.Check the condition of the cable and swap it if you have a spare.Check that the external hard drive has power if it needs it.Check that the cable from the hard drive to your Mac is connected properly.After all, no one wants to waste half a day because they didn’t realize something just wasn’t plugged in properly. Get into the habit of doing this with any computer issues, as it can save time, money, and hassle in the long run.