Best Ways to Recover Data From an Unmountable Drive on Mac

Hard drives can often become unrecognizable to the system, causing frustration along with the fear of data loss. This problem naturally presents us with the question of "how to recover data from unmountable drive mac." To address this, we’ll go through many possible fixes for identifying the cause of the unmounted drive to make it recognizable again.

Furthermore, this article will also explore ways to mount the drives and recover data from them. Apart from mounting the drive, we will also uncover a data recovery tool for retrieving the data lost on the unmounted drive.

Part 1. Why Does a Hard Drive Become Unmountable on a Mac?

There are a multitude of reasons behind a drive that is not mounted on a Mac, some of which are stated briefly below:

1. Corrupted File System: If the file system has become corrupted due to a power failure or improper ejection, Mac is unable to mount the drive.
2. Incompatible File System: Some external drives use systems that are not supported by macOS, such as the New Technology File System used by Windows.
3. Physical Damage: Physical damage to a hard drive, like a damaged controller or a failed disk platter, could also result in the inability of the Mac to mount the drive.
4. USB or Port Problems: Sometimes, a faulty or incompatible USB port or cable will also stop the device from detecting the hard disk.
5. Operating System Errors: A software error, like a macOS bug or system inconsistencies, will also result in an external hard drive not mounting on a Mac.

Part 2. Quick Fixes for a Hard Disk Not Mounted on a Mac

Here are some quick solutions for dealing with an unmounted hard disk, before delving into elaborate ways to recover data:

1. Check the External Hard Drive Cable

First of all, check the cable of your external hard drive to identify any damage to it, like fraying or some kinks. Replace the cable if it is found damaged with another Thunderbolt or USB cable. Also, check the cable on another system to make sure it's working. This will allow it to get enough power to your disk for it to be recognized by the system.

2. Check the USB Port of the Mac

You can also try using another USB port on your Mac to plug in the hard drive. Alternatively, bypass the USB and directly plug into your Mac to make the disk readable again. Plugging your drive into a functional port will ensure smooth communication of the drive with the Mac device. This, in turn, will solve the issue of the hard drive not mounting on the Mac.

3. Verify Disk File System for Mounting on Mac

Verifying the file system compatibility for mounting a Mac is also a foundational step towards fixing this issue. Mac supports a limited set of file systems, and systems like NTFS and XFS are not supported fully by Mac. However, tools and software can be installed for the system to mount the drive. Identifying incompatible file systems and installing additional support software will enable Mac to recognize the hard drive.

4. Verify on Disk Utility

Disk utility verification detects the drive and indicates its health, telling the user if it is still mountable. This feature looks into the integrity of data stored on the drive and identifies software issues efficiently. By verifying the disk utility and fixing the file system errors, the user can restore the hard disk not mounted on the Mac. You can verify the disk utility by following the basic steps given:

Instructions. Launch the Disk Utility in Applications and go into the "View" option and select "View all Devices" from the menu. When you’re on the left side panel, you will find your external device and choose the container you want verified. If the unmount option is available, it means the device is already mounted.

Part 3. Recover Data from Unmountable Hard Drive on Mac

Some of the most effective ways to recover data from a hard disk unmountable Mac are given below:

1. Mount The Unmounted Hard Drive on Mac [Direct]

The first simple solution to an unmounted hard disk could be to mount it manually. This can be done using the disk utility application, a built-in feature to detect disks and disk health. When you mount the device partitions and containers, it will automatically mount the device and data will be recovered. Follow the basic steps below to mount your unmounted hard drive on Mac directly using Disk Utility:

Instructions. First, you will go to the disk utility app and ensure the "View all devices" option is selected in the "View" menu. On the left side bar, choose the device you want mounted or select its volume or container to mount. Click on the "Mount" option, where you may be asked to enter the password in a pop-up menu if your drive is encrypted.

2. Recover Data from Unmountable Hard Drive Using Wondershare Recoverit Mac

If you fail to mount the hard drive, it is still possible to recover data from it using a recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit. This tool provides data recovery with a high success rate and supports over 1000 different file formats, including photos and videos. You can seamlessly recover data on both Windows and Mac devices with the same efficiency that it promises.

The tool also claims to be 100% virus-free and promises the complete security of data. Moreover, when dealing with files like Word, it maintains the formatting and layout of the file. No matter what causes your data loss, including system corruption, human error, or hardware issues, this tool offers a 99.5% success rate for data recovery. There is also a batch recovery option for restoring multiple files simultaneously.

Key Features

1. Advanced Deep Scanning: The tool offers a deep scanning feature to look into every corner of the device and find even the hidden files within seconds.
2. Preview Option: You can also preview the recovered files to ensure that you do not miss out on some important component before saving them.
3. Filter Availability: An advanced filter option is available for narrowing down the search for your lost data on your device.

A Detailed Data Recovery Guide from Unmounted Drive Using Wondershare Recoverit

To recover data from a "hard disk not mounting on Mac" while using Wondershare Recoverit, follow the given basic steps:

Step 1. Choose the Device for Data Recovery

Entering the main interface of the tool, select the partition or the device in the "Hard Drives and Locations" option.

Step 2. Let the Scan Run or Pinpoint it

Let the initial scanning start where you can use filters if you’re concerned with specific data. You can also stop when the desired data can be recovered.

Step 3. Preview and Recover

Once the scan is over, you can preview your recovered data before finally restoring it to your device.

3. Restore Drive Using Disk Utility

When the mount option is unavailable in the Disk Utility app, it might be due to errors in the disk. The app, however, also provides an option to repair these disk errors and restore the drive. It does this by first diagnosing the system errors and directory issues with a first aid scan. Perform the given steps to repair the drive using Disk Utility's first aid feature:

Step 1. Go to the app and after selecting "Show all Devices," choose the device volume or container you wish to restore in the sidebar. Choose the "First Aid" option to start the diagnosis and repair process.

Step 2. Select "Run" in the pop-up menu to enable the scan to run and check the selected volume for errors.

Conclusion

To sum up, an unmountable drive can often come up as a bothersome issue. In this article, we have discovered quick fixes for the unreadable drive along with ways to mount the drive manually. We have also explored how to recover an unmountable hard drive on Mac using a data recovery tool, Wondershare Recoverit.