Look for the disk that you want to force unmount and take note of the number of the drive. Type in this command next: sudo diskutil unmountDisk force /dev/diskx Replace /dev/diskx with the disk number of the drive you want to unmount (for example, dev/disk1). Wait for the process to be completed. Most of the time, you can't mount your external drive on a Mac just because the connectivity is not in proper condition. This issue may be affected by a loose fitting, a broken USB cable, the wear on USB ports, etc. It is visible and accesssible in the Disk Utilities window, it shows up fine in System Profiler, and it works fine for internal boot disk #2, but it won't actually mount on #1. I have reformatted the.5TB disk (from boot disk #1), trashed the Finder prefs, and zapped the P-RAM, but it still won't mount. Some users are unable to mount CDs and DVDs after applying the Mac OS X 10.3.7 update. Two typical reports of the problem: 'After installing the upgrade to 10.3.7, suddenly my internal Pioneer DVD.
Posted by Katrina to Mac Data Recovery Tips on January 7th, 2019
I have a 1 TB WD external HD that won't mount. I connect it via firewire to my MacBook Pro running OS 10.13 High Sierra. My mac sees the drive, it just won't mount. I've also tried to mount it via USB, but again, my system sees the drive, but won't mount it. Does anyone have any suggestion what I can do?
Generally, when you connect an WD, Seagate, Toshiba, Samsung external hard drive to Mac, it will be automatically mounted, then you can perform read and write operation on it. Alternatively, you can also select the disk and click on Mount to make it accessible by the operating system using Disk Utility.
However, hard drive problems may happen that your WD external hard drive won't mount on Mac, usually when you desperately need to access some data stored on it. Remain calm, all data on WD external hard drive is still there. This article will explain how to fix WD My Passport not mounting/showing up/recognized/detected.
WD external hard drive won't mount on Mac, how to fix?
First of all, if your WD external hard drive is listed on the left-hand-side menu of Disk Utility, you can make sure it doesn't have any hardware problem. Why the WD external hard drive won't mount? It is because the file system of the disk has been corrupted, preventing the disk from being accessible on Mac. Just try these solutions below.
Solution 1: Run Disk Utility to repair the WD external hard drive
No matter what problems you are meeting on a disk, First Aid is your first choice to repair it.
Step 1: Launch Disk Utility.
Step 2: Choose the unmountable WD external hard drive.
Step 3: Select First Aid in the top center and click Run.
Solution 2: Reformat to fix WD My Passport not mounting
If Sometimes, the Disk Utility may not function as desired. In this situation, the only solution is to reformat the WD external hard drive. But reformatting will remove all data on the disk. In order to avoid data loss, you have to recover lost data from unmountable external hard drive as soon as possible.
Step 1: Recover lost data from unmountable WD external hard drive on Mac
![Can Can](https://www.macworld.co.uk/cmsdata/features/3613422/exfat.png)
As the best free Mac data recovery, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is able to recover lost data from unmountable, unreadable, corrupted, inaccessible external hard drive, hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, memory card, etc. It supports to recover documents, photos, music files, videos, emails on Big Sur 11/macOS Catalina 10.15/Mojave 10.14/High Sierra 10.13/Sierra 10.12/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.
2. Launch this program. Select the unmountable WD external hard drive and click 'Next'. The program will start scanning this drive for recoverable files.
3. After the scanning process finishes, you can click the found files and preview.
4. Choose what you want to get back and click 'Recover'.
5. Go through the recovered files and make sure all desired files are back.
Step 2: Fix WD external hard drive not mounting/showing up/recognized/detected on Mac by reformatting
Macbook Pro Won't Load Completely
1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
2. Select the unmountable WD external hard drive and click 'Erase' on the top.
3. Provide a name and a format to erase the drive.
4. When finished, you can mount your WD external hard drive on Mac and use it again.
Also read: Other ways to erase external hard drive on Mac
Hope this tutorial can help to fix WD external hard drive not mounting/showing up/recognized/detected on Mac. If your WD external hard drive not recognized on Windows, it is also easy to be fixed. If you have any question, please feel free to contact us.
Also read: Can't See External hard drive showing up on Mac, What to do?
Still have questions?
Summary : This blog explains five best ways to resolve the 'external hard drive not mounting' issue on Mac.
It also shares a reliable software-based method to recover data from unmounting (or un-mountable) USB hard drive on Mac. Free evaluate the best Mac external drive recovery software from the below.
It also shares a reliable software-based method to recover data from unmounting (or un-mountable) USB hard drive on Mac. Free evaluate the best Mac external drive recovery software from the below.
When you connect an external hard drive on Mac, it will show up on Desktop, Finder, and DiskUtility. But sometimes the external drive won’t appear on any of these places. Consequently, data inside the unmounted external hard drive turns inaccessible. The contained files and the external drive’s integrity comes to a stake.
Don’tworry, read and apply the below fixes to resolve Mac unmounted external drive issue.
1. Change macOS Settings
Ensure Finder preference to show external disks on Desktop or Finder is enabled.
- Open Finder from Dock. From the top Menu Bar, go to Finder > Preferences.
- On the “Finder Preferences” window, click the General tab.
- Under the “Show these items on the Desktop” section, select the “External disks” checkbox. Your Desktop will now show the external hard drive icon.
- Click the Sidebar tab. Under the Locations section, select the “External disks” checkbox. Your Finder sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
Ensure Disk Utility’s View menu has “ShowAllDevices” option selected.
- Press Command + Space Bar keys to open Spotlight.
- Type ‘disk utility’ and hit Return to open Disk Utility.
- Click the View menu located at the top left corner of Disk Utility and select “Show All Devices”. Your Disk Utility’s sidebar will now show the external hard drive.
2. Reset Mac Firmware Settings
Reset NVRAM (Non-volatile RAM) & PRAM (Parameter RAM).
- Restart Mac then immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R keys until you hear a second chime.
Reset SMC (System Management Controller) on your Mac.
- For iMac, Mac Pro/mini, or laptop with a removable battery—detach the power cable or take out the battery then press and hold the Power button for 5 seconds.
- For MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or MacBook with non-removable battery—press and hold Shift + Control + Option + Power Button for 10 seconds.
3. Fix External Hard Drive Connectivity Issue
Ensure proper connectivity of your external hard drive to your Mac.
- Reconnect the USB connector or adapter to fit the hard drive snugly.
- Connect the hard drive to a different USB port or a different Mac.
- Replace the USB cable or adapter in case you suspect it to be damaged.
- Connect external power source if the hard drive requires one.
- Check the LED light to ensure the storage device is powered on and working.
- Swap the hard drive with a different case if you presume it to be faulty.
ReadCaseStudy: Whooping 94% data recovered from unmounted external drive on MacBook Pro
4. Troubleshoot External Hard Drive
Mount the external hard drive from Disk Utility.
- Open DiskUtility then select the greyed out hard drive from the sidebar.
- Click the Mount tab. The drive will mount automatically.
Repair hard drive from Disk Utility.
- Open Disk Utility then select the hard drive from the sidebar.
- Click First Aid then hit Run to verify and repair logical issues with the hard drive.
Dismount Drive Windows 10
Check the SMART status of the external hard drive if it unmounts intermittently.
- Open Disk Utility then check the SMART Status of the external hard drive.
- In case the SMART Status is failing, then back up the drive by cloning.
- Replace the failing drive with a new one to safeguard against data loss.
5. Recover Data from Non-Mounting External Mac Hard Drive
Ensure the external hard drive is detected in Disk Utility, then fulfill the following data recovery prerequisite.
- On your Mac system, download and install the *trial version of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.
- Launch the software by double-clicking on its icon. [You’ll interact with its intuitive graphical user interface.]
Leverage the Mac external drive recovery software to recover data from the not-mounting external storage drive.
- Select the types of files present on the drive then click Next.
- Select the not-mounting external hard drive then toggle on Deep Scan.
- Click Scan. And let the scan to finish till completion.
- View the scanned items in Classic, File, or Deleted List. Once a view mode is selected, navigate the folders then preview any scanned files from the right pane.
- Select all the required files by clicking their corresponding checkbox, then click Recover. Specify a save destination then click Save.
Note: *Trial software allows you to scan storage drive and preview scanned files. Activate Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac by using its activation key and recover the files.
Watch the next video to know more about the software and its usage.
External Hard Drive Won't Mount
Conclusion
This blog presented 5 different methods to troubleshoot ‘external hard drive not mounting’ issue on Mac. You can begin with fixing the external hard drive connectivity issue, changing macOS settings, resetting Mac firmware settings, troubleshooting the drive, and finally recovering data from the hard drive.
If the external hard drive is not detected in Disk Utility, then it may have a hardware issue. And if the basic hard drive connectivity fixes don’t resolve the problem, then you need to try Stellar Data Recovery software for Mac.
We hope this blog post helped you understand the possible reasons, as to why macOS can’t mount the external drive on Mac and how to troubleshoot and recover the unmounted Mac external drive. For any query, write to us in the comments section below.