ExFat Drive not showing up with `diskutil list` or with Finder or Disk Utility, despite receiving power from MacBook

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ExFat Drive not showing up with `diskutil list` or with Finder or Disk Utility, despite receiving power from MacBook

I have a 2TB WD ExFat drive that my MacOS Sonoma 14.2.1-running Intel i7 16" MacBook Pro (2021) won't recognize for some reason, despite working in the past. It isn't showing up on Finder, and Disk Utility doesn't acknowledge its existence. I used Terminal to check for it using `diskutil list` and it didn't show up. In the past, whenever the MacBook has been stubborn enough to refuse to mount the disk, running `diskutil mountdisk /dev/disk2` always worked after a few minutes. In this case, despite my ejecting it properly every time I used it, it now won't even acknowledge it as disk2, only showing disk0 and disk1, neither of which is my external drive. I also checked whether some long-winded fsck process was running by using `sudo pkill -f fsck` but there isn't one running. I also reset the MacBook at some point early on in the process, but that didn't fix anything. I also tried using all four (4) USB-C ports on my computer to try and see if those would alternatively work, but none did.

Through this whole time, the drive has still been vibrating and emitting heat (when plugged in, anyway), ready to be used.

What do I do to fix this problem? I have 1 TB of files that I haven't been able access for roughly a month because of this.

MacBook Pro (2021)

Posted on Mar 9, 2024 11:13 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

68,408 points

Mar 15, 2024 5:42 PM in response to Ananimouse

You are several updates behind so you should at least update macOS to 14.4. I've seen some reports that it may help with some exFAT issues and possibly even external drives in general.

I have also seen some indications that some of these newer Macs may not be providing enough power for some external drives. Try using a dedicated power supply with your external drive, or connect it using a powered USB3 hub or dock.

Also, disconnect all other external devices in case one of them is causing a problem.

Also try booting into Safe Mode to see if that makes any difference.

Make sure to try connecting the drive to each of the other USB-C ports to see if it makes any difference, but especially one on the other side of the laptop.

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Answer 2

Mar 10, 2024 4:26 PM in response to Ananimouse

<<. my previous USB to USB-C connector broke and I had to get this one. >>

<< This drive doesn't work on this operating system on this Mac and it used to. >>

Tell us about this new cable you are using, that does not seem to work properly.

¿What brand, what name, what length, what connectors at each end?

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Answer 3

Ananimouse Author

Level 1

32 points

Mar 9, 2024 5:30 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I should have done this earlier, but I tested the same drive and cable and port and everything, exactly the same, but booted into Windows using Bootcamp, and not only did the drive show up, but everything on it was perfectly intact with zero corruption. The disk has definitely not failed. My observations would suggest that it's MacOS's fault.

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Answer 4

Mar 11, 2024 7:55 AM in response to Ananimouse

being stubborn and sometimes not being seen in Disk Utility suggest you are not making good enough connection.

how about trying this genuine Apple Adapter:

USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple -US$19

it does not have a blue insert (only because Apple has not adopted the blue insert convention) but it will reliably pass whatever speed USB connection supplied through to your peripherals.

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Answer 5

Mar 9, 2024 11:46 AM in response to Ananimouse

Ananimouse wrote:

ExFat Drive not showing up with `diskutil list` or with Finder or Disk Utility, despite receiving power from MacBook

Sounds like the drive has failed.

You can try a different cable

a different port

a different enclosure

a different drive and compare your results

if no insight the resolve would be to replace the drive.

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Answer 6

Mar 15, 2024 6:20 AM in response to Ananimouse

hi! did you try a simple one-port Apple adapter? were your results any different?

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Answer 7

Mar 9, 2024 4:42 PM in response to Ananimouse

<<. Disk Utility doesn't acknowledge its existence. >>

A drive that will not tell disk Utility it make&model and a reasonable non-zero size/capacity can not be used or repaired.

if it has power and a data connection, it has failed.

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Answer 8

Mar 9, 2024 6:53 PM in response to Ananimouse

People use external drives of many different descriptions in very large numbers all day every day. There is not subset of Mac versions or Mac models that do not support drives. There is no subset of drives that do not work on a Mac.

Maybe different power, different data connections, different cables, Restarting your Mac, or something else can revive it, but Disk Utility is the Application that sees bare Physical drives. If Disk Utility can not see it, it is 'dead to you", as currently powered and data connected.

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Answer 9

Ananimouse Author

Level 1

32 points

Mar 10, 2024 3:07 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I don't have different cables or data connections unfortunately, as my previous USB to USB-C connector broke and I had to get this one. This drive doesn't work on this operating system on this Mac and it used to. I need a set of steps I can use since I've already tried everything I can. That's why I'm here.

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Answer 10

Ananimouse Author

Level 1

32 points

Mar 10, 2024 9:05 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

It's an onn. 6" cable that has a female USB-A (3.0) side and a male USB-C side. I don't have the original packaging, but the text on it says,

"USB-C to USB A Adapter Model.: 100012721

Made in Phillipines 2324B"

The previous cable I had, if you want to know, featured 4 female ports, one USB-A, 2 of an unknown type that is the same size as a USB-A port, but not the same, as it doesn't have the typical blue solid part and instead has 5 fragile metal prongs instead. They don't matter anyway as I didn't use them once I realized they weren't USB ports. The fourth port is, I assume, an Ethernet port, also female. All of these were in a block at one end, and a 6" cable ran from it to a male USB-C end. This cable worked just fine until the USB-C part got slightly bent, and then it didn't work.

With both this cable and the current cable, MacOS has sometimes refused to mount the disk, but it almost always showed up on Disk Utility. And with both cables, when it didn't show up on Disk Utility, the computer was still giving it power and the disk always showed up when I booted the computer into Windows via Bootcamp. In the case of my old cable, it only stopped providing power when the cable got bent.

Interesting update that I tried today that I hadn't thought of earlier as well: I realized I had some small (8GB) thumb drives so I plugged them into this cable in MacOS and they worked instantly. That means the problem is likely not with the cable, but with either MacOS or the drive, with the drive seeming unlikely since it works just fine in Windows, and since the drive is receiving power, as stated earlier. This is very frustrating since, as you stated earlier, <<There is not subset of Mac versions or Mac models that do not support drives. There is no subset of drives that do not work on a Mac.>> And you are correct: this version of MacOS and this computer are both able to read it, but it's being stubborn for some reason.

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