Sandisk Extreme Pro 2T unreliable/unusable on Macos Ventura

After updating to Ventura 13.2 we have this SAME issue. Can't read ANY of our SanDisk drives that worked fine previously. Definitely a Mac OS issue that Apple has not acknowledged in any meaningful way. We've read countless stories about this issue, and it appears that CLEAN installing Mac OS 13.1 (or lower) is the ONLY fix. Of note, this issue remains unresolved in Ventura 13.3. Incredible really. Last, it doesn't only impact external hdd's, there are plenty of reports of other devices unable to communicate with Ventura 13.2+ after updating Mac OS.

Hi,

Had the same and was about to send it back. As you experienced it twice, this may help : at first I was using the iphone/macbook air usb-c cable and the drive worked bad : had same issues (data "disappearing", not mounting properly and so on), switching to a proper USB 3.2 cable made it work fine.

Hope this helps.

Hello daro3850,

Having your external hard drive working is definitely important. If you haven't yet, we would recommend reviewing the troubleshooting found at If a USB device doesn’t work with Mac - Apple Support. What this includes are steps to make sure that your Mac is connecting and seeing the external. We'd also recommend confirming the firmware for the Sandisk is downloaded to help your Mac see it, if applicable. Here's those steps to try:

* Check the power, port, and cable connections: Make sure the USB device is turned on and its cables are properly connected. If your computer has more than one USB port , switch the device’s cable to another port. If you still can’t use the device, contact the manufacturer for more information.

* If you can use the device after switching ports, connect another device to the first port. If you can’t use this device, shut down the computer and unplug it from the power outlet. Wait about a minute, then plug it back into the power outlet and start up your computer.

* If you still can’t use a device with the port, your computer may need to be serviced. See Find out how to service or repair your Mac.

* Check for missing software: Make sure you installed the latest software for your device. Visit the manufacturer’s website for any updates.

* Check the USB hub: If the device is connected to a USB hub, make sure the device and the hub are the same speed. Connect USB 3.0 SuperSpeed devices to a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HUB, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed devices to a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed hub, and so on.

* If the device doesn’t have a power cord and is plugged into another USB device that doesn’t have a power cord: Try plugging the device directly into your computer’s USB port  or into a USB device that does have a power cord. You might need to disconnect and reconnect the other device as well, if it has stopped responding.

* If you have many devices connected to your Mac: Disconnect all USB devices except the device you’re testing, an Apple keyboard, and an Apple mouse. Make sure that the device is connected directly to the computer, and that any hubs or extension cables are disconnected. If you can use the device now, the problem may be with one of the other USB devices or hubs you had connected to your computer. Try reconnecting them, one by one, to your computer. When you find the device causing the problem, review its documentation for further troubleshooting steps.

* Verify that the device appears in System Information: On your Mac, press and hold the Option key, then choose Apple menu  > System Information.

* In the window that appears, see if the USB device is listed below Hardware in the list on the left. If the device appears but does not work, review the device’s documentation for further troubleshooting steps.

* Reopen apps: Quit and reopen any apps that use the device.

* Restart your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > Restart.

Cheers!

Seems to be a MacOS problem. The drive gets unmounted for some reason and then MacOS can't mount it again. If you can use the Disk Utility first aid app, that will fix the issue. Or, you can plug the disk into a Windows machine and that will be able to fix the disk. Both worked for me.

I should add that none of the files are lost. So, you shouldn't reformat the drive. It's just a mounting issue.

As I write above, I've experienced this problem multiple times. I can *always* fix the disk either by using Disk Utility or more reliably, putting the Drive into a Windows machine and repairing it automatically there. I was even able to repair the Drive using a virtual Windows machine inside MacOS via Parallels.

Importantly, none of the files on the Disk are ever lost. But, it really is very, very inconvenient and is almost certainly a MacOS issue (not a Drive issue). I am hoping that the new update to Ventura (13.4) will fix this bug in the OS.

>How a drive operates in a different OS is irrelevant.

No. If the SanDisk drive operated poorly in WinOS, it would suggest that the SanDisk drive was the problem. As it works perfectly in WinOS, it means that MacOS is the problem.

> You have to deal with macOS until such time you decide your time is better spent with Windows or Linux even.

Exactly. The whole point of this discussion is about trying to find a way for a SanDisk to work well in MacOS. So, the first step in solving the problem is identifying if the problem lies with the disk or the OS.

>Not all drives, not even examples of the same exact models, are going to be perfectly compatible with macOS100% of the time.

I'm not sure of your point here, but it's not a very useful position to take when we want to find solutions to technical problems. To solve a technical problem, we first need to identify where the problem lies, and then start looking for solutions. In this case, we know that MacOS is the likely cause, so we can submit reports to Apple, and also look at the bugs that are fixed in updates. MacOS was very recently updated and the new version seems to have fixed a bug with SMB. Perhaps it is worth seeing if the update also addressed problems with USB drives.

Not all drives, not even examples of the same exact models, are going to be perfectly compatible with macOS100% of the time.

If you feel macOS is deficient: Product Feedback - Apple

Other than that, try a different brand of drive.

How a drive operates in a different OS is irrelevant. You have to deal with macOS until such time you decide your time is better spent with Windows or Linux even.

Hi, I just experienced this issue as well. Bought a 2TB Sandisk Extreme Pro for my trip to Brazil where I shoot with a Hasselblad X2D for photos, Panasonic S1H and Mavic 3 Classic for video. I need the storage as you can imagine. I loaded the drive with the first files from the drone and the S1H and after a day or two is stopped working. Got the "The disk you attached was not readable by this computer." message...

After digging into the problem I realised the files were probably lost but I found this software which was able to work with NTFS file systems: iBoysoft Data Recovery

It worked!!! Now I am left wondering what to do, as I don't think a DOS format will help. I guess I need to contact Sandisk about this and see what they recommend. In the meanwhile I don't have a drive, which is very inconvenient to say the least as I am far away from civilisation in the Atlantic Rainforest.

Same problem with SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, 2TB, but in a different way.

I kept having the "No Booted" problem until I used the "SanDisk Unlocker" with Autounlock". This worked fine for a long time until I upgraded to macOS Sonoma. After that, the "SanDisk Unlocker" (a message told me I needed to switch it to Rosetta) stopped working. I thought if it stopped working with Sonoma 14, I would downgrade it to Ventura. That didn't work, so I went to the Apple Store where a technician helped me downgrade to Ventura 13.6. After waiting 3-4 hours, I was able to take delivery of my MacMini M1, 8GB, 2020 with no service charge. Unfortunately, SanDisk Unlocker no longer works with Ventura 13.6 either. There is only an error sound with flashing up the Screen when I start the SanDisk Unlocker program and no SSD drive appears in the Finder. But SanDisk Drive Unlock shows me "Your drive is now unlocked".

P.S. Yes I've updated Firware and downloaded the tool "SanDisk Unlocker" from the WD/Sandisk website - nothing helped.

Same problem here,

I also returned my Pro Extrem 4T and got a new one and precisely the same situation.

Used it for a time machine, but after unmounting and disconnecting, the disk is no longer readable or mountable.

I used my first device to store backup data, which was lost after the drive was no longer responding and I thought a hardware issue with the pro, but now it is clear this is a mac issues as it is not only the pro also other connected storage devices like cameras don't mount.

This is a topic for apple support, please reprioritize this issue.

My father passed away and had an Extreme Pro 2 TB backup of his computer. I am just getting to going through the files, but I am fearful I may damage the info or my Mac by doing this. I wonder how I can get the info off his disk? Should I just use a PC?