SD card won't mount on iMac (consistently), but does reliably on PC.

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webs2061 Author

Level 1

9 points

SD card won't mount on iMac (consistently), but does reliably on PC.

I have several game cameras that use SD cards to store photos. When I put the SD card in the back of my iMac to read them, my iMac only recognizes the card about 25% of the time. When I put them in my PC, they work 100% of the time. I've read the community support threads and have tried everything suggested, including:

-Putting the card in fast.

-Putting the card in slowly.

-Putting the card in all the way, then pulling it out in very small increments until it makes connection.

-Wiggling the card while it's inserted.

-Restarting the computer.

-Upgrading to the latest iOS.

There is nothing consistent about the problem. The same card, from the same game camera, with the same formatting works rarely, and doesn't work more often. This isn't a new problem, it's always been an issue with this iMac, and my prior iMac, through several versions of iOS.

What gives, Apple? Why can't Macs read SD cards as reliably as a PC? Has anyone identified the problem, or, more importantly, a solution?

Posted on Jan 8, 2022 10:58 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,440 points

Jan 9, 2022 5:13 PM in response to webs2061

Please restart the computer in Safe Mode per the directions in the How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support link.

Note: If you are using a wireless keyboard please either plug it in using the supplied Lightning cable that shipped with it. If you are using a legacy keyboard or a third-party keyboard that does not have re-charging abilities, please use any USB keyboard. Also note that a Safe Mode restart may require you to hold down the shift key for up to 5 minutes before the computer starts in Safe Mode. You will know it is in Safe Mode when you see “Safe Mode” in the upper right of the display.

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Answer 2

ryane77

Community Specialist

Jan 9, 2022 1:00 PM in response to webs2061

Hi webs2061,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities. We see you've been having issues with an SD card on your Mac, and we'd like to see how we can assist.

To double-check, does this happen with more than one SD card? Knowing that would help in narrowing the issue down a bit.

Also, you might try the suggestion below. About the SD and SDXC card slot on your Mac:

"If your card doesn’t mount

If you insert your card and it doesn’t mount, remove the card and insert it again. Sometimes the SD card won’t mount properly if you insert the card too slowly or too quickly.

If the card still won't mount, you might need to reformat your SD card."

If you do try reformatting the card as a troubleshooting step, be sure to copy the contents of the card to your Mac or another external drive for safekeeping since formatting will erase the contents.

Take care.

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Answer 3

webs2061 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 9, 2022 4:43 PM in response to ryane77

I appreciate your willingness to help, ryane77. To answer your question, yes, it happens with more than one SD card. It has happened with about a half-dozen that I've had for some time. For Christmas, I got 4 brand new SD cards, and I have the same problem with all of them, old and new.

I'm guessing the suggestion you posted is copied and pasted from Apple. It's hilarious! Try to reformat the card?!?! I can't reformat a card that the computer doesn't see. Be sure to copy the contents of the card to your Mac or another external drive?!?!? Again, thanks for the chuckle! If I could copy the contents onto my computer, I wouldn't have a problem! But my Mac doesn't see the card. I can't copy it, format it, open it, or see that it's there to do any of the suggestions.

"Sometimes the SD card won't mount properly if you insert the card too slowly or too quickly." Well, I've tried just about every speed. Extremely fast, super fast, medium fast, fast, medium, slow, medium slow, super slow, and extremely slow. I've even tried putting it in and pulling it out in half-millimeter increments.

Again, I appreciate the attempt to help, and don't mean to be snarky. But really, using an SD card slot should not depend on the speed at which the user inserts it. It should just work. As I said in my initial post, all my cards work 100% of the time in my PC. This is an Apple only problem for me.

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SD card won't mount on iMac (consistently), but does reliably on PC.

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