Mac OS: USB stick is not recognized - what to do?
Related Videos: How To Troubleshoot Issues With USB Flash Drives Not Showing Up On A Mac Computer (May 2024).
If one of your USB sticks is not recognized on your Mac, this can have various reasons. In very few cases it is because one of the components has a defect. Read what you can do in this practical tip.
You can do this if Mac OS does not recognize the USB stick
Often the wrong attitude is responsible for the problem. First, check how the Finder responds to removable media.
- Open the settings in the Finder via the "File" menu. Under "General" you can select which objects are displayed on the desk. Check the box next to "External hard drives" (see picture).
- Use the "Sidebar" tab to determine which objects can be seen in the left box of a Finder window. Here too, tick the box next to "External hard drives".
Alternative approach
If the USB stick is not displayed despite these settings, there is a more in-depth problem. Then do the following.
- Start the "Disk Utility".
- On the left side you can see an overview of the connected drives and the partitions on these drives.
- If that doesn't work, the data on the USB stick is probably in a format that your Mac cannot read. This can happen, for example, if you have formatted the USB stick with a satellite receiver. If in doubt, back up your data on the device that can read the stick and format it into a common file system. It makes sense to use FAT32. Then the USB stick can also be read on the Mac.
- If your stick does not appear in the overview of the hard disk utility at all, plug it into another free USB port. If it still does not appear, the stick is either broken or simply not compatible with the Mac. You will then have to use a different stick.
If the stick is not recognized on another device, it is most likely defective. For a Windows PC, we have put together solutions for you if the USB stick is not recognized. If this doesn't work at all, you should consider buying a new stick - our leaderboard shows you the best mobile storage. If you need individual help to solve your problem, please contact the experts in the CHIP forum.