If you’ve encountered the frustrating issue of your Seagate external hard drive not showing up on your Mac, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Many Mac users have experienced this problem, but fortunately, there are several solutions you can try to get your Seagate hard drive up and running again. Read on and say goodbye to the worries about Seagate external hard drives not working on Mac!
Part 1:Why is My Seagate Hard Drive not Showing Up?
Major Symptoms
When faced with this issue, the initial reaction of many Mac users is often to seek help on Apple support communities or platforms like Quora. They would ask questions such as “Why isn’t my Seagate hard drive showing up?” or “Why Seagate hard drive light on but not detected?” Here are some primary scenarios:
- Seagate hard drive light is on but not detected.
- Your external hard drive is showing up but not accessible.
- Your external hard drive is not recognized in Disk Utility.
Common Reasons
Before diving into the solutions, it’s important to understand some of the common reasons why your Seagate external hard drive is not showing up on Mac.
- The connection may be loose or faulty.
- The USB port on your Mac may be malfunctioning.
- Your hard drive may have experienced a hardware failure.
- The hard drive is formatted with a file system that macOS cannot read.
Now, follow the below solution to fix it.
Part 2:Preparation Before Fixing Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working on Mac
Perform Some Basic Checks
Let’s begin with some simple checks you can perform, especially if you notice the Seagate hard drive light is on but not detected in Disk Utility:
- Check the connections: Ensure that the cables connecting the Seagate external hard drive to your Mac are securely plugged in. Additionally, try using a different USB or Thunderbolt port to rule out any port-related issues.
- Test the External Hard Drive on Another Computer: If the drive works on another system, it could indicate a problem with your Mac’s settings or drivers.
- Restart Your Mac: After restarting, reconnect the hard drive and check if it appears.
Recover Data from Your Problematic Seagate External Hard Drive
In some cases, attempting to fix the connection issue can result in data loss on your Seagate external hard drive. In order to avoid this frustrating experience, you can use reliable data recovery software like 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery. This software supports various types of data recovery, including recovering from formatted hard drives, restoring data from OS crashes, and recovering from raw disks. Follow these steps to recover data from the unrecognized Seagate external hard drive:
Step 1:Connect your external hard drive to your Mac and launch 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery. Then, Select your external hard drive from the list of available drives to begin the scanning process.
Step 2:This professional tool will immediately performs a comprehensive scan of your chosen external hard drive, searching diligently to retrieve the lost data.
Step 3:After the scan, you can preview the recoverable files and select the ones you want to recover. Then, Click the “Recover” button to save the recovered data to your desired location.
Part 3:How to Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working on Mac
Method 1: Change Your Preference Settings
If your Seagate external drive is not showing up on Mac, it’s worth checking the preference settings in the Finder. Follow these steps:
- Open Finder at the top of your Mac screen and click on the “Setting” option.
- Navigate to the “General” tab.
- Check the box next to “External Disks.”
- Once you’ve made these changes, your connected Seagate external hard drive should appear on the Mac desktop.
This method is particularly useful when you are using any external hard drive for the first time on your Mac.
Method 2:Reset the NVRAM
Resetting Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) can potentially help the issue of Seagate external hard drive not showing on Mac. Here’s how to do it:
- Shut down your Mac and restart it.
- During the startup process, press and hold Command + Option + P + R keys.
- Continue holding these keys until you hear the startup sound for the second time.
- Release the keys, and your Mac will reset NVRAM and boot up normally.
For M1/M2:
- Shut down your Mac and restart it.
- During the startup process, press and hold the power button until you see “Loading startup options.”
- Then, click on “Options.”
- Next, click on “Reset NVRAM.”
- Confirm the reset of NVRAM and select to continue booting your Mac.
It can clear any corrupt settings that might be affecting the detection or functionality of your Seagate external hard drive.
Method 3:Update macOS and Seagate Driver
Outdated software and macOS can also be potential causes for Seagate External Hard Drive not showing up on Mac. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your macOS is updated to the latest version. Here is how to update your macOS:
- Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen and select “System Settings”.
- Go to the “General” ＞ “Software Update.”
- Click on the “Update Now” button and follow the prompts.
Additionally, visit the Seagate website and check if there are any driver or firmware updates available specifically for your Seagate external hard drive model. These updates can help resolve compatibility issues with external devices.
Method 4: Using Disk Utility to Mount Your Hard Drive
If your Seagate external hard drive is visible in the Disk Utility, it’s a positive sign, as it means there may not be a serious problem with the hard drive. In many cases, manually mounting the hard drive can make it accessible. Follow these steps:
- Press “Commend+Space” and type “Disk Utility” into the search bar. Then, hit Enter.
- Locate your problematic hard drive on the left panel. If the drive is not mounted, it should appear as greyed out.
- Right-click on the drive and click on the “Mount” option.
Method 5: Running First Aid to Repair the Problematic Hard Drive
If manually mounting the external hard drive does not solve the problem, it is possible that your Seagate external hard drive is not appearing on Mac due to disk errors. Fortunately, you can use the built-in tool called “First Aid” to attempt repairs. Follow these steps:
- Open “Disk Utility“ using the method mentioned earlier.
- Locate and select the unmountable Seagate external hard drive and choose “First Aid” at the top of the window.
- Next, click “Run” to start the process.
Method 6: Formatting Your Seagate External Hard Drive
If all else fails, there is a final solution to fix the issue of Seagate’s external hard drive not working on Mac. You can try reformatting the Seagate external hard drive to a file system that is compatible with your Mac. Remember that formatting will erase all data on your hard drive, so make sure to back up any important files beforehand. Here is how you can do it:
- Connect the Seagate external hard drive and Launch “Disk Utility”.
- Select your connected Seagate hard drive and click on the “Erase” option at the top of the window.
- Choose a format that is compatible with your Mac system. APFS is the modern Mac format. You can use the older Mac OS Extended format but it is not necessary.
- Click the “Erase” button to initiate the reformatting process.
- Once the process is complete, click “Done” to finish.
Part 4:If All the Solutions Didn’t Work, Any Other Options?
This guide covers almost all possible solutions, so with the information provided here, you can address concerns such as “Why is my Seagate hard drive not showing up?” or “Why is the Seagate hard drive light on but not detected?”
However, if you are still unable to resolve the problem, we highly recommend contacting Seagate support for further assistance.
Additionally, you may consider using professional data recovery software or data recovery services to recover important files from this problematic external hard drive.
This approach may require a significant investment of time and money. However, if the files on the hard drive are of utmost importance to you, it can be well worth it.
Bottom Line
Experiencing a Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac can be frustrating, but there are several solutions you can try. Additionally, If you encounter data loss during the troubleshooting process, 4DDiG Mac Data Recovery can help you recover your important files easily and quickly.
