Fixes for Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working on Mac

Quick Navigation:

• Common Causes for Toshiba External Hard Drive Issues on Mac
• Initial Troubleshooting Steps
• Step-by-Step Fixes
• Advanced Troubleshooting (If Drive is Still Not Working)
• Conclusion

External hard drives are essential tools for backing up data, transferring files, and extending your computer's storage capacity. However, it's frustrating when your Toshiba external hard drive is not working on Mac, like unrecognized, inaccessible, etc. Whether it's due to compatibility issues, hardware problems, or corrupted files, these issues can disrupt your workflow and potentially lead to data loss.

Common Causes for Toshiba External Hard Drive Issues on Mac

Before diving into solutions, it's crucial to understand the possible reasons why your Toshiba external hard drive may not be working on your Mac:

🚫 Incompatibility with macOS: Some Toshiba drives are formatted in NTFS (New Technology File System), which is the default file system for Windows. macOS can read but not write to NTFS-formatted drives without additional software.

🔗 Faulty USB Cable or Port: A damaged or incompatible USB cable or port can prevent the external drive from connecting properly to your Mac.

⛔ Drive Not Properly Mounted: Sometimes, your Mac may fail to mount the external drive, making it inaccessible. This can happen due to software glitches, outdated drivers, or other reasons.

⚠️ Outdated or Missing macOS Drivers: An outdated macOS version or missing drivers can also cause connectivity issues.

🪫 Power Supply Problems: Some external drives require more power than a single USB port can provide. A faulty or inadequate power source can cause the drive to malfunction.

💥 Corrupted or Damaged File System: A corrupted file system or damaged sectors on the hard drive can prevent macOS from recognizing the drive.

Understanding these causes will help you determine the most appropriate steps to fix the problem.

Initial Troubleshooting Steps

Let's start with some basic troubleshooting steps:

1. Verify Physical Connections: Ensure the USB cable is securely connected to both the Toshiba external hard drive and the Mac. Try different USB ports on your Mac.
2. Verify in Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility on your Mac (you can find it in Applications > Utilities). Check if the Toshiba external hard drive appears in the list on the left. If it does, but it's grayed out, it means the drive is not mounted.
3. Restart Your Mac: When you restart the Mac it may resolves the issue.
4. Test on Another Computer: If possible, connect the Toshiba external hard drive to another Mac or a Windows PC. If the drive is not working on other computers, it may indicate a hardware issue with the drive itself.

If these steps don't resolve the problem, proceed to the following detailed solutions.

Step-by-Step Fixes

a. Format Compatibility Check and Solution

One of the most common reasons for external hard drives not working on Mac is format incompatibility. Toshiba external drives are often formatted using the NTFS file system, which is the default for Windows computers. While macOS can read NTFS drives, it cannot write to them without additional third-party NTFS driver software or formatting to a different file system.

Steps to check and reformat the Toshiba external hard drive:

1. Check the Drive Format:

• Open Applications then go to Utilities. Here you will find Disk Utility.
• In the Disk Utility window, select your Toshiba external hard drive from the left-hand panel.
• Check the details shown on the right side of the window. Look under Format to see if it says NTFS, exFAT, APFS, etc.
• If it shows NTFS, your Mac can only read the data and not write to it. In this case, you might consider reformatting it.

2. Reformat the Drive:

• In Disk Utility, select the Toshiba external hard drive.
• Select the Erase button.

• Choose exFAT (compatible with both macOS and Windows) or APFS (best for Mac-only use) from the Format drop-down menu.

• Select a suitable Scheme (usually GUID Partition Map for macOS).
• Click Erase to format the drive.

3. Alternatives to Reformatting:

If you do not want to reformat your drive and lose data, consider using third-party tools such as DoYourData NTFS for Mac. The application enable macOS to write to NTFS-formatted drives.

Another option is to create a separate partition on the drive formatted as exFAT or APFS for use with your Mac while retaining the existing data on the NTFS partition.

b. Update macOS and Drivers

Ensuring your macOS and drivers are up-to-date can prevent or resolve compatibility issues that may cause your Toshiba external hard drive not to be recognized.

1. Check for macOS Updates:

• Go to the Apple Menu, then System Preferences and then go to Software Update.
• macOS will automatically check for available updates.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to install the update. Restart your Mac afterward.

2. Check for Driver Updates:

• External drives usually do not require additional drivers on macOS, but if your Toshiba drive comes with specific software, check the Toshiba website for updates.
• Go to the official Toshiba support page, find the model of your external hard drive, and check for any new firmware or driver updates.
• Download and install the drivers as per the instructions provided on the website.

3. Reset System Preferences:

Sometimes, preferences related to external devices may become corrupted. To reset these preferences:

• Go to the Apple Menu, then System Settings (or System Prefrences) and then go to Printers & Scanners.
• Right-click on the device list and select Reset Printing System (this can reset other connected devices as well).

• Restart your Mac and try reconnecting the external hard drive.

c. Repair the Drive with Disk Utility

Disk Utility's First Aid feature is designed to repair disk errors that can prevent your Toshiba drive from being recognized. This tool checks the disk for errors and attempts to repair any it finds.

Use the "First Aid" Feature:

• Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.

• Select your Toshiba external hard drive from the list on the left.
• Click on First Aid in the top menu and then click Run.

• If prompted, confirm that you want to run First Aid on the disk.

• Wait for the process to complete. If Disk Utility finds errors, it will attempt to repair them automatically.

d. Reset NVRAM/PRAM and SMC

The NVRAM/PRAM and SMC settings control many aspects of your Mac's operation, including disk recognition. Resetting these can sometimes resolve issues with external devices.

Please note that this method doesn't applied to the Apple Silicon macs, A computer reboot will do that directly.

🔹 Reset NVRAM/PRAM(Intel-based Macs):

• Shut down your Mac completely.
• Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold the Option + Command + P + R keys simultaneously.
• Continue holding these keys for about 20 seconds. Your Mac might restart during this time.
• Release the keys and allow the Mac to start up normally.

🔹 Reset SMC (Intel-based Macs):

• For Mac Laptops: (with T2 Security Chip):
  • Shut down your Mac.
  • Press and hold Control + Option + Shift (on the left side of the keyboard) and the power button at the same time for 10 seconds.
  • Release all keys, wait a few seconds, and then turn on your Mac.
• For Mac Desktops:
  • Shut down your Mac and unplug the power cord.
  • Wait 15 seconds, plug the power cord back in, wait another 5 seconds, then press the power button to turn on the Mac.

After resetting, reconnect the external hard drive to check if it is now recognized.

e. Use Terminal Commands

For more advanced troubleshooting, the Terminal provides direct control over your Mac's operating system, allowing you to manually attempt to mount the drive or check for disk errors.

1. Use Terminal to List Drives:

• Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.

• Type diskutil list and press Enter. This command will display a list of all connected disks.

• Look for your Toshiba external hard drive in the list. It will have an identifier like disk2s1.

2. Mount the Drive Manually:

• If the drive appears in the list but is not mounted, type diskutil mount /dev/disk2s1 (replace disk2s1 with your drive's identifier) and press Enter.
• If successful, the drive should now appear on your desktop or in the Finder.

3. Check for Disk Errors:

• Type diskutil verifyVolume disk2s1 (replace disk2s1 with your drive's identifier) and press Enter.

• If errors are found, use the following command to repair them: diskutil repairVolume disk2s1

f. Check for Third-Party Software Conflicts

Third-party applications, especially security or disk management software, can interfere with external drives.

1. Review Running Processes:

• Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities.
• Look for any processes related to third-party disk management, security, or backup software.
• Select these processes and click the X button to quit them temporarily.

2. Uninstall or Disable Conflicting Software:

• Identify any third-party software that might be causing conflicts. Consider temporarily uninstalling or disabling the software.
• Restart your Mac and check if the Toshiba external hard drive is recognized.

3. Check System Preferences:

• Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
• Ensure that any third-party software does not have excessive permissions that could interfere with external drives.

Advanced Troubleshooting (If Drive is Still Not Working)

If the Toshiba external hard drive is still not recognized or working, consider the following advanced options:

a. Use Data Recovery Software

If you suspect the drive has data corruption or damage, you might want to use data recovery software before reformatting or do other fixes which might do changes to the drive. The most popular data recovery option for Toshiba external drive on Mac is Do Your Data Recovery for Mac.

The data recovery tool can scan your Toshiba external hard drive for recoverable files and help you retrieve them. Here are the steps to recover data from the external drive with the software on Mac:

Step 1. Start the Mac data recovery software from launchpad. Choose the Toshiba external hard drive from the drive list.

Step 2. Click the Scan button and the software will start the scan the Toshiba portable drive and search for the files on the drive.

Step 3. After the scanning process is done, the software will show you all the found files. Preview and check the files first, and then choose the wanted files and save to another drive.

b. Contact Toshiba Support or a Professional Data Recovery Service

If none of the above steps work, the issue could be hardware-related. Contact Toshiba support for help or consider a professional data recovery service, especially if you have critical data on the drive.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting a Toshiba external hard drive not working on Mac can be challenging, but by following the steps outlined in this article, you can identify the problem and fix it. Remember to check for common issues like format incompatibility, update your macOS and drivers, and use Disk Utility to repair the drive. For more advanced problems, Terminal commands, data recovery software, or professional help may be required.

By taking preventive measures and maintaining a regular backup routine, you can ensure your external drives continue to work smoothly with your Mac.