External Hard Drive Not Showing Files But They Still Exist - 4 Fixes for Mac

External hard drives can store gigabytes upon gigabytes of data, making them popular among students, entrepreneurs, and others for storing and accessing important files. However, when you connect the drive to your Mac, the files on the external disk may not show up. This can be frustrating if you don't know how to fix it.

This article will show you how to fix the issue of an external hard drive not showing files on Mac but they actually exist, how to fix the problem of can't see files on external hard drive on Mac, and how to view files on an external hard drive in general.

Recover Lost Files from External Hard Drive Using Mac Data Recovery Software

If the files do not appear on the external disk, there is a chance that the disk is damaged. The process of repairing the disk might result in data loss, so we recommend recovering important files before attempting to fix the issue.

The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool can recover lost data or deleted files from an external hard drive on your Mac. It supports external hard drive recovery of various file formats, including photos, videos, and documents.

This software can recover data from any device, including media players, cameras, USB drives, HDDs, or SSDs. It's safe and has a high success rate. To retrieve lost files from an external hard drive, follow these steps:

Step 1: Search for the Lost File

Connect the external hard drive to your Mac correctly. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool, and select the external drive. Then, click “Search Lost Files” to look for lost or deleted files on the external device.

Note: Before you recover data, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to create a backup of your external hard drive to prevent further data loss. After backing up the external hard drive, the software can recover data from the backup of the external hard drive. You can then remove the external hard drive and use it again.

Step 2: Filter and search for the lost files

After the scan, all file types will be displayed in the left pane. Select the file type to look for the needed file on the external device.

Step 3: Preview and recover

Click on a file to preview it, then select the files you want to recover and hit the “Recover” button. You can save your data to both local and cloud drives.

Please share this data recovery software on your social media to help more people in need of data recovery.

3 Ways to Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Files on Mac

After you recover disappeared files from external hard drive on Mac, you can fix the issue of files not showing up on external hard drive with confidence. Try each of the solutions below one by one to resolve the error.

1. Solution 1: Mount the External Hard Drive with Disk Utility
2. Solution 2: Run First Aid to Repair the External Drive
3. Solution 3: Fix Driver Issues for the External Drive

Solution 1: Check if the external hard drive is mounted in Disk Utility

You can only access files on a Mac from an external hard drive when it's mounted in Disk Utility. If you don't see your files, make sure the drive is visible and mounted in Disk Utility first:

Step 1: First, open “Applications,” then click on “Utilities” and launch “Disk Utility.”

Step 2: If the disk appears in the sidebar, click the "Mount" button at the top of the window to mount it. Alternatively, you can click the "Mount" button next to the disk.

Now you should be able to view all the files on your external hard drive in Finder and on the Desktop.

Solution 2: Fix External Hard Drive Issues with “First Aid”

The utility has an advantage over your computer's internal disk, as it can also view the hard drive when connected to your Mac externally. If you're having trouble mounting an external HDD or SSD, try using First Aid to see if it can lend a hand.

Step 1: First, open “System Preferences” and click on the “Disk Utility” button.

Step 2: Select the external drive and choose "First Aid."

Step 3: The system will then ask if you want to run it from the media; click “Run.”

This will automatically have macOS attempt to fix any issues that might be preventing the drive from mounting. If any errors are repaired, you'll be notified. If no issues are found, you'll need to try the next solution.

Solution 3: Update or reinstall the external hard drive driver

The next solution is to update or reinstall the driver, which mainly falls into two scenarios:

• Finished a new major upgrade to macOS, the current macOS Big Sur 11. • Transitioned from Intel-based Macs to Macs with Apple's M1 chip.

If you have an Intel-based Mac that can't access files on an external drive in macOS Big Sur 11, update to macOS Big Sur 11.4, which fixes many known issues.

If you can't read, view, or write files or folders on an NTFS external hard drive with your Apple Silicon M1 Mac, you'll need an NTFS for Mac software that is compatible with the M1 Mac.

Why Can't I See Files on an External Hard Drive on Mac?

There could be numerous reasons behind the disappearance of files from external hard drive on Mac without your knowledge, such as:

• Accidental Deletion: Sometimes files get removed without your knowledge. In such cases, you need to recover deleted files from Mac Trash.
• Hidden by the System: The operating system can hide files, making them inaccessible on an external hard drive. You might have accidentally hidden the files, or the system could be hiding sensitive files for simplicity.
• File System Errors: A corrupted file system on the disk can make files invisible on an external hard drive. As a result, the computer system fails to access or display your file entries.
• Drive Issues: A recent problem with new Apple Silicon M1/M2 Macs. The new Apple Silicon M1 Macs use a different architecture than Intel, which might cause issues with NTFS disk drives not working properly. Learn how to fix read-only errors on external hard drives on Mac.
• Virus Attack: Your external hard drive might be infected by a virus or attacked by malware that hides, deletes, or encrypts its files.

Apart from the primary reason, there could be a few other factors that might lead to the unavailability of files on an external hard drive on Mac. Worry not, all these issues can be fixed easily and the files can be recovered. Let's jump straight to the next section to resolve this issue.

Now that you know how to fix the issue of an external hard drive not showing files on Mac, feel free to share this article with friends who might need help too.

Conclusions

In conclusion, it's common to have an external hard drive not showing up on Mac, but you can fix the issue yourself with the methods above. Additionally, if you lose data from external devices, you can quickly retrieve them using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool. Its user-friendly interface allows users to easily recover any amount of deleted data on their Mac.