So, after a prolonged and exhausting day at work, you decide to back up your storage device by transferring everything to your Mac computer. However, you run into an odd technical issue with your Mac not reading the SD card. When you insert it into your laptop, you anticipate seeing the icon on the desktop or in Finder, but nothing tends to happen. Do not be perturbed; accidents occur frequently. We acknowledge the fact that if the issue is not settled, you may lose access to some classified material, your photos and videos, and other crucial data. So, continue reading to find out why the SD card is not showing up on your Mac and ways to get all your files back.
What Might Cause SD Card Not Showing on Mac?
Certain MacBook Pro and MacBook Air owners attach their SD card directly to the slot if one is provided. Some users, on the other hand, use an additional reader to connect it. The computer, in either case, should identify the SD card, and it must show in Finder, on the desktop, and in Disk Utility. That is not always the case, though.
Are you perplexed as to why your Mac does not recognize your SD card? An SD Card not working on a Mac may be due to a variety of factors.
- Check the compatibility of the SD card and the reader. Many suppliers are constantly developing new varieties of memory cards with innovative capabilities. However, your existing reader may not always be capable of reading current SD cards. And that is why you will not be able to access the SD card on your Mac until you get a new adapter.
- The SD card reader is failing to function and is wrecked due to some reason. It can be aggravating because the damage may be minor and unnoticed. You can validate this by attaching your SD card to a different machine and seeing if it opens.
- Another possibility is that the SD card has been formatted inappropriately, causing the file system to be incompatible with macOS.
- It is possible that the USB port is faulty or not working.
- It is also possible that you will physically destroy your SD card. You can also inspect it to see if it is excessively gritty or oily or if the gleaming contact points have scratches. If that is the case, wipe it off with a fresh, dry towel and try again.
- If you have shared your SD card with many individuals, it has likely been infected with a virus. Viruses can be harmful, and they can wipe out your data.
How can you solve a corrupted SD card or any other problem considering the issues mentioned earlier? Continue reading to learn about three potential solutions to your SD card not showing up on the Mac issue.
3 Tips of How to Fix SD Card Not Showing Up on Mac
It is not always the case that your SD card stops working when it does not show up on your Mac. It will return to normal after a few simple and inexpensive steps. Here are three solutions to your Mac not reading the SD card problem. Either one should suffice for your needs.
Solution 1: Change your Finder’s preferences.
After Mac identifies and loads a disk, it will appear in the Finder’s Sidebar, where all domestic and foreign disks can be accessed, allowing users to utilize their SD card conveniently. However, if it does not appear in the Finder, check to see if the default setting has been changed. To do so, follow these basic instructions.
- Step 1: Open Finder on your Mac.
- Step 2: Choose Preferences from the Finder menu in the upper left corner of your Mac.
- Step 3: Select the Sidebar tab from the menu bar.
- Step 4: To discover your SD card in Mac’s Finder, select the External Disk checkbox under Locations.
- Step 5: Open the Finder again and see if it appears in the Finder sidebar.
If it still will not show up after making the modifications mentioned above, there is a chance that it is not mounting properly on your device. You can rectify this by physically mounting the SD card in Disk Utility to see if it can be mounted. If this does not work, it is possible that it has become compromised and requires repairing or needs to be formatted.
Solution 2: You can use first aid to repair the SD card.
SD card corruption is usually to blame for this non-mounting problem. With the help of an in-built attribute on Mac called First Aid, you can detect and repair minor disk errors that prevent the operating system from mounting and accessing it. To learn how to do it, follow these easy instructions.
- Step 1: Open Disk Utility. You can find it under Application > Utilities.
- Step 2: From the left Sidebar, choose your SD card.
- Step 3: Click on First Aid on the left side of the top toolbar.
- Step 4: Take a seat and wait for the process to complete.
- Step 5: After that, a drop-down menu will appear with specific details about the repair. From the bottom right, choose the repair disk option.
Step 5 may not occur in some cases, and Disk Utility will be helpless to fix it. Disk Utility will notify you if the SD card is about to fail and ask you to back up data. In this case, it must be reformatted as a last strategy. Continue reading.
Solution 3: Format your SD Card.
If you are still having trouble getting your Mac to recognize the SD card, it is time to format it. You may lose all your data if you format your device. It is not the end of the issue, though. Even if it has been formatted, you can retrieve your data. There is some Free SD Card recovery software available, but we recommend Recoverit. Please continue to the next step to format it, and then read on to learn how to successfully recover your data from a formatted SD card using Recoverit.
- Step 1: Launch Disk Utility via Application > Utilities.
- Step 2: Select your SD card.
- Step 3: Click on Erase on the top.
- Step 4: Disk Utility will now select an appropriate format for you. You may, however, do so according to your preferences.
- Step 5: Then give your SD card a name. Then press the Erase button once more.
Your storage device will now be formatted. By removing and reinserting it to the Mac, you can verify this. Hopefully, it will now be able to be supported and appear in the Finder. You will, however, be unable to access your information. Continue reading to learn how to retrieve the data you’ve lost.
Recover Lost Data From SD Card on Mac
As previously stated in the article, formatting your SD card is the final but safest alternative for resolving your Mac not reading SD card problem. We also recognize the significance of data backup. Wondershare Recoverit gets to the rescue in this situation.
Recoverit is a data recovery software that can retrieve files, images, videos, and audios from any SD card, PC, Mac, external hard drive, and other storage devices. Features of Recoverit include:
- Before saving a bit of information to the preferred destination, it allows you to preview the files.
- Recoverit allows you to choose the file format types you want with accuracy.
- It provides a small glimpse of photographs, videos, and documents in a wider window while scanning for images.
- In most cases, the files you recover are complete. It can also recover raw data.
- The names and paths of recovered files remain the same.
With the help of Recoverit, you can quickly recover your lost data in three simple steps.
- Step 1: Download and Install Recoverit.
- Step 2: Locate and choose your SD card from the list of Mac drives on the desktop.
Step 3: When you click Start, the software will begin scanning your files.
Step 4: You can get a quick glimpse of your data using the preview pane. If you don’t want to retrieve it completely, you can pick and choose which files you want to reclaim. Ultimately, on the bottom right of the UI, press the Recover icon.
If you do not have backups and your files are not visible on your storage device, do not panic. An SD card’s inability to read data is a common symptom. Follow the on-screen instructions, and you’ll be able to retrieve your lost files.
Conclusion
Make sure your Mac accepts and identifies the storage card before accessing your files. We hope that one of the solutions listed above will resolve your SD card not showing up on the Mac issue. If you want to format it, don’t worry. With the help of Recoverit, you can recover all of your data.
Data recovery will never be as easy and simple as Recoverit makes it. Recoverit is highly recommended for recovering all of your important files from a corrupted or formatted SD card. The software is free to use and is available for both Mac and Windows