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You may get the error 'The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer' when plug in a USB flash drive to your Mac. You can fix the unreadable USB flash drive by formatting, which will erase all your data. It's better recover the unreadable flash drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac before you fix or format it.
Problem Description - USB flash drives not readable on Mac
As we all know, USB flash drives are widely used for storing and transferring data from an iMac, MacBook or Mac Mini, though newer MacBook Pro and Air uses no USB 3.0 port.
'I have a 32 GB USB which has suddenly come up with a message stating the USB flash drive is not readable by this computer (Apple MacBook Pro). I do not want to initialize it as this will result in loss of my data. How can I fix the unreadable USB on Mac and recover lost data?'
Generally, when you insert in the USB pen drive, it will be mounted in Disk Utility and on Desktop for data access. However, a very distressing situation, just as the user above, is that the USB flash drive may not be readable, recognized, working, or not showing up on Mac.
How to fix unreadable USB flash drive on Mac?
Here are 6 methods to fix your unreadable USB thumb drive and make it working on your Apple Mac again.
Solution 1: Check the USB port or cable
Check that USB port on your Mac. Plug into a different USB port or plug another device in and see if that works OK.
If you use a USB hub bacause your MacBook has no USB 3.0 port, also make sure the hub is not faulty. Try using a different USB cable with the USB drive to see if that fixes the non-readable problem.
Solution 2: Update or reinstall the driver
When your USB flash drive is not readable by your Mac, especially after a recent macOS Big Sur update or you haven't updated the macOS for years, you should check if any updates are available please do the following:
- 1. Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen.
- 2. Select 'Software Update...'
- 3. Any updates available will be listed and able to be downloaded or you will be told your software is up to date.
If not, check the official website of the USB manufacturer for any update.
Solution 3: Check the file system format
If the files system is NTFS format, it's not hard to understand why the USB flash drive is unreadable on Mac. To make sure, you can go to Disk Utility and check its file system. To fix the incompatible issue, you can download and install an NTFS driver to read and write NTFS drives on Mac.
Solution 4: Repair the unreadable USB flash drive with First Aid
You don't have seek for online USB flash drive repair. Instead, Disk Utility's First Aid on your Mac is capable of repairing minor errors of disks.
Here is how to repair USB flash drive when it's not readable, not recognized, not working, or even not showing up on your Mac.
- 1. Launch Disk Utility from Utilities.
- 2. Select the unreadable USB drive from the sidebar.
- 3. Click First Aid at the top of the window, and then wait until the reparation process finishes.
Solution 5: Recover and reformat the unreadable USB drive
IfFirst Aid failed to fix the unreadable drive, it indicates that the USB drive might have severe errors beyond its capability. Then the best solution is to reformat the unreadable USB drive and make it readable or usable again.
But keep in mind that formatting USB flash drive on Mac will wipe all data stored on it. So, please make sure you have a backup copy out of the USB drive.
If you are unable to do so because you can't open it for backup already, follow the steps to recover lost data from the unreadable USB drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
iBoysoft Data Recovery Software for Mac is afree USB drive data recovery tool that supports recovering deleted videos, documents, photos, music and much more files from unreadable USB flash drives from Samsung, SanDisk, Toshiba, Lexar, PNY, etc.
Besides, iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac also recovers deleted files from flash drives, recover lost data from formatted, inaccessible, unmounted, corrupted drives
Steps to recover lost data and fix the unreadable USB drive on Mac
Now, download iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your macOS Big Sur 11/Catalina 10.15/Mojave 10.14/High Sierra 10.13 and older to recover unreadable flash drive.
- 1. Connect the unreadable USB drive to Mac.
- 2.Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 3. Select the unreadable USB and click the Next button. The program will start to scan for lost files.
- 4. Preview the scanning results and choose files you want to recover, and then click Recover button to get those files back.
- 5. Launch Disk Utility and format the USB flash drive on your Mac.
Hopefully, the USB drive will be readable now.
Solution 6: Send the unreadable USB drive to a local technician
Sometimes, you cannot format the unreadable USB drive when it's bricked. In this case, this USB flash drive is probably damaged physically, and you have to ask a local repair technician for help.
Bonus tips: How to maintain an USB flash drive for usage
Firstly, make sure that your USB flash drives don't become unreadable/corrupted in the future by always properly unmounting the disk properly after using it.
Secondly, download install an anti-virus program and check your computer and USB drive for virus or malware regularly.
Moreover, keep the driver and the Mac computer updated. The last and most important thing is to remember backing up important files as it is the golden rules to avoid data loss.
If unfortunately, you have lost data on your Mac computer or any other storage media, you can rely on iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. Just download this program and get all lost data back.
Why is USB flash drive is not readable on Mac?
Actually, USB drives are susceptible to such kind of corruptions, as these drives are usually plugged in and out.
Here are some of the common reasons behind this issue:
- USB flash drive is virus infected
- A virus or a Trojan may delete critical system elements, thus disabling the OS and making the drive unrecognized.
- USB flash drive file system corruption
- The USB flash drive was removed improperly from the computer for reasons like sudden power surge, abrupt removal, and unintentional touch, which leads to file system corruption.
- Faulty USB port or cable
- If the USB port or cable of the computer is not working properly, your Mac computer won't recognize or read the flash drive.
- File system incompatibility
- The issues between the USB drive file system and macOS, for example, Windows NTFS file system is not completely compatible with macOS.
- Sometimes, you can't even read files or folders on NTFS USB drives through an Apple M1 Mac.
- Out-of-date drivers
- If drivers are out of date, the Mac operating system and your applications on the computer will fail to interact with all hardware devices. So the USB flash drive becomes unreadable.
- A dead/bricked USB drive after physical damage
- If your USB drive is seriously broken by hitting, dropping, shaking, etc., there is no USB repair tool or USB flash recovery software for Mac can help you.
Conclusion
Wish you have fixed the unreadable USB flash drive and now it's working perfectly on your Mac. These effective solutions also can be used when USB not recognized, working, showing up on Mac.
Which solution really helps you out? Do you have any other great solution to fix this issue? Please don't be hesitate to share them with us.
Mac OS
This error message may show when attempting to run the installer package for PILOTLOG.
The issue is caused by your Mac's 'launch services database'. You can rectify this issue as outlined below.
MONO Framework
1) Download the Mono framework from our website (here).
After download, you find the Installer package, located on the desktop or in the Download folder
2) Go to File > Get Info
3) In the 'Open with' section, verify that the proper program is showing :
- For 'MonoFramework...pkg' - it should say 'Installer'
- For 'XQuartz....dmg' - it should say 'DiskImageMounter' (see below for XQuartz)
Her Pen Mac Os Catalina
4) If the 'Open with' program is not properly configured, pull down the 'Open with' section and click on 'Other...'
Her Pen Mac Os Download
5) In the new window that opens, navigate to >System (at the top level of your boot volume)> Library > CoreServices
6) Pick the appropriate program as described in Step 3) and continue with 'Add' :
7) Press the 'Change All' button to continue :
The XQuartz
Repeat steps 1) through 7) for XQuartz
The XQuartz file is provided as .dmg file. A .dmg file is kind of like an USB stick in a file and can be handled more or less the same way. To install from a .dmg file you usually do the following :
- double click the .dmg to make its content available (name will show up in the Finder sidebar), usually a window opens showing the content as well
- drag the application from the .dmg window into /Applications to install (may need an administrator password)
- wait for the copy process to finish
- eject the .dmg (by clicking the eject button in the Sidebar)
- delete the .dmg from Downloads