Some Mac-specific drives may come with a Thunderbolt or FireWire cable instead. If this is the case, you’ll need to plug it into the correct port, or get an adapter if you don’t have the proper port on your Mac.
The drive icon may not appear on your desktop even though it is connected properly. You can check for the drive in the left frame of any Finder window, under the “Devices” heading. You can set drives to appear on your desktop by clicking the Finder menu, selecting “Preferences,” and then checking the “External disks” box. [1] X Research source If the drive does not appear in Finder or on your desktop, see the next section.
On the Desktop, click the “Go” menu, select “Utilities,” and then “Disk Utility. " Formatting the drive will erase everything on it. This is fine for new drives, but if you’re trying to use an older drive that already has files on it, you’ll need to save them before you start formatting.
If you don’t see your drive here, see the next section.
This will erase everything on the hard drive, so make sure any important data has been backed up. If the drive is in Windows format, you can still copy the files you want to save to your Mac before formatting it.
If you’re only planning on using the drive with your Mac, select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled). " This will allow you to take advantage of all of your Mac’s features with the drive, such as Time Capsule.
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder. Select your drive and click the “First Aid” button. Click “Run” to begin scanning the drive for errors. Allow the utility to fix any errors it finds. This may allow you to start using the drive again. Be aware that if errors have appeared, this could be an early warning sign of impending disk failure.
You can try plugging it into a different computer to see if it appears. If it’s not appearing anywhere, it may be time for a new drive.
