How to Fix Internal Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Mac [7 Working Methods]

Why Isn't Your Internal Hard Drive Showing Up on Your Mac?

Every Mac comes with a hard drive that stores all of your user data, media content, and apps. Usually, this is the startup disk that contains the data for the macOS Base System. However, you can set your Mac to start up from a network disk or an external drive. If you're seeing "No Internal Hard Drive Found on Mac," you won't be able to access or use any information stored on the device. What's worse, your computer may not boot up correctly.

When your hard drive is not showing up on Mac, you could be facing one of the two primary situations. First, it doesn't show up at startup (Mac No Startup Disk error). Second, the hard drive doesn't show in the Finder/Desktop window.

This could be due to several reasons. For instance, it might result from physical damage to the hard disk. A power surge can cause an electrical current beyond what the hard disk can handle, thus damaging it. On the other hand, you might not see your Macintosh HD in the Finder window if you haven't set the correct settings.

How to Recover Data from Internal Hard Drive of Mac with Software

A problem with your Mac not recognizing its built-in hard drive can be frustrating and anxiety-inducing. Nobody wants to lose valuable data, but if potential solutions aren't working, you may have to face the possibility of it. When you encounter an issue with your built-in hard drive, your Mac might not boot up at all.

Fortunately, there is a solution, and that is a professional data recovery software for Mac – the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. This all-in-one tool is powerful enough to handle your troubles, whether it's lost partitions, formatting, system crashes, virus attacks, unmounted drives, or even data loss due to hard drive damage.

This tool comes to your rescue when you try to repair a corrupted hard drive on Mac or after formatting the hard drive. With this powerful recovery utility, you can easily recover deleted files from Mac trash with ease.

Advanced features like scan modes, file preview, and recovery to the cloud all contribute to data retrieval. Additionally, if you're a paid user, you get remote IT assistance from professionals who can help you recover your data. Here are the steps to recover data from an internal hard drive when your Mac won't start up:

Step 1: Boot into Recovery Mode with the utility software

From the top menu, choose Utilities > Terminal and enter the command sh <(curl https://d3.tools.com/mac/boot.sh). Press Return. Wait for the app to open, which may take a few minutes.

Important: If you see "No such file or directory" or "Host not found," double-check that you've typed the command correctly, make sure your Mac is connected to the internet, and confirm that your macOS version is 10.15 or later.

Step 2: Select the volume on your Mac hard drive

Select the volume where you lost your data, and click “Search for Lost Files.” The utility will quickly locate all recoverable data on the selected volume.

Step 3. Select the lost data you want to recover

The utility categorizes the recoverable data by file type and storage path. You can locate your desired data by clicking "Type" or "Path" on the left panel. Then, check the box in front of the data you want to restore.

Step 4: Recover and save data from an external drive

Click the “Recover” button, then select a location to save your recovered files. Choose your external hard drive as the new location to store your recovered data.

How to Fix Internal Hard Drive Not Showing Up on Mac [7 Ways]

Now that we know the possible reasons why Mac doesn't show internal hard drive, let's move on to fixing the issue. Here are seven solutions and the steps to take.

Solution 1: Adjust Mac's General Settings to Show the Built-in Hard Drive 1. Open "System Preferences": Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen, then choose "System Preferences." 2. Access "Display" settings: In the opened window, locate and click on the "Display" icon. 3. Switch to the "Display" tab: Within the "Display" settings, make sure the "Display" tab is selected. 4. Check resolution options: Under the "Display" tab, you'll see a "Resolution" dropdown menu. Click it and select "Default for this display" or "More space." This might help your built-in hard drive reappear in Finder. 5. Quit and restart Finder: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight search, type "Finder," and press Enter. Click the Finder icon in the top-left corner of the Finder window, then choose "Force Quit." Again, press Command + Space, type "Finder," and click the result to relaunch Finder. 6. Verify if the built-in hard drive is displayed: Now return to Finder and check if your internal hard drive is listed in the sidebar. If the above steps don't work, try the following solution: Solution 2: Display the Hard Drive Using a Terminal Command 1. Open Terminal: Use Spotlight search (Command + Space) to enter "Terminal" and then click the result to open it. 2. Enter the command: In Terminal, paste the following command and press Enter: ``` sudo diskutil mount /dev/disk0s1 ``` (Note that "/dev/disk0s1" may need to be replaced with the actual identifier of your built-in hard drive. You can find the correct identifier by typing `diskutil list`.) 3. Enter your administrator password: The system will prompt you for a password. Type it and press Enter. Your password won't be visible as you type. 4. The hard drive should remount and appear in Finder. If the issue persists, there might be other problems with the hard drive, such as errors or a damaged file system. In this case, running Disk Utility for repairs would be advisable.

Remember the either-or symptom we mentioned? If the hard drive is not showing up on Mac but can be booted, it won't show in Finder. To fix this issue, you can adjust the general settings.

Step 1: Open Finder on your Mac, then click the Finder menu at the top of the screen. Select “Preferences,” and then click the “General” tab.

Step 2: Check the box next to "Hard Disk." It's under the "Show these items on the desktop" category.

Step 3: Click the "Sidebar" tab, and check "Hard Disk" again. This time it's under "Places."

After this, your hard drive should appear in Finder. You can now access its files and applications.

Fix 2: How to Check Your Internal Hard Drive in Safe Mode on Mac

A great way to fix many Mac issues is to start the computer up in Mac Safe Mode. This is particularly useful for troubleshooting problems that aren't clearly tied to a specific app or setting. If your Mac is currently running, shut it down by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner and selecting "Shut Down." Wait about ten seconds.

On a Mac with Apple silicon:

Step 1: Hold down the Power button until you see “Loading Boot Options” on the screen.

Step 2: Select your hard drive.

Next up, translate this into American English:

Step 3. Hold down the Shift key and click on “Continue in Safe Mode.”

On an Intel-based Mac:

Step 1. Press the power button. Hold down the Shift key while doing this.

Step 2: Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

Step 3: Log in to your computer.

Fix 3: Repair the internal hard drive in Recovery Mode

Another possible solution is to repair the disk from Recovery Mode. Follow these steps, depending on whether your Mac is based on Intel or Apple Silicon:

On a Mac with Apple silicon:

Step 1: If your Mac is on, turn it off.

Step 2. Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner and choose “Shut Down.”

Step three: Hold down the power button until you see “Load Startup Options.”

Step 4: Click “Options”.

Step 5: Click “Continue”.

On an Intel-based Mac:

Step 1: Hold down the key combination until you see the startup screen.

• Command + R
• Command + Option + R
• Command + Shift + Option + R

Step 2: If applicable, enter your Mac password.

Then, in the macOS Utilities window:

Step 1: Choose Disk Utility and click Continue.

Step 2: Select your hard drive in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Select the volume on the disk. Click "First Aid" and then click "Run" to use Disk Utility to repair the Mac disk.

Disk Utility will now check the volume and fix any errors that might be preventing the internal drive from appearing on your Mac. Repeat this for each volume.

Fix 4: Format the internal hard drive using Disk Utility

If all else fails and the Mac drive still isn't showing up, formatting the drive may be necessary to resolve the issue. This will pick up where we left off. Note that formatting the drive will erase everything on the Mac, including all your content and settings.

Step 1. Launch Disk Utility, click "View" and select "Show All Devices."

Step 2: In the left sidebar, select the hard drive. Click the “Erase” button.

Step 3: Click the pop-up menu and select “GUID Partition Table.”

Step 4. A “Format” pop-up will appear. Click on it and choose a file system format from the options.

Step 5: Type the name in the designated spot.

Step 6: Click “Erase.” Disk Utility will begin formatting your hard drive.

Fix 5: Use Terminal to Check Internal Hard Drive Issues

Another option is to use the terminal. Here's how:

Step 1: Open the Terminal. Click the Launchpad icon in your Dock, search for "Terminal," and then click Terminal. You can also use Siri to open it.

Step 2: Type diskutil list and press Return.

Step 3: Look for a header row similar to /dev/disk*(External, Physical).

Step 4: Type diskutil info disk*, replacing the asterisk with the identifier number of your disk.

Fix 6: Reset the NVRAM/PRAM to resolve issues with the built-in hard drive

Resetting the non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) (or parameter RAM) is a solution to ongoing Mac issues. However, this only applies to Intel-based Mac computers.

Step 1: Turn off your Mac.

Step 2: Press the power button. Immediately press and hold Command, Option, P, and R keys together as the computer starts up.

Step 3: Release the keys about 20 seconds after your computer has started normally. Check to see if your hard drive is showing up.

Solution 7: Replace the internal hard drive if it's physically damaged

While internal hard drives are protected inside your computer, physical damage can still occur with disastrous results. The hard drive in a Mac contains disks that read and write data. Dropping your computer can damage these disks.

If you hear clicking coming from the hard drive, it's likely that the hard drive is physically damaged. In this case, you'll need to replace the hard drive. Take your Mac to an Apple Store or authorized professional for this.

Abstract

Not being able to see your internal hard drive on a Mac can be very frustrating. Luckily, there are several possible solutions to this problem. In this article, we list seven of them. Hopefully, one will work for you.

If you formatted your hard drive in the process of fixing the problem, or lost your data due to several other reasons, you can use a handy tool to recover it. The application Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan your hard drive to find the deleted files and retrieve them for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internal Hard Drive Not Showing Up on a Mac

Here are four common issues you might encounter with an internal hard drive not showing up on your Mac:

How to fix the issue of SSD not showing up on Mac?

In this article, we explore several methods to fix an internal hard drive not showing up on your Mac. These solutions also apply to fixing the issue of SSD not showing up on Mac.

1. Adjust your Mac's standard settings. 2. Check the SSD in Safe Mode. 3. Repair the SSD in Recovery Mode. 4. Format your SSD using Disk Utility. 5. Diagnose SSD issues with Terminal. 6. Reset NVRAM or PRAM to fix the SSD issue. 7. Replace your old SSD with a new one.

Why isn't my internal hard drive showing up on my Mac?

A damaged hard drive can cause your Mac to not show the internal hard drive. Incorrect settings can also lead to this issue. Exercise care when using hard drives on your Mac to prevent such problems.

How do I get my internal hard drive to show up on my Mac?

Solutions to help an internal hard drive show up on a Mac include adjusting general settings, booting in Safe Mode, using Disk Utility to repair the drive, and formatting the drive. If none of these work, your internal hard drive might be physically damaged, requiring repair at a local shop, or it might need to be replaced with a new one.

How do I recover a damaged hard drive on a Mac?

Should your hard drive fail, you can use professional data recovery tools to retrieve valuable information from it. A secure recovery tool to consider is the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. You can create a bootable installer on a USB drive and use this portable recovery software to salvage data from your damaged hard disk.