- Mar 12, 2020 Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer. Make sure that it has at least 12GB of available storage and is formatted as Mac OS Extended. Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- The APFS format is optimal for Solid State Drive such as flash drives. Hence, if you are formatting a flash drive, you should definitely choose the APFS format. Along with the flash drives, this format is also faster and more reliable for Mac hard drives.
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These advanced steps are primarily for system administrators and others who are familiar with the command line. You don't need a bootable installer to upgrade macOS or reinstall macOS, but it can be useful when you want to install on multiple computers without downloading the installer each time.
What you need to create a bootable installer
- A USB flash drive or other secondary volume formatted as Mac OS Extended, with at least 14GB of available storage
- A downloaded installer for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan
Download macOS
- Download: macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, or macOS High Sierra
These download to your Applications folder as an app named Install macOS [version name]. If the installer opens after downloading, quit it without continuing installation. To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server. - Download: OS X El Capitan
This downloads as a disk image named InstallMacOSX.dmg. On a Mac that is compatible with El Capitan, open the disk image and run the installer within, named InstallMacOSX.pkg. It installs an app named Install OS X El Capitan into your Applications folder. You will create the bootable installer from this app, not from the disk image or .pkg installer.
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Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal
- Connect the USB flash drive or other volume that you're using for the bootable installer.
- Open Terminal, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- Type or paste one of the following commands in Terminal. These assume that the installer is in your Applications folder, and MyVolume is the name of the USB flash drive or other volume you're using. If it has a different name, replace
MyVolume
in these commands with the name of your volume.
Big Sur:*
Catalina:*
Mojave:*
High Sierra:*
El Capitan:
* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the
--applicationpath
argument and installer path, similar to the way this is done in the command for El Capitan.After typing the command:
- Press Return to enter the command.
- When prompted, type your administrator password and press Return again. Terminal doesn't show any characters as you type your password.
- When prompted, type
Y
to confirm that you want to erase the volume, then press Return. Terminal shows the progress as the volume is erased. - After the volume is erased, you may see an alert that Terminal would like to access files on a removable volume. Click OK to allow the copy to proceed.
- When Terminal says that it's done, the volume will have the same name as the installer you downloaded, such as Install macOS Big Sur. You can now quit Terminal and eject the volume.
Use the bootable installer
Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
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- Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
- Turn on your Mac and continue to hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which shows your bootable volumes and a gear icon labled Options.
- Select the volume containing the bootable installer, then click Continue.
- When the macOS installer opens, follow the onscreen instructions.
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- Plug the bootable installer into a Mac that is connected to the internet and compatible with the version of macOS you're installing.
- Press and hold the Option (Alt) ⌥ key immediately after turning on or restarting your Mac.
- Release the Option key when you see a dark screen showing your bootable volumes.
- Select the volume containing the bootable installer. Then click the up arrow or press Return.
If you can't start up from the bootable installer, make sure that the External Boot setting in Startup Security Utility is set to allow booting from external media. - Choose your language, if prompted.
- Select Install macOS (or Install OS X) from the Utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.
Learn more
For more information about the
createinstallmedia
command and the arguments that you can use with it, make sure that the macOS installer is in your Applications folder, then enter the appropriate path in Terminal:- Big Sur: /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- Catalina: /Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- Mojave: /Applications/Install macOS Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- High Sierra: /Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
- El Capitan: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
A bootable installer doesn't download macOS from the internet, but it does require an internet connection to get firmware and other information specific to the Mac model.
Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
Is your Mac not recognizing USB Flash drive and restricted your access to the data? Read on to know about how to find USB Flash drive and access the data on Mac.
A USB drive has become an inevitable necessity for our modern life. This amazing electronic tool is used to store data, transfer files, and various other files. While Flash drives easily connect with Mac, sometimes it doesn't. It's a common problem with nothing serious to worry about. The article features everything you need to know if USB won't show up on Mac.
Part 1: Why Mac doesn't recognize the USB drive
You might have come across a situation where your friend has sent you photos on a Flash drive. But when you plug it in, your Mac doesn't recognize USB. While the reasons could be many, but first, it is essential that you rightly assess the situation.
So let's have a look at all the signs that indicate that your MacBook Pro not recognizing USB drive.
1. Symptoms of Mac not recognizing USB Drive
When you face such a situation where USB won't show up on Mac, you must check all your connections first. It includes if your USB Flash is perfectly attached to the system or not. You might check some internal settings, scan hardware setup, and examine the situation from every possible angle. It is an obvious confusion because you don't know the actual source of the problem.
But few signs directly imply that USB not showing up on Mac.
- When you plug-in a Flash drive, you get a notification about the connection on your system. If you don't get the notification, it could be a sign of possible of your Mac not recognizing USB device.
- All Macintosh operating systems are equipped with a default file manager and graphical user interface, named Finder. When you connect a USB Flash drive to a system, a message pops on the Finder. If you don't see a message, it means that Mac is not reading USB.
2. The cause of Flash Drive not showing up on Mac
There are numerous reasons could be responsible that your USB Flash drive is not showing up on Mac. Here is the list of possible factors that might be leading to the glitch.
- Port Related Issue: A loose or broken port connection might be leading to the situation. But how to find a USB on Mac in such cases? Just gently wiggle the connection of the port. If it briefly connects with the system, you will be aware that the problem lies with the cable or the port.
- USB Formatting issue: If the Flash drive wasn't formatted before the first use, it could lead to a USB detection problem later.
- Driver Issue: Outdated or corrupted Flash drive could lead to USB drive not showing up on Mac.
- Hard Drive Related issue: A minor glitch on your system's hard drives can result in Mac not detecting USB.
- Operating system related issue: If you are not regularly updating your Mac OS, it may affect your system's ability to recognize Flash drives.
Part 2: How to fix Mac not recognizing USB Device
It is quite reasonable for various electronic components of any system to lose its integrity over time. Hence, if you come across a loose cable or imperfect alignment of the Flash drives to the port, don't be surprised!
If you want to know how to find a USB on Mac, start with an examination of different parts of the system. Just follow the steps mentioned to find the source of the problem.
Step 1: Scan USB and USB ports
Thoroughly check the USB device. If there is a broken or malfunctioned wire, you can replace it with a new one to fix the issue. Make sure you check all the different ports of your system are in working condition.
Step 2: Restart Mac or use a different Mac system
Often, Flash drive doesn't detect the Mac due to some power connectivity issues. Restart the system to see if the problem persists or not. If it does, then try connecting the Flash drive to a different Mac system. This way, you will know whether the problem lies in the Mac system or the Flash drive.
Step 3: Check Finder Preferences
Open the menu bar on your Mac computer and go to Finder. When you click on the Preference option, you will see four tabs, including general, labels, sidebar, and advanced. Click on the 'General' tab and ensure that the box next to the external disks option is ticked.
If the option is not ticked, Finder will not be able to pop up any detection of external disks or Flash drives.
You'll also see the 'External disks' option in the Sidebar option. Make sure that the option is marked there as well.
Step 4: Use Disk Utilities to Repair USB drives
If you want to know about how to find the device on Mac, you can use disk utility to fix the issues related to external drives.
Plug-in the USB device to your Mac system and select 'Initialize' from the prompt box. It will lead you to disk utility application.
As an alternative option, you can directly access utility application from Finder.
Select the 'View' tab from the utility application, and tap on the option 'Show All Devices.' Now, from the sidebar section, click on the device that was unreadable on the system. Tap on the 'First Aid' option. Now, click on the 'Repair Disk' tab and see if the issue persists.
Step 5: Re-format the USB drive
Although Flash drives are formatted by default for Windows, it's not the same case with Mac. If Mac is not detecting USB, you might have to do it manually before using it for the first time.
Follow the steps to see if that works for you.
Click on the 'Disk Utility' Interface option. Open it, and you will see a list of drives on your system.
Step 1: Select the 'USB drive' option.
Step 2: On the right side of the panel, you will see an 'Erase' tab. Click on it.
Step 3: Now, choose a format option that is compatible with Mac OS.
Step 4: Select a name for the USB drive and click on the 'Erase' tab located at the lower bottom of the screen.
Step 5: Re-check the whole process before formatting. Once you are sure of the process, initiate format.
Part 3: How to Access Flash Drive data after detecting USB
Considering that you have followed all the steps mentioned in the article correctly, you might have find USB on Mac. It doesn't mean that you will be able to access all the data on the Flash drive as sometimes, the data gets lost in such cases.
You can still be able to access the lost data on the Flash drive using recovery tools. But we will discuss that later!
1. How to find USB Flash drive and access USB files on Mac
When you connect the USB Flash drive on the system, Mac OS will automatically read the content of the Flash drive. A window will pop-up showing the content of the drive. If you are not able to see it, you can access it through Finder.
The following steps will guide you to find the USB Flash drive and access the files on Mac.
Click on the option 'Devices' on the upper-left side of the Finder window.
If you have correctly inserted the device to the system, you will see a temporary drive icon. It will be saved by the name of your Flash drive.
To access the files of the USB Flash drive, double-click on the drive icon.
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Temporary hard drive icons are white, whereas permanent drive icons are gray colored.
2. How to access hidden, deleted or lost USB data on Mac
Numerous factors contribute to the loss of data from USB Flash drives. It could be malware intrusion, system crash, USB formatting, and various other reasons. But, can you recover your data from the Flash drive? Yes, you can!
There are certain things that you need to make sure if you have lost your data. For instance, you must ensure that you don't save any new data on the same drive as it may overwrite on the lost data.
If the USB drive is recognized, but you can't open and access USB files, you can use data recovery tools to help you restore USB files.
You can use Recoverit data recovery tool for Mac that can handle various kinds of data loss scenarios. Whether it is audio, video, outlook, or graphic files, it works best to recover all your data and information.
The list of instruction will help your recover data from Recoverit app on the Mac computer. Firstly, download the Recoverit app and connect the Flash drives to one of the ports of your system.
Step 1: Launch the Recoverit app
After you launch the app on your system and select the USB Flash drive from where the data was lost in the first place. Click on the 'Start' button after selecting the device.
Step 2: Start the scanning process
As you click on the 'start' tab, it will initiate the scanning process on the USB Flash drive. It may take some time to be completed.
Step 3: Preview Lost files
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Step 4: Recover lost files
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Select the files and preview them. It will show the content of the file, along with its size. Select the files that you want to be recovered. After selecting the desired files, click on 'Recover.'
Part 4: How to Prevent Flash Drive not showing up on Mac
Even when you have fixed the issue, it can happen in the future as well. Hence, you must take some precautionary steps to prevent Flash Drive not showing up on Mac.
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Update Firmware and OS
Regular updating of the firmware and operating system of your Mac works best to fix various functionality issues. Sometimes when you experience a USB not connecting to the system, a quick update may fix the issue instantly. Whether it's your internal or external drive, timely updates ensure the best performance of your system.
Avoid Imperfect Ejection of your USB Flash Drive
Often people pull out their Flash drive even when it is connected to the system. A forceful pull out can easily damage the Flash drive and could be a possible reason why your Mac not recognizing USB. You must follow a proper way of ejection of the Flash drive. Before removing the Flash drive from the port, request for a safe ejection procedure. Take it out once you get the confirmation from the system.
Reset Mac's Configuration
A faulty configuration may also lead to USB Flash drive connectivity issues. You can reset Mac’s configuration to fix the issue. Follow the steps to conduct a proper reset.
Step 1: Shutdown the system
Step 2: Disconnect all the power cables and reconnect it
Step 3: Press Shift key, Control key, and Power key at the same time and release them
Step 4: Start your Mac system
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Now, check if the USB issue is solved. Also, if you come across disabled USB accessories, fix them.
Timely Maintenance of your System
As mentioned earlier, parts of your Mac system might lose its efficiency over time. A routine checkup of your Mac system at the service center can significantly help you. Moreover, it will get you to notice all the loose ports, electrical, or mechanical faults in your system.
Closing words
Your Mac not recognizing USB is a common issue that can affect your seamless experience on the system. Moreover, it can also lead to loss of data and important files.
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Thanks to the Recoverit Data Recovery app, you can retrieve the lost data from the Flash drive. If you want to know how to access Flash drive on Mac, you can take the help of the steps mentioned in the article.
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