I see that USB flash drive not appearing on Macbook desktop was a problem back in 2023.
I just bought a new macbook air and have the same problem. When I insert an ADATA 128GB USB C into port on my computer or into my Ugreen hub it does not show up.
However, by inserting the USBC into a USB C to USB A adapter (Cost about €15) and plugging that in to my hub it works.
Does anyone have a better fix?
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.1
The ADATA USB-C drive is not fully compatible with Apple’s strict USB-C handshake, so the Mac refuses to mount it. It works through a USB-A adapter because that bypasses USB-C negotiation. The best fix is using a different USB-C flash drive or continuing with the adapter.
The ADATA USB-C drive is not fully compatible with Apple’s strict USB-C handshake, so the Mac refuses to mount it. It works through a USB-A adapter because that bypasses USB-C negotiation. The best fix is using a different USB-C flash drive or continuing with the adapter.
The other poster just posts AI chat results without actually checking the validity of the results. And they don't seem to ever follow up after their initial post.
Disconnect all other external devices & connect the ADATA drive directly to the computer.
Try booting into Safe Mode to see if the ADATA drive shows up in Disk Utility.
Does the physical drive appear on the left pane of Disk Utility? Within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drives appear on the left pane of Disk Utility.
Is this an M-series MacBook Air as noted in your signature? If so, then configure the "Allow accessories to connect" option in the Privacy & Security System Settings to "Always when unlocked" to see if that makes a difference (this option is only available with the M-series laptops).
Allow USB and other accessories to connect to your Mac - Apple Support
Have you tried both USB-C ports on the computer?
What file system is being used on the ADATA drive?
Is it encrypted?
Is the UGreen hub a powered hub?
If none of this helps, then please provide a link to the product page for your specific ADATA drive and UGreen hub.
Please confirm this is a MacBook Air 15" M-series Mac, if not, then please post the exact model which you can get by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".
Report back on the results of each of those troubleshooting steps.
paulr.paulr wrote:
....The ADATA thumb drive is too wide.
Check Amazon. I did a search of USB-C male to female cables and there were several quite short cables that could solve your dilemma.
Many thanks for that. It's working now.
It's a pity that the two UDB C ports on the macbook air are so close together as I cannot plug in the thumb drive as well as the Ugreen 10-in-1 USB-C Multifunction Adapter 8K 30 Hz. The ADATA thumb drive is too wide.
USB C does not show on desktop
