Mac Doesn’t Detect Your USB Drive?

💾 Mac Doesn’t Detect Your USB Drive?

If your Mac isn’t detecting a USB drive or external hard disk, don’t worry — it’s a common issue.
Whether it’s a flash drive, SSD, or Time Machine backup, macOS can sometimes miss it.

A simple one-line Terminal command can force your Mac to find and reconnect external devices.

1. Open the Terminal app on your Mac

1. Press Command (⌘) + Space to launch Spotlight Search.
2. Type Terminal, then press Enter to launch it.

2. Enter this command in Terminal

Copy the following command and paste it into Terminal, then press Return:

Loading...

What this command does:

If your USB flash drive, external SSD, or hard disk isn’t showing up on your Mac, don’t panic. This step-by-step guide will help you troubleshoot and fix the issue quickly.

🔌 Step 1: Check the USB Connection

• Unplug and reconnect the USB drive firmly.
• Try a different USB port on your Mac.
• Use a different USB cable if available.
• If you’re using a USB hub, connect the drive directly to the Mac.

Tip: Test the USB drive on another computer to confirm it’s not a hardware issue.

💡 Step 2: Look for the Drive in Finder

1. Open Finder.
2. From the top menu, go to Finder > Settings (or Preferences).
3. Under the Sidebar and General tabs, ensure External disks are selected to show on Desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

🧭 Step 3: Check Disk Utility

1. Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities).
2. Look for your USB drive in the left-hand panel. It may be listed as “Not Mounted.”
3. Select the drive and click Mount.
4. If the drive shows in gray, it’s recognized but not yet active.

Still not visible? Try the next step below.

🧹 Step 4: Run First Aid in Disk Utility

1. In Disk Utility, select the USB drive.
2. Click the First Aid button at the top.
3. Follow the prompts to check and repair the disk.

This can resolve minor errors preventing your Mac from reading the drive.

⚙️ Step 5: Check System Information

1. Hold the Option key and click the Apple menu .
2. Select System Information.
3. In the sidebar, go to USB under Hardware.
4. See if your USB drive appears in the list.

If it’s listed here, the Mac detects the drive on a hardware level but can’t mount it due to formatting or system errors.

🗃️ Step 6: Format the Drive (If Needed)

⚠️ Warning: Formatting erases all data on the drive.

1. Open Disk Utility.
2. Select your USB drive and click Erase.
3. Choose a format such as ExFAT (for compatibility with Windows and macOS) or APFS/Mac OS Extended (for Mac-only use).

This is useful if the drive is unreadable or in an unsupported format (like NTFS).

🔄 Step 7: Restart Your Mac

Restarting clears temporary glitches and resets USB device detection. After restarting, plug the drive in again and check if it appears.

🆘 Still Not Working?

• Try connecting the USB drive to another Mac or PC to rule out physical damage.
• Check for firmware updates on your USB drive (check the manufacturer’s website).
• Use recovery tools if the drive is detected but not readable.

If none of the above works, your drive may be faulty and need data recovery or replacement.

✅ USB Drive Detected!

With these steps, most USB detection issues on macOS can be solved quickly. Keep your drives safely ejected and regularly backed up to avoid data loss in the future.