Macbook Air external hard drive compatibility

I am about to purchase a Macbook Air Laptop 2020 model 512mb.

Will it support an external hard drive 2 Tb connected via an Apple USB 2.0 / lightning adapter .

I have tried it on my iPad and get the message “ this accessory requires too much power please disconnect”.

Posted on Jun 2, 2020 5:28 AM

Similar questions

USB-A Superdrive support in Ventura? My USB-A Superdrive no longer is recognized by my MacBook Pro since I installed Ventura. Is there a fix?
5768 23
Did Apple disable adaptors that accommodate external drives with USB B A few years ago, I had a MacBook Pro whose ports could allow USB C type. Thus, in order to use my external drives with USB B type cables, I had to use the adaptors and hubs to connect with the MacBook Pro with USB C ports. Everything went well. I also bought a new iMac this year. And these adaptors and hubs worked well. Until the other day, the adaptors won't work anymore. I tried to use these adaptors on my older MacBook Pro to use the external drives but they won't also work. Is Apple prescribing a new specialized set of adaptors or hubs? The existing adaptors and hubs seem to be disabled. Mario
743 7
New MacBook Air M2 - External Hard Drive Not Recognized on New Mac I recently got a new MacBook Air M2. I have an external hard drive that the new Mac will not recognize. The external drive still works on my old Mac. It's not the drive, it's not the cable. I have connect other external drives and they work. The Finder 'External disks' option is selected. Suggestions?
11428 12

1 reply

John Galt

Level 10

159,494 points

Jun 2, 2020 7:18 AM in response to Dodger2737

You can use literally any hard disk drive with an appropriate cable or adapter. If the drive requires more power than the port is able to provide then find a hard disk drive with its own power supply, or use a powered hub.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Macbook Air external hard drive compatibility

Welcome to Apple Support Community

A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.

Learn more Sign up