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Posted by Katrina to Mac Data Recovery on November 22nd, 2018
It's so frustrating that one of your Sandisk, Crucial, Samsung T3 external SSDs were working just fine for a long time and then suddenly stops being recognized by the Mac operating system. But this is a common problem and can happen at any time, even when you unplug the external SSD from the Mac and later on plug in the SSD again. Wondering how to fix external SSD not recognized and access the data stored on it? Go ahead to find troubleshooting solutions.
Why does external SSD not recognized on Mac?
I have a 2013 iMac with an internal 1TB 5400 RMP drive. I've become spoiled with my macbook pro's SSD drive. I have considered replacing the internal drive with an SSD, but one, it is very expensive (including the labor), and two, if someday I get a new mac (this is my 5th iMac since they first came out), I'll have to pull it out, etc. Using Carbon Copy Cloner, I copied my active startup drive in the Mac mini to the external SSD. I needed to keep working during part of the operation, but it fortunately didn’t slow the system.
There are various reasons leading to external SSD not mounting issue on Mac. Here we conclude four main causes as below:
Loose cable connections
Drive corruption
File system problem
Hardware problems
Loose cable connections
Drive corruption
File system problem
Hardware problems
How to fix external SSD not recognized on Mac?
Solution 1: Check whether the external SSD is properly plugged in
The first and the foremost solution is to check whether the external SSD is properly plugged in. Firstly, assuming the cable is plugged in correctly or connecting the external SSD with a different cable. Secondly, try a different port if you get another one.
Solution 2: Reboot your Mac computer
Sometimes, Mac externalSSD not mounting issue is caused by the system issues. But you easily fix them by restarting. The restarting process will clear your macOS's memory and starts it up fresh. Simply choose the Apple menu and click Restart.
Solution 3: Check the file system of external SSD
If your external SSD is using Windows NTFS format, macOS won't mount the drive. Be default, macOS only enables NTFS read support but disable write support. Towrite a NTFS drive, afree NTFS driver is needed.
![For For](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134038583/521492556.jpg)
Solution 4: Show external SSD in Finder or on desktop
In general, when you connect your external SSD with Mac, it can appear in Finder or on desktop. But if external disks are not set to show in Finder or on desktop, your external SSD won't show up on Mac.
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences >Sidebar/General tab.
Step 2: Select 'External disks' under 'Devices' (or 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop'), and then your external SSD will appear.
Solution 5: Check in Disk Utility
If you have no luck with solutions above, the next and necessary step is to check whether the external SSD can be found in Disk Utility. Best macbook for video editing. If the external SSD can be found in Disk Utility, you make sure that the drive doesn't have any hardware problems. But if you can see it listed in Disk Utility, the external SSD might be physically damaged.
Important: Recover lost data from unrecognized external SSD
Whatever the external SSD has logical or physical damages, the most important thing is to make sure you have backed up useful data. In this situation, your data stored on the SSD is so fragile and any operation will overwrite the original data, resulting in irreparable data loss. If you forget to back up, you still have a way to restore lost data with the help of professional Mac data recovery software.
As a free and professional data recovery tool,iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery is highly recommended to recover data from unrecognized SSD, recover data from formatted SSD, recover data from unmountable SSD, recover data from unreadable, recover data from corrupted SSD, etc. on macOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12 and Mac OS X 10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
Moreover, iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery supports main storage devices including hard drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, memory cards, etc. and multiple file formats such as documents, audios, pictures, videos, emails, etc.
Tutorial to recover data from unrecognized SSD on Mac with iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery
Step 1: Launch iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery.
Step 2: Select the unrecognized external SSD and click 'Next' to scan lost files on the drive.
Step 3: Preview the scanning results, choose files we need, and click 'Recover' to get them back.
Step 4: Have a check to ensure we have got all lost files back.
![External Ssd Drive For Mac External Ssd Drive For Mac](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134038583/261644470.jpg)
Solution 6: Run First Aid
If your external SSD shows up in Disk Utility but not mounted, you can right click the drive and select Mount menu and then the SSD will show up on Mac. If the Mount button is grayed out or you fail to mount the external SSD, try running First Aid to verify and repair disk errors.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility.
Step 2: Choose the grayed out external SSD from the left sidebar.
Step 3: Select the 'First Aid' tab on the top.
Solution 7: Fix external SSD not recognized on Mac by reformatting
This operation will remove all data on the external SSD, please make sure you have backed up useful files with iBoysoft Data Recovery.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility.
Step 2: Select the external SSD on the left part of the window.
Step 3: Click 'Erase' on the top of the Disk Utility window.
Step 4: Complete related information (name, format, scheme), then click Erase.
Solution 8: Send the external SSD to a local technician for help
If unfortunately, the external SSD can't show up in Disk Utility or the solutions above failed to fix external SSD not recognized issue, the drive might have some hardware problems. You need to send the drive to a local technician for help or replace it with a new one.
Still have questions?
It is vitally important that you back up your Mac. Whether you do so locally using Time Machine, sending it to a cloud service, or a installing a duplicate creation program (or all three). There is nothing more important than backing up your computer in case an unfortunate event happens so you don't lose your precious data.
One of the easiest methods is locally, using Time Machine. Another is by backing up your data via a cloud-based service, like Backblaze or CrashPlan. Here, we're going to explain how to clone your Mac using a program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner.
The difference between cloning and using Time Machine
Local backups through Time Machine, cloud-based backups, and clones all serve a great purpose to keep your data safe in case of an unfortunate even that renders your Mac useless (even temporarily). The thing that makes cloning different is that you can create a bootable copy of your entire hard drive, which means you can access everything on one Mac through another simply by exporting it to an external drive, connecting the drive to the other Mac, and then selecting it from the Startup menu.
Clones are great to have around if, for example, you have to take your Mac in for repairs, but still need to continue working while it's out. You can use the cloned copy while it's in the shop.
Most cloning programs have additional features that include the ability to make regularly scheduled backups. This is ideal since, if something happens to your computer, you aren't necessarily going to want to restore from a year-old backup. I highly recommend investing in these additional features if they are offered with the cloning program you are using (for example, SuperDuper! is free to clone, but costs a licensing fee of $28 for scheduling, smart updates, sandboxes, and scripting).
Before you start
Before you get started, make sure you have an external hard drive with enough storage to fit everything on your Mac. The smartest solution is to use a portable hard drive.
You'll also need to download and install your cloning program. I'm using SuperDuper! from Shirt Pocket for this process. Most cloning programs operate pretty much the same. They will always have a detailed how-to guide to walk you through the steps.
How to prepare your external drive to to use for your clone
You'll need to start with a clean external hard drive in order to make a bootable drive for your cloned backup.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Use Spotlight to search for the Disk Utility app.
- Double-click on Disk Utility to open it.
- Find the hard drive under External and select it. It will usually be named after the company that made it.
- Click the Erase tab at the top of the window.
- Name the drive something that you will remember. I renamed mine 'mbp.' You will need to remember this name when you create a bootable drive.
- Select macOS Extended (Journaled) from the format list.
- Click Erase.
- Click Done once the process is complete.
- Close the Disk Utility window.
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Your hard drive is now formatted for cloning your Mac.
How to make a clone of your Mac
After you've downloaded and installed your cloning program, you'll need to open it to get started. I'm using SuperDuper! to make a clone for this guide, so I'll reference it here.
Note: You'll need your administrator password in order to make a clone of your Mac.
- Use Spotlight to search for the SuperDuper! app.
- Double-click on SuperDuper! to open it.
- Select your Mac's hard drive from the drop-down menu next to 'Copy.'
- Select the external hard drive from the drop-down menu next to 'to.'
- Make sure Backup - all files is selected in the drop-down menu next to 'using' (Backup - user files does not create a bootable clone).
- Click Copy Now to begin the process.
- Enter your Administrator password when prompted.
- Click Copy when asked to confirm that you want to erase the external hard drive and then copy the files to it from your Mac.
- Click OK when the process is complete.
Most cloning programs will operate the same, general way. If you don't understand the process for the program you have chosen, refer to the user guide.
How to restore your Mac from a clone
If there is any reason you end up needing to restore your Mac from a backup, you can use a clone to do so.
- Turn off your Mac.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Turn on your Mac.
- Hold down the Command and R keys as soon as the system restarts to enter Recovery Mode. Your Mac will boot to the macOS Utilities screen.
- Click on Disk Utility and then click continue.
- Select your hard drive.
- Click on the Restore tab at the top of the Disk Utility window.
- Select your external drive next to 'Restore From.'
- Select your Mac's hard drive next to 'Restore to.'
- Click Restore.
Once the backup has finished restoring, restart your computer.
How to boot your clone on another Mac
If you want to work on your backup on another computer while it's in the shop, you can boot it up from the startup menu.
Important: You'll need to partition your hard drive in order to boot your clone as a separate startup disk. Winrar for mac. Be sure to do that before following the steps below.
- Turn off your Mac.
- Connect your external drive into the appropriate port on your Mac.
- Turn on your Mac.
- Hold down the Option key as soon as you hear the startup chime.
- Select the external drive with the clone backup on it from the list of systems to start up your computer.
Now, you can use the clone to restore files to your partitioned drive.
Any questions?
External Ssd Drive For Mac Pro
Do you have any questions about how to clone your Mac so you can use it as a backup? Put them in the comments and I'll help you out.
Peter Cohen contributed to an earlier version of this article.
External Ssd Disk For Mac
Updated January 2019: Updated for macOS Mojave.
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