Sometimes when you connect a USB flash drive to your Mac, it may not show up on the desktop or in Finder right away. This usually doesn’t mean your drive is damaged. Often, macOS delays recognizing external devices because of its built-in security measures or verification steps.
Luckily, you can speed up the detection process manually by running a simple Terminal command. This prompts the system to check and remount the device without needing to reboot your Mac.
- Open Terminal:
Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, and hit Enter. - Paste and run the following command:
Error
This command safely triggers a built-in macOS process that refreshes the connection to external drives — no third-party apps or system changes needed.
Once you run it, your USB flash drive should reappear in Finder, fully accessible without restarting your Mac.