Get files off the WD hard drive not recognized on MacĪs the data on the unrecognized WD hard drive is inaccessible, it can't be copied and backed up now. To avoid permanent data loss after trying some ways to fix the unrecognized WD drive, it is recommended to restore files from the drive first. If you have a backup of the WD hard drive, you can feel relaxed to try the following fixes.

If no, recover data with some data recovery software, such as iBoysoft Mac Data Recovery. First, See How Mac Recognizes a WD External Hard Drive After it has scanned the data on your unrecognized WD hard drive, you can have a preview and click the Recover button to get all the files back. The process of a Mac recognizing an external hard drive is a little complicated even though you can't see it. Specifically, when you plug a WD hard drive into a Mac computer, macOS would be notified. Then macOS will call all related hardware and software to read, recognize, and show this hard drive on the Desktop and in Finder so that finally you can access your data on the drive on your Mac computer. The WD hard drive lights on but is not recognized by Mac still? Try to plug the WD hard drive into a Windows PC to check if the file system of the WD hard drive is not compatible with Mac.Try to connect the WD hard drive with a different Mac computer to check if the WD hard drive can be recognized on that Mac.Try a different USB-C adapter to connect the WD hard drive if your Mac only has the Thunderbolt 3 port.Try a different USB cable and port for power and data supply, especially if the My Passport external hard drive is not showing up in Disk Utility.Connect the WD hard drive directly to the computer and do not use a USB Hub.Make sure the WD hard drive is externally plugged into a wall outlet if it's a WD desktop hard drive like WD Elements Desktop and My Cloud.So, we usually simplify this process into 4 steps: #How to format wd elements to a mac laptop software# Show the WD hard drive in the Finder and Desktop Wait! Do you allow your Mac to show the recognized WD hard drive in the Finder and Desktop? 2. Sometimes, you think WD hard drive is not recognized by Mac because the WD external hard drive isn't showing up on Mac, neither in Finder nor on the desktop.

In this case, you can show the WD hard drive by changing the preferences: However, the fact is that the WD hard drive is detected by macOS but it is not set to show up on Mac.

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