When we connect an external SSD drive to a Mac, we may usually access data saved on it immediately once the disc is recognised by the Mac. In this circumstance, we may use this SSD drive to perform different actions, such as moving, copying, deleting, or altering data, and so on, in order to achieve our aim. What should you do, though, if the external SSD drive you installed into your Mac becomes unrecognized?
Some typical causes of the external SSD not being detected on Mac issues include hazardous SSD ejection, file system damage, a loose USB cable connection, and more. Here are four excellent techniques for getting your Mac to detect the installed external SSD.
Four Alternatives to Fixing an External SSD Not Recognized on a Mac
Solution 1. Check the External SSD Connection
An unrecognized external SSD might be caused by a loose or faulty USB connection. In this scenario, double-check the connection to make sure your SSD is securely attached to your Mac. To test the connection, try connecting the external SSD with a different cable or connecting it to a separate Mac.
Solution 2. Disk Utility may be used to repair external SSDs.
The external SSD becomes corrupted, rendering it unusable on Mac. Simply go to Launchpad > Other > Disk Utility to get started. Then, from the left pane, choose your SSD disc and click the Mount option at the top of the interface to mount it. Use the First Aid feature to fix your drive if it is unable to be mounted.
Solution 3.Using Terminal, repair an unrecognised external SSD
If you still can’t get your external SSD to recognise after doing external SSD repair in Disk Utility, you may use Terminal to mount and repair your disc.
Step 1: Go to Launchpad > Other and choose the Terminal programme.
Step 2: In the command-line window, type diskutil list and then hit the return key.
Step 3: Type the diskutil mountDisk /dev/disk# command and hit enter.
Step 4: Type the command diskutil repairVolume /dev/disk# and click return. You can exit the Terminal software after the repair process is complete.
Solution 4. Without Losing Data, Reformat the External SSD
Reformatting is one of the most effective ways to fix the external SSD not recognised on Mac issues, but it will result in data loss. Before you reformat the drive, make sure you’ve backed up all of your crucial files. If you failed to make a backup copy of the drive earlier, and it suddenly becomes corrupted, you may recover your data using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, a professional data recovery application developed to recover data from corrupted, formatted, and unrecognized devices.
Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft Mac data recovery from its official website on your Mac computer running Mac OS X 10.9 or later.
Step 2: To scan for deleted files, open this data recovery tool, choose your external SSD, tick the Deep scan option, and then press the Scan button.
Step 3: When the scanning is finished, go through the findings to see if there are any files you want to recover. To recover the lost files, simply select them and click the Recover option.
You might try to format your unrecognized SSD linked to your Mac once the Mac data recovery is complete.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility and select the external SSD from the left-hand pane.
Step 2: At the top of the Disk Utility screen, press the Erase button.
Step 3: Fill up the blanks with the necessary information, such as the disc name, format, and scheme.
Step 4: To conclude the reformatting process, click Erase.
Final Thoughts
External SSDs are a viable option to flash drives for storing large amounts of data in a straightforward and secure manner. However, when the SSD on a Mac gets damaged and unrecognized, it’s always a pain, especially if there are important files saved on the drive, which increases the danger of data loss.
If you run into the external SSD not recognised on Mac, simply use the steps listed above to resolve it.