MacBook does not read USB stick. What to do if the flash drive cannot be read on Mac or Windows

Several files, took an external drive, plugged it in and ... as a result, the Mac does not "see" the USB flash drive. Is it really out of order? Or is the computer itself broken? There is no need to throw anything away or carry it to a service center. It is better to understand why such a problem occurs and how to solve it.

How to solve the problem of identifying a MacBook flash drive.

Causes of the problem and possible solutions

The Mac may not recognize the media if:

• Defective USB port. Check if it works - try connecting other devices to it.
• The flash drive itself is faulty. Therefore, Mac OS does not see it. Plug it into another PC or laptop. If everything works and the files open, then that is not the problem.
• No matching drivers available. Update your computer software and restart it. See if there are any driver or OS related errors during boot.
• Malicious software... Scan the system with an antivirus.
• There is some kind of hardware problem. Check if other ports and nodes of the laptop are working. Connect other gadgets to them. Perhaps the problem is not with a specific slot, but with the entire motherboard.
• The file system (FS) of the USB storage device is not suitable. Without special program Mac will not be able to "see" the flash drive if it is formatted with NTFS.

It is better to take the broken computer to a service center. If you don't know how to fix a MacBook and a USB jack, take no chances. It's the same with a faulty drive. It contains information from which there is no more backups? Give it to a specialist. Is the data not that important or is it easy to recover? Then transfer them to another medium. But if the MacBook does not "see" the flash drive because of the file system, you can change it yourself.

File system

NTFS drive won't work on macOS laptop. There are two options here.

What is the difference between these formats? There is a limitation in FAT32 - you cannot write a file larger than 4 gigabytes to the medium. Even if there is 64 GB of free memory left. You can upload multiple files of 3 GB, 2 GB each. But not 5 or 6.

If Mac OS does not "see" the flash drive or cannot read data from it, try changing its file system to FAT32. This format is a bit outdated. But it is compatible with MacBooks.

Whatever cloud technologies you have not used, sometimes you still need the most ordinary USB flash drive, with which you can transfer data from one computer to another and vice versa.

WITH MacBook Pro 2016+ (MacBook 2015+), it is quite difficult to do this, because Apple engineers replaced the usual USB-A with Type-C in it. But you can't buy a regular "C" flash drive due to backward compatibility issues with other devices. Problem.

I found easy way out, which turned out to be as inexpensive and convenient as possible.

Branded USB-C - USB-A flash drives are quite expensive

Of course, the most obvious way out in this case is to purchase a proprietary universal flash drive for USB-C and USB-A. And top manufacturers offer plenty of similar solutions.

One of the smartest options I considered was the Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 3C flash drive. But its cost starts from 1 thousand rubles, which seemed to me enough expensive purchase.

But the most offensive thing is that, like many of you, I already have dozens of different flash drives that I bought, received as a gift, and even just accidentally found earlier.

Do you really have to just take them all and throw them away? As you can see from the photo, no! ...

Convert a regular USB-A flash drive to USB-C for cheap

To make a universal flash drive for the new MacBook, I took the smallest SanDisk drive that used to stick out in my old car's radio tape recorder.

In addition to him, I needed the simplest USB-A to USB-C adapter in the same compact format. My colleague Yuri Andreev is in detail about a good option.

There are plenty of options on AliExpress. I bought an adapter for 100 rubles, Yure got a similar one for 70. Look, I advise you only to pay attention to the support of the USB 3.0 standard.

And do not take the ones outlined with the left logos, they look dumb.

Unobvious advantages, if you do not look at the price

As a result, I got a compact universal flash drive, which is always lying around in my backpack - just in case of fire. As I said above, sometimes you still need it.

But, unlike a proprietary solution like the Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 3C, this one has an obvious advantage - except for a flash drive, you always with you adapter.

By and large, most of the rest of the bulky adapters (like this one) can now not be carried with you at all. To connect to a new MacBook anything via USB-A, even such a solution is enough.

Nevertheless, my "incredible invention" still has some drawbacks.

Disadvantages of the solution that came out to me after all

The adapter I'm using is USB-A does not fit completely... It turned out to be smaller than necessary, so not only the top of the flash drive but also a part of the "pin" sticks out of it a little. Weird.

And the flash drive in the adapter does not hold 100% tightly. In a backpack, "dad" does not fly out of "mom", but in the hands it seems that the design is not reliable enough.

And the last - if someone needs to reset something from their USB-A, it is better to give him a USB flash drive without an adapter. And she is very small and can easily get lost.

But in total, I was more than satisfied, and I recommend a similar solution to you. Try it.

To Work with Mac- sheer pleasure ... until you have to transfer movies, music or photos from the "flash drive". It happens that recorded on Windows external disks do not display their contents on Mac computers- and vice versa, USB sticks written on Mac cannot be read under Windows.

In contact with

Why aren't the files copied?

It's all about different file systems (FS) that Windows and macOS use by default. On modern Windows computers, the FS is called NTFS(on old and FAT32), on Mac - HFS +... NTFS and HFS + (Mac OS Extended) are incompatible with each other, FAT32 works well on both Windows and macOS - but with one very unpleasant exception (more on that below).

How to copy files to a USB flash drive from Mac (macOS) or Windows if the drive is read-only

Consider a few of the most likely life situations.

If you are a Mac user and want to do something (transfer files, write down, delete or change) with a Windows user's flash drive, everything will depend on whether what filesystem is it formatted on.

NTFS

The most likely option. Standard driver macOS supports only reading from such disks. To write files, you need special software - a program from Paragon Software... "Issue price" - $ 19.95, there is a free trial period for 10 days. After installation, you don't have to do anything else - just plug in the USB flash drive and transfer files from it, just as you always did.

FAT32 (MS-DOS)

Back in the days when FAT32 was introduced, Apple was less uncompromising than it is today - and therefore made support for this FS for the Mac. If the flash drive is formatted in FAT32, any computer running OS X (macOS) can both read and write files to it. There is, however, one unpleasant exception. All in the same distant times when FAT32 was presented, no one could have thought that on external drive will write files larger than 4 GB. The limitation is still valid today, so the film in high quality or any other file larger than 4 "gigs" on a flash drive with file system You won't see FAT32.

ExFAT

Relatively new format, offered by Microsoft Corporation. A flash drive formatted in this format will work perfectly. What is especially pleasing is that the FAT32 file size limitation has been removed. Let's say more - this option is optimal if the flash drive often "travels" between computers on Windows and Mac. The only (and even then not very significant) minus - does not work on very old "Macs" (up to 10.6.5) and Windows PCs (up to Windows XP SP2).

Formatting a USB flash drive to ExFAT (or any of the above) on a Mac is very simple:

1 ... Open on your Mac program Disk utility.
2 ... In the menu on the left, select the desired flash drive.
3 ... Please select Erase(button in the top menu).
4 ... In the drop-down menu to the right of the label Format choose file system ExFAT... If you wish, you can also specify the name of the disc in the field Name.
5 ... Click the button Erase at the bottom of the window.

Windows

If you - windows user, inexperienced Mac owner may bring you a USB stick formatted in the native Mac OS HFS + format (Mac OS Extended). As already noted, with the usual Windows file systems it is incompatible. You can work with such a disk - but this requires a special intermediary program called MacDrive... The purpose and principle of operation is the same as that of NTFS for Mac, but the trial is shorter (5 days), and the price is higher - $ 49.99.

"ITunes does not see the iPhone", what to do? Actually this problem appeared with the first device. At the same time, many still do not know how to solve such problems. Often, on the Internet, you can see long articles with incomprehensible and complex instructions. But there is no need to complicate the task.

Determination of the working capacity of gadgets

To begin with, it is worth checking all the elements for operability: MacBook, iPhone, USB cable and software. The first three objects can be verified by trial and error by experimenting with other devices. If you have identified problems with the computer itself, and it is he who does not see other devices, you should check the Apple Mobile Device. Problems in working with it can greatly affect the ability to recognize. Breakdowns must be repaired at the Customer Assistance Center. It may happen that the device itself is to blame for the problem. For example, the iPhone does not interact due to a broken USB port. But it doesn't matter. It has a second one into which you can plug a connecting cable.

If the communication cable is broken, it just needs to be replaced. And in case of software problems, you need to do the following - remove iTunes and reinstall it on your computer. If you are convinced that there are no breakdowns, you can consider several ways to establish the relationship.

The first step is to consider a situation in which you have never previously connected these two devices to each other. Unlock your iPhone and click the "Trust" button. Then we will learn more about the message "Trust this computer".

Now we will consider methods for solving all other situations. First, you need to make sure that the MacBook complies with system requirements using other devices. You can reboot devices. Oddly enough, it can help. Check if you can update your computer software to newer versions, especially iTunes. If there is any other device connected via USB ports on the computer, we advise you to disconnect them for a while. Now the MacBook sees it?

What if the MacBook can't see the USB flash drive?

There can be many reasons. The first and most sad thing is that the flash drive needs to be replaced. If the USB flash drive cannot be opened on any of the computers, it is covered, alas. If she works for Microsoft Windows, but with Mac OS X difficulties arise - it's all about the format. The question immediately arises: how to format a USB flash drive for Mac OS X?

Formatting for OS X

You need to connect the flash drive to your computer and run " Disk Utility". Find the name on the sidebar external storage and double click on it. Go to the second top tab of the "Erase" application, and select "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" in the format field. Then you need to click on the "Erase" button.

Now the flash drive can only be used with various types of MacBooks. And Windows just won't accept it. Does Windows see the USB flash drive? All the same, interaction is impossible.

Dividing a flash card into sections

By dividing the flash drive into partitions, you can format it into several formats. Once again, you need to connect the USB flash drive to your computer and run the "Disk Utility". On the side panel, find the name of the external drive and double-click on it. Go to the third link "Disk Partition" and select the number of partitions. The size of each can be specified, or you can manually adjust the slider between it. We also give the sections names. Apply. Now we format each section of the flash drive in the format that we consider necessary.

The formats supported by Windows are MS-DOS (FAT) or ExFAT. The second is recommended, which is more modern and is perfectly supported by more or less modern models. The first format is handled by old models, but does not work well on newer modifications.

Outcome

The ability to interact between Apple gadgets is convenient function, which can and should be used. Being able to solve interaction problems different devices You will make the job much easier and you will not have to run around the consulting centers and repair shops again.

Mac OS is quite convenient and simple system to work with. But when you try to write files to a simple USB flash drive or transfer something from it, some problems may arise. Very often the MacBook does not see the USB flash drive, which is perfectly recognized by the Windows system.

There are several reasons:

• The flash drive is formatted on the wrong system.
• The USB socket on the MacBook itself is faulty.
• USB stick defective.

Different file systems

There are two main file systems for flash drives - FAT32 and NTFS. Flash drives in the first system are easily recognized by any operating system, but its capacity is only 4 Gb. But with NTFS, Mas OS drivers can only read data, but they cannot perform any activity with them: neither write nor transfer files from it to the MacBook.

If the MacBook sees the USB flash drive, but nothing can be done with the data, but everything works well on Windows, then the problem is in the file system. You will need to insert it into your Windows computer and format it to FAT32. This method is suitable only for 4 Gb flash drives. Will fit text files, pictures and music, but many films or a full season of the series will not fit there.

To make your Mac see the file flash drive NTFS systems, you can install additional drivers specially designed for this purpose. Supported quality drivers are usually paid.

There is also a new file ExFat system that runs on Mac OS and does not have a 4 Gb limit. But if the system is below 10.6.5, such a flash drive will not be read either, because the system is no longer supported.

Defective USB socket

A flash drive can be read on Windows and not read on a MacBook simply because the USB socket is faulty. If everything is in order with the file system, and in addition to the USB flash drive, the socket does not respond to any other USB devices (does not see an external HDD, computer mouse, keyboard flashlight, headphone charging cable, etc.), the problem may be in the socket. The connector will need to be changed, this can be done in service center specializing in Apple technology.

Defective flash drive or external hard drive

When no computer, not only MacBook, does not see a flash card or hard drive, and other devices are recognized through the socket, then the problem is not in the laptop. There is usually no point in repairing a USB flash drive: it is quite difficult to find out what exactly is faulty on a small microcircuit. Repair is unprofitable, you can only try to extract information from it. But restore external hard you can still try.