#Mac not detecting usb drive how to#
#Mac not detecting usb drive mac#

If you don’t have one, then you can ask a friend to let you use their laptop for a while and use its built-in memory card reader instead.

#Mac not detecting usb drive mac#

Check if SD Card Reader Is WorkingĪs we’ve explained earlier in this article, SD card readers are not 100% reliable, so you should check if your reader is working as it should before you move on to other fixes described in this article.ĭo you have another memory card reader that accepts SD cards? If so, then it’s easy because you can just connect it to your Mac and insert your SD card. When you restart your Mac, you force all these parts to relaunch with a clean slate, and that’s often all it takes to fix all kinds of problems. Why does a restart fix so many problems? Because modern operating systems are incredibly complex, consisting of hundreds and thousands of individual processes, services, and applications, all of which must work correctly for the operating system to behave as expected. Have you tried turning it off and on again? Seriously, have you? Because a simple restart is often all it takes to fix a Mac that doesn’t recognize an SD card. Make sure all items under “Show these items on the desktop” are checked.To also display the SD card on your desktop:

Make sure all items under Locations are checked.Click on Finder on the top bar and select preferences.Here’s what you need to do to display your SD card in the Finder’s sidebar: If it doesn’t, it’s possible that you’ve changed your Finder desktop and sidebar preferences. When you connect an SD card to your Mac, the SD card should show up in the Finder’s sidebar as well as on your desktop. Check Your Finder Desktop and Sidebar Preferences Let’s go over them one by one, providing detailed step-by-step instructions for each. If your SD card won’t show up on your Mac, there are a couple of fixes that you can try to solve the problem.

#Mac not detecting usb drive how to#

How to Fix Mac Not Reading or Recognizing SD My Card? Sometimes, all it takes for macOS to stop working as it should is one malware infection.

Problems with macOS: Known for its reliability, macOS may not be a known troublemaker as far as operating systems go, but that doesn’t mean that users never experience issues with it.

If you use one of them, your Mac won’t read the SD card at all. However, there are dozens and dozens of other file systems that macOS doesn’t support.

Incompatible file system: The latest version of macOS supports several file systems, including APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT.

As such, it’s easy to mechanically damage the SD card and make it unreadable.

Physical damage: The standard SD card measures just 32.0×24.0×2.1 mm, and the actual flash memory chip where data is stored is even smaller.

Well, digital data can become corrupted as well, and digital data corruption can even make your entire SD card inaccessible.

Data corruption: If you remember VHS and cassette tapes, then you’ve probably seen and heard the consequences of data corruption with your own eyes and ears.

The good news is that a brand-new memory card reader costs just a few dollars, so buying one just to verify that the one you have right now is faulty isn’t a huge expense.

Card reader not working: Memory card readers are relatively simple devices with no moving parts, but that doesn’t mean they can’t stop working.

To help you determine the root cause of your issues, let’s go over common problems responsible for SD cards not showing up on Mac: It’s difficult to fix issues with your SD card not showing up on Mac if you don’t know what’s wrong with it. Is your SD card acting up, preventing you from accessing those hundreds of pictures you took during your last vacation? Don’t worry our SD card troubleshooting guide is here to help you solve your SD card problems.Ĭommon Problems Responsible for SD Cards Not Showing Up on Mac