External Hard Drive unrecognised
I have an external hard drive which works with my iMac desktop running Mac OS 10.14.6 but my Macbook Pro running Mac OS 10.14.6 does not recognise it. Any thoughts?
MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.10
Question marked as
Hello Creative_Pianist,
It's quite puzzling when an external hard drive works with one Mac but not another, especially when they're running the same version of macOS. Let's try a few troubleshooting steps to see if we can get your MacBook Pro to recognize the external hard drive:
1. Check the Connection:
- Start by ensuring that the cable connecting the hard drive to your MacBook Pro is secure. Sometimes, a loose connection can be the culprit.
- If possible, try a different cable or port on your MacBook Pro to rule out a hardware issue with the cable or port.
2. Restart Your MacBook Pro:
- Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve hardware recognition issues. Restart your MacBook Pro and then try reconnecting the external hard drive.
3. Check Finder and Disk Utility:
- Go to Finder > Preferences, and under the 'General' tab, make sure 'External disks' is checked to show on the desktop.
- Open Disk Utility (you can find it using Spotlight search) and see if your external hard drive appears there. If it does, but not in Finder, there might be an issue with the drive format or a partition problem.
4. Try a Different User Account:
- Log into a different user account on your MacBook Pro and check if the issue persists. This can help determine if the problem is user-specific.
5. Verify and Repair Disk (if visible in Disk Utility):
- If the drive shows up in Disk Utility but is not mountable, you can use the "First Aid" feature in Disk Utility to repair the disk.
6. Check for Software Updates:
- Although you mentioned both Macs are on macOS 10.14.6, it's always good to check for any pending software updates that might resolve compatibility issues.
- Ensure that the drive's format is compatible with macOS. The most common formats for Mac are APFS, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and exFAT (for compatibility with Windows).
- Boot your MacBook Pro in Safe Mode (hold down the Shift key during boot) and see if the hard drive is recognized. This can help rule out issues caused by third-party software.
If none of these steps work, the issue might be more complex, possibly related to hardware. In that case, contacting Apple Support or visiting an Apple Store or a licensed repair center for a diagnostic would be advisable.
I hope one of these suggestions helps resolve the issue with your external hard drive.
Best.