Corrupted USB Flash Drive On Mac

How To Repair Corrupted USB Flash Drive On Mac

Does your USB flash drive contain important files that you can no longer access? There is no need to be alarmed if your USB flash drive has become corrupted on a Mac. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be on your way to recovering your lost data in no time!

A USB flash drive can, up to a point, serve as a portable hard drive. The USB flash drive can be used to store photos, videos, documents, and other files.

As a result, you can access these files on any computer that has a USB port after connecting the USB flash drive. Problems will arise if you can’t see the flash drive installation on your Mac.

What’s up with your USB flash drive not showing up on a Mac? These are the most common reasons why the USB flash drive does not detect or recognize problems. If the USB flash drive doesn’t show up or isn’t recognised by the Mac, you can find the appropriate solutions here.

  • Physical damage
  • USB port doesn’t work at all.
  • Incorrectly formatting a USB flash drive.
  • The USB firmware has been damaged.
  • The USB flash drive is not recognised by the outdated operating system.

Change the USB-to-Mac connection method

Have you restarted your Mac a few times already? Don’t forget about the most efficient way to fix common hardware issues before taking any further action. If resetting the operating system does not resolve the issue, proceed to step-by-step troubleshooting of the physical connection.

  1. Start by switching the USB port that’s currently not working and reconnecting the USB drive. Try all of your Mac’s USB ports.
  2. Do you have a USB-C cable or an older USB-A cable? Plug the USB drive into the USB port directly if necessary.
  3. Am I able to use another Mac? Try plugging the USB drive into this computer to see if it works. Check to see if it’s working as expected.
  4. A card reader is required for SD card owners to connect an SD card to their Mac. If you are unable to alter the USB port, a different card reader can be used to conduct the experiment again.
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Fixing a USB drive not showing up on a Mac is as simple as following these 4 steps. Poor or slow connections, non-working USB ports, insufficient power, and other ideal phenomena can all be ruled out with the help of each step.

Verify that the USB flash drive is inserted correctly

  1. Unplugging your USB flash drive is the first step.
  2. Connect your USB flash drive to another Mac USB port or an external USB hub.
  3. Check to see if the USB flash drive appears on your Mac or not at this point.

Verify that the USB flash drive is inserted correctly in the first step

Verify that the Mac is able to recognize the USB flash drive

  1. Begin by clicking on System Information under Applications/Utilities.
  2. USB is in the left pane, so select it. The USB flash drive’s detailed information can be found there.
  3. Reconnect the USB flash drive if it does not appear on the Mac.

Verify that the Mac is able to recognize the USB flash drive

Use Finder preferences to locate your USB flash drive

  1. You can do this by going to the Finder > Preferences > General menu.
  2. Make sure that the External Discs options are checked in Step 2.
  3. Choose a sidebar. Then look in the Devices section for external discs.
  4. Check to see if your Mac can see the USB drive now.

Use Finder preferences to locate your USB flash drive

Repair a USB flash drive that does not show up with first aid

  1. The Disk Utility can be found in the Finder’s Utilities menu.
  2. Select the USB flash drive name from the left pane and click on it.
  3. On the main toolbar, select First Aid. To confirm, select “Run” from the drop-down menu.
  4. Choose Unmount at the top of your USB flash drive’s window.
  5. The USB flash drive must be unplugged at this point. Reconnect it to your Mac in 10-12 seconds. Make sure the missing USB flash drive is still there if it doesn’t appear on the Mac desktop.
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Repair a USB flash drive that does not show up with first aid

Reset the Mac’s USB Port to Detect an External Hard Drive

  1. As soon as the Apple logo appears, restart your Mac by pressing the following keys: Command + Option + P + R.
  2. Close all unresponsive programs with Command + Option + Esc.
  3. Plug in the USB that doesn’t appear on your Mac. Click on the Apple icon and select “Sleep” if it doesn’t work.
  4. In the fourth step, press any key to wake up the computer after a few seconds.
  5. Turn off your Mac, unplug it for 15 seconds, and then re-plug it.

If that doesn’t work, you’re beginning to believe there’s something else wrong. Take a chance on the repair and don’t give up.

Fix USB not recognised as terminal error

  1. Go to Utilities and open the terminal. Type diskutil and press the Return key.
  2. Find the disc number of your USB flash drive by typing diskutil info disk2 and pressing Return. (Change 2 to the number of the disc on your USB flash drive.)
  3. Type diskutil eject disc 2 and press Return.
  4. Type diskutil and hit the Return key. Close the window when the USB is no longer in the list of terminals.
  5. Close the terminal and open a console to look for errors on the drive.
  6. Click “Errors and Defects” to check for mistakes.
  7. Plug the USB drive back into your Mac. If there are no errors, the USB drive is safe.

Open Terminal in Utilities type diskutil list and press Return

Update Mac OS X and Firmware

Update Mac OS X and Firmware

Conclusion!

When your USB flash drive gets corrupted, it can be extremely frustrating, especially if you don’t know how to fix it. If your USB flash drive on a Mac has become corrupted, we’ve got a few tips to help you fix it. You should be able to get your drive working again with a little patience and some troubleshooting. 

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