Mac has a native disk repair feature called First Aid. If you’re sure that something’s wrong with the disk and basic troubleshooting doesn’t help, the next step is to try repairing the disk.
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An even easier way is to install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, a handy app that makes NTFS drives readable on Mac. Because macOS doesn’t have native read/write support, you’ll need to convert NTFS to another compatible format. The most common reason why Mac doesn’t read your drive is because the drive is formatted as NTFS. If the disk is encrypted, you won’t be able to access it without decrypting it first. Encryption means that the data on the drive is protected. If the disk is the problem, check for disk encryption.
If it doesn’t work, look into hardware issues or other problems related to your Mac.Īlternatively, you can try connecting the drive to another Mac and see if it works. If it works, start investigating the problem with the first drive. Try disconnecting the drive that’s not readable and connect any other external drive, USB, or SD. The first thing to do is to understand if the drive you’re trying to connect is the problem. If you manage to fix the problem through simple troubleshooting, you won’t have to repair or format your disk, which might cause data loss. Before you press any of these, it helps doing the basic troubleshooting. The error that says your disk is not readable comes with three options: Initialize, Eject, and Ignore. With Setapp, you can have access to the best data protection tools for one monthly fee.
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How to fix it when your Mac won’t read a diskīefore we start with the instructions on how to fix the issue with an unreadable drive, we’ll use a second of your attention to emphasize that regular backups and a good data recovery tool will keep your files safe, no matter if you store them on your internal drive or an external USB. It’s recommended that you shut down the Mac through its main menu and don’t use the power button. Another reason could be that you didn’t shut down your Mac properly.
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You can use the tools like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac - it basically adds NTFS drive write/read support to your Mac, which is not available by default. If the file system of the drive is incompatible with macOS, your Mac won’t be able to read the drive. To make sure it’s not the case, scan your Mac for viruses with CleanMyMac X - it will also help you delete malicious files if there are any.įile system issue. If your Mac is infected with some kind of malware, it might freeze, slow down, or stop reading external drives. In fact, there has been an overwhelming number of macOS-specific viruses emerging over the past few years. Macs are mistakenly believed to be virus-proof. Some hardware components of your Mac might cause the "external hard drive not readable" Mac issue. So even if you’ve never experienced issues with external drives, Disk Drill is an essential install for your Mac. Tip: Tools like Disk Drill - a data recovery app for Mac - will help you save the data stored on the failing disk. One of the most common reasons is disk failure, and it’s also the most unfortunate one because it can happen quite unexpectedly and is impossible to predict. Here are the top five reasons why external drive won’t open on Mac:ĭisk failure. Just click Initialize and you’ll be able to access it.
Please note that sometimes the USB not readable Mac error will appear if you connect a new drive. However, every case is unique and we encourage you to go through all the troubleshooting steps instead of assuming you know what has caused the error. We outline a few probable reasons we see most often. There’s no easy way to understand why the error occurs - unless you've had it with the same disk before. Reasons for Mac not reading external hard drive On macOS Big Sur, the error will read slightly differently: "the disk you attached was not readable by this computer" - but it’s essentially the same thing. When you connect an external hard drive, a USB, or a SD drive to your Mac, the following error might pop up on the screen: "the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer." It usually occurs on macOS High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina.