Olympus WS-853 not recognized by MacBook Air via USB

Question

Level 1

4 points

Olympus WS-853 not recognized by MacBook Air via USB

My Olympus WS-853 voice recorder normally connects to my laptop using a USB cable. I've used it for years without issue on my old laptop, which was a 2020 MacBook Air running Big Sur 11.7.10. I recently upgraded to a new MacBook Air running Tahoe 26.5.2, and now I find that the laptop doesn't recognize my device -- nothing happens when I plug it in. It doesn't appear in the Finder sidebar or in Disk Utility. Even worse, it's suddenly not appearing when I try connecting it to my old laptop either!

There's nothing wrong with the device as far as I can tell. I'm able to play files locally on the device with no problem. The cable I'm using is working fine to connect other devices (and I've tried using other cables with no success).

I tried searching for information, and found this thread from a few years ago, which suggests that there's a known issue here. But following the instructions there (restarting in Safe Mode) didn't help.

Any ideas on what's going on here?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.5

Posted on Jul 22, 2026 4:56 PM

Reply

Answer 1

swvl Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 10, 2026 1:14 PM in response to swvl

For what it's worth, I now think this was a mechanical problem with the device I was using. I replaced it with a similar model from the same company, and it works fine. I think the most likely explanation is that the USB output on the device was just broken after several years of use. Posting this in case it's useful for anyone facing a similar issue.

Reply

Answer 2

TheLittles

Level 10

209,017 points

Jul 22, 2026 6:33 PM in response to swvl

"Olympus WS-853 not recognized by MacBook Air via USB: My Olympus WS-853 voice recorder normally connects to my laptop using a USB cable: [...]There's nothing wrong with the device as far as I can tell. I'm able to play files locally on the device with no problem. The cable I'm using is working fine to connect other devices (and I've tried using other cables with no success).[...]"

-------

Troubleshooting Olympus WS-853 on a Mac:

A. Single-Out this User:

You are using. completely different computer here. So, that singles this Mac out. Try creating an Administrator user (for troubleshooting purposes), seeing if it is seen.

B. Seeing if this is Seen:

Click: Apple menu
Hold Down: option key
Select: System Information
Select: USB

Reply

Answer 3

TheLittles

Level 10

209,017 points

Jul 23, 2026 10:20 PM in response to swvl

"I tried searching for information, and found this thread from a few years ago, which suggests that there's a known issue here. But following the instructions there (restarting in Safe Mode) didn't help."

-------

Verifying there is a Connection:

Hold Down: option key
Click: Apple menu
Select: System Information
Expand: Hardware
Select: USB

Incompatibility:

This is incompatible with you operating system. So, it may not was worl

Go to: WS-853 Instruction Manual (English)
Scroll to: Page EN 56
As it Reads: Mac OS X 10.5 to 10.10 standard installation

Reply

Answer 4

swvl Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 23, 2026 10:51 AM in response to TheLittles

Thanks for this reply. Unfortunately, I don't think the problem is with the Mac -- I've tried connecting the device to two other laptops with no success.

The device still works fine on its own -- it's able to record audio and playback as usual. The problem is that I just can't get any laptop to recognize it. Does anyone know what kind of error could lead to that?

Reply