If you’re having trouble with an external hard drive on your Mac, you may be able to fix it using the built-in Disk Utility tool. Here’s how to scan and repair an external hard drive on a Mac:
Open Disk Utility
First, open the Disk Utility app on your Mac. You can find it in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
Select the External Hard Drive
In Disk Utility, you should see your external hard drive listed in the sidebar. Select it to begin the repair process.
Run First Aid
Once you’ve selected the external hard drive, click the “First Aid” button at the top of the Disk Utility window. This will initiate a scan and repair process for the drive.
Follow the on-screen instructions and let Disk Utility do its thing. If the repair is successful, you should be able to access your files on the external hard drive again.
Try Other Troubleshooting Steps
If Disk Utility is unable to repair the external hard drive, there are a few other things you can try:
- Unplug and reconnect the drive to your Mac
- Remove any other peripheral devices that may be interfering with the drive
- Use a third-party disk repair utility like DiskWarrior or Drive Genius
- Try accessing the drive on another computer to see if the issue is with your Mac or the drive itself
If none of these steps work, it’s possible that the external hard drive is physically damaged and may need to be replaced.