Finder not displaying all NAS external hard drive folders and files

iMac Retina 5k, 27-inch, 2017 (4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 64 GB 2400 MHz DDr4)

MacOS Ventura (version 13.6.1)

WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra NAS (version 5.27.157)

WD 12 TB external hard drive (connected to NAS) (exFat)


MacOS Finder displays all internal NAS hard drive folders/files. MacOS Finder no longer displays current NAS external hard drive contents. The majority of folders appear to be visible but the overwhelming majority of the files are missing. MacOS Finder is also displaying a previous folder that no longer exists.


I have rebooted the iMAC and NAS, removed and remounted the external hard drive, reset the PRAM and refreshed Finder... numerous times. iPad/iPhone Files app displays all folders/files correctly as does the NAS app (WD My Cloud OS5). The files exist but aren't available through MacOS Finder. Up until about a week ago, this was not an issue.



iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.6

Posted on Nov 8, 2023 9:56 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 8, 2023 11:02 AM

Try restarting in Safe Mode (Note this can take up to 10 minutes so please be patient). Then restart normally and test.


Also, please ensure you are running the most current NAS software from your NAS developers.

10 replies

Nov 9, 2023 7:57 AM in response to NWBill

We can take a look to see if there is anything installed on the computer that may be causing the issue. Please do the following:


It will help us get a good idea of what is causing your problem if you provide a report of your system. The report we are requesting does NOT provide any personal information and is extremely safe to use. Please navigate to www.Etrecheck.com and download the free version of EtreCheck. Once you have you downloaded the app and installed it, please run the report and save it. This report will help us get a good idea what has been installed on your system and help us be able to diagnose what may be wrong.


When you have your report, you can attach it when you reply to this message and we can then review it and help you determine what is needed to get your system running well again. 


For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community It is helpful to us if you download the report to your Desktop.


Another basic to follow is to check Finder's settings to see if the box's in the General tab are marked. You did not mention in your original post where you are expecting to see the drives so that would be a logical place to check.


If we cannot find anything in your report and Finder is checked correctly, the next step would be to contact the NAS developers and see if they are aware of the problem.



Nov 9, 2023 9:26 AM in response to rkaufmann87

"You did not mention in your original post where you are expecting to see the drives so that would be a logical place to check."


I can see the mounted hard drive in Finder. The folders/files displayed are not correct. Oddly enough, if I add a file to the hard drive through Finder, it uploads it onto the hard drive, but isn't visible in Finder. The drive displays correctly using my iPhone or iPad (Files iOS) or the NAS software.



Nov 9, 2023 9:57 AM in response to NWBill

I don’t see any of the normal suspects however I see some things that are bothersome and should be addressed:


  1. You still have Adobe Flash installed. Adobe obsoleted Flash years ago and it should be uninstalled per Adobes directions!
  2. You have printer/scanner software installed from HP and Eason. These should also be uninstalled and use Mac OS to print and scan.


Next, I know I told you to restart in Safe Mode. However let’s try another way. That method would be to physically disconnect all wired peripherals including the NAS after shutting down. Then restart in Safe Mode per Apples instructions and then connect the NAS and check Finder.


if it still does not work your next step is contacting the NAS developers for support.

Nov 17, 2023 8:42 PM in response to NWBill

After too many hours of troubleshooting, I decided to reformat the external HD from "ExFat" to "Mac OS Extended (journaled)". Everything is now working correctly. Accessing the external HD also appears to be quicker after the format. My conclusion is that the issue was related to one, or a combination of, recent software/firmware updates. WD issued an update for my My Cloud NAS at about the same time Apple released MacOS 13.6.1.

Nov 17, 2023 10:11 PM in response to NWBill

I'm surprised you had the NAS formatted as ExFat, the ONLY reason to do that is if you are sharing the NAS with MS Windows machines. If your home is a Mac home it is wise to stay within that ecosystem.


The problem wasn't with Mac OS itself, it goes back to how you setup your NAS. My point of view is it was setup to fail, it was just a matter of when.

Finder not displaying all NAS external hard drive folders and files

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