Summary: When plugging your Seagate Backup Plus into a Mac computer, you may find the drive stops working and is not mounting in Disk Utility. Have you been troubled by the issue? This post will give you 7 workable solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus drive not mounting/working issue on Mac.
Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is often used for Time Machine backup. But many users reported that they were unable to mount Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac computers. And some say theirSeagate Backup Plus couldn't work on Mac after plugged in. Here is a real example:
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'I really need your help. My Seagate Backup plus just stopped getting detected (led not working anymore) with my MacBook Pro 2016 model (with USB Type C to USB 3 connector) suddenly. It was working fine 1 month before. I tried this backup disk with a Windows computer and the LED light is working in that case but I am not able to get it to work with my MacBook Pro anymore. Any idea guys?'
In fact, this issue is very common, especially for those who frequently share the same drive between different computers. This page will help when Seagate Backup Plus drive doesn't work on Mac.
7 solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, not working on Mac
For some reason, Seagate external hard drives could not be recognized by Mac. If you can't mount the Seagate Backup Plus drive in Disk Utility, the hard drive won't work on Mac. And you can't access the data stored on it. So it's very urgent to fix the problem to make it work again.
Here are solutions to the Seagate Backup Plus not working or mounting issue.
1. Have some basic checks
Sometimes, the Seagate Backup Plus drive won't mount on Mac is due to the bad USB port or cable. Thus, once the Seagate Backup Plus drive stops working, you can first do some routine checks as below.
Step 1. Check if the cable of the Seagate Backup Plus drive is connected properly to your Mac If the drive isn't properly plugged in, it will fail to mount as it received not enough or even no power.
Step 2. Make sure the USB cable is not at fault Try using a different USB cable to see if that fixes the problem.
Step 3. Check if the USB port is damaged Plug the Seagate Backup Plus into another USB port if you have another one. Otherwise, insert another external storage device in this USB port.
Step 4. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is powered properly In general, the current of USB port 2.3 and 3.0 are enough for the most external portable hard drives. But sometimes this amount of current may be insufficient while the drive is spinning up.
In this situation, you can try to connect the Seagate Backup Plus with a USB Y cable if you have one. And for Seagate Backup Plus Hub and Expansion Desktop, a power adaptor is required for power supply.
Step 5. Access the drive on other Macs Connect the Seagate Backup Plus drive to another Mac computer to see whether it works on that one or not. If the drive works on another Mac computer, there is something wrong with your Mac computer rather than the drive. What you should do is to ask for help from Apple support.
Step 6. Check if the format of Seagate hard drive is supported by macOS For example, a Windows BitLocker encrypted drive will not be working on Mac originally. Your Mac computer is not able to mount it. To fix the problem, you can plug the Seagate Backup Plus into a PC and then access the drive on Windows.
2. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus is showing up in Disk Utility
To troubleshoot this problem, you first need to know if this Seagate hard drive is detected by your Mac. Open the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. Launch Disk Utility and check the left pane then. If you can't see the external hard drive in macOS, the drive probably has been physically damaged. In that case, you should send the drive to the local repair shop. Otherwise, you can move to the next solution.
3. Check if the Seagate Backup Plus drive is mounted in Disk Utility
If the Seagate Backup Plus is mounted in Disk Utility, you should blame the wrong computer settings or outdated computer. Fortunately, it's easy to fix these issues. Just try solution 4 and solution 5. If the external hard drive is greyed out in Disk Utility, it's not mounted. You can try right-clicking the Seagate Backup Plus and choose the 'Mount' button. If that doesn't work, the drive has some file system problems. Please follow the solution 6 to repair the problem.
4. Show the Seagate Backup Plus on the desktop
If the Seagate external hard drive is mounted in Disk Utility, but it still doesn't show up on Mac. First of all, you should make sure the settings in Finder display drive icons on the desktop.
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > General tab.
Step 2: Select 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop' and then the connected external hard drive will appear on the desktop.
5. Repair Seagate Backup Plus drive via First Aid
Seagate Backup Plus not mounting issue on Mac can be caused by file system problems. Disk Utility's First Aid is a built-in tool on Mac to deal with errors related to disks, such as file system corruption. So you can try to fix the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive in Disk Utility by following the steps below.
Macbook Hard Drive Replacement
Step 1: Go to Utilities Disk Utility.
Step 2: Click 'View' in the top menu bar (Or click 'View' on the top window). Then select 'Show All Devices'.
Step 3: Select the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive from the left sidebar.
Step 4: Click 'First Aid' on the top of the Disk Utility window.
Step 5: Click 'Run' to perform hard disk diagnostics and fix the not mounting/not working Seagate Backup Plus.
6. Update the software on Mac
Software updates keep your computer and programs secure, deal with quite a few bugs, and provide new features. Out-of-date software can cause a variety of issues. It's possible that the operating system will become sluggish and the connected device may not function properly. Fortunately, you can easily update the software on Mac.
Case 1. Update the software on macOS Mojave or Catalina. If you upgrade to macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina, you should choose 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu, then click 'Software Update' to check for updates. If any updates are available, click 'Update Now' to install them.
Case 2. Update the software on earlier macOS versions. Just launch the Mac App Store, click the 'Update' tab on the top and then choose the 'Update All'.
7. Fix the not mounting or working Seagate Backup Plus drive by reformatting
If First Aid failed on the external hard drive, it might have some serious errors that are beyond its reparation capability. In that case, you need to recover lost data from the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive as soon as possible.
Step 1. Recover lost data from the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Back Plus
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is free external hard drive data recovery software. It can easily recover files when the hard drive is not working or mounting on Mac. Also, it canrecover deleted photos and lost data from formatted drives, unreadable drives, corrupted drives, and recover deleted/lost partitions, etc. It's compatible withmacOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.
2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
3. Select the Seagate Backup Plus and click the 'Scan' button to scan for all lost data.
4. Preview the searching results, choose files you want to get back, and click the 'Recover' button.
Here is a short video tutorial which shows you how to recover lost data from unmountable/corrupted external hard drives:
Step 2: Reformat the Seagate Backup Plus to make it work
After recovering data from the unmounted Seagate Backup Plus, you can now go to Disk Utility and reformat it without worrying about data loss. Step software download.
• Steps to reformat Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive
If unfortunately, you can't reformat the Seagate Backup Plus drive, it must have physical issues. In this case, you have to look for help from a local data recovery company.
Bonus Part: Introduction to different Seagate Backup Plus drives
You probably use a Seagate desktop drive like Backup Plus Hub and Expansion. Or you could use a Backup Plus Portable drive like Ultra Touch and Slim. No matter which Seagate Backup Plus drive you choose, it could not work on the Mac for some reason.
Therefore, it's important to know the differences between those Seagate Backup Plus drives. This helps you to use the Seagate Backup Plus drive more correctly and efficiently, and then avoid hard disk corruption.
1. Seagate Backup Plus Hub: This Seagate Backup Plus Desktop drive has large capacities with cross-platform compatibility, which means you don't have to format the drive for both Mac and Windows again. It's an all-in-one data hub and recharging station for tablet, smartphone and camera.
2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch: Backup Plus Ultra Touch portable hard drives feature password protection and hardware encryption, USB-C compatibility, and file sync. You can't open the Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac until it's unlocked. Moreover, an NTFS for Mac software is needed to use Backup Plus Ultra Touch on Mac, as it's preformatted with NTFS.
3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim: Seagate Backup Plus is small enough for a loaded laptop bag. It's an ideal external hard drive with easy portability and enough storage space. But avoid dropping your Seagate Backup Plus drive during transportation, in case it's damaged and not working.
4. SeagateBackup Plus Portable: Backup Plus portable drives offer easy-to-use software tools like Seagate Dashboard, so that you can schedule automatic backup and mirror folders easily.
Conclusion
No matter what caused Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, working, or readable issue on Mac, such as logical problems and physical damages, the most important thing is to back up important data or recover lost data with free Mac data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a powerful and reliable data recovery tool on macOS which supports various external drives, including external hard drives, SD cards, USB flash drives, etc.
If you have any suggestions to solve this issue or experience any questions when using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, please feel free to let us know.
The days of floppy disks are long past, and while CD-Roms are still around very few people use them for anything besides the occasional mixtape or digital photo album.
As we race ahead into the era of cloud storage, it’s worth keeping an eye on our friend — the USB Flash Drive, which has by no means expired.
Flash drives are reliable even when the Internet is down, files are too large to upload, or when you can’t remember your password. Plus, they’re easily shared among other people and can be used to distribute large amounts of information as well or store the final version of a project for later reference.
So whether you want a place to keep your digital movie collections, the latest year’s worth of schoolwork, or all the material for a particular client, a thumb drive is a versatile and inexpensive solution to your problem.
In this buying guide, we’ll help you choose the best flash drive that works with your MacBook Pro. In addition, you’ll learn tips and tricks on how to keep the drive in good shape.
Quick Summary
Want to be on the cutting edge of the future and enjoy using USB Type-C? Luckily SanDisk offers 256GB Ultra Dual USB-C Drive, which contains plenty of storage while allowing you to use a newer MacBook without dongles.
If you’re looking for as much space as you can get at a great value and reliability, the PNY Turbo 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive will have you covered with a sleek design and an expansive 256 GB of storage.
Just need something that will last a while and have enough space for your old photos and videos? The Samsung BAR Plus 64GB is durable and the 32 GB of space includes a keychain attachment so you can’t lose the drive anytime soon.
Who Should Get This?
USBs are almost completely universal devices, so you don’t have to worry about which ones will or won’t work with your computer unless you have the newest MacBook Pro, which has no USB-A slots at all! In that case, you’ll need a USB-C dock or adapter in order to use most flash drives, or you can purchase a specialty USB-C model.
Beyond that, almost everyone can benefit from having a USB drive on hand. They work on both Macs and PCs without reformatting so file transfer and backup are very easy. You can keep any type of file on them, and you’ll doubtless need one soon in the future to save something large or pass a file to a friend.
However, for those who’ve been used to live “in the cloud” (aka, using cloud storage or services for all kind of files), you probably won’t need a physical disk drive at all.
Buying a Flash Drive for Mac: What to Consider in 2020?
Capacity
When you’re storing files, space is everything. Especially since thumb drives aren’t expandable, you’ll want to pick one big enough to encompass your needs for quite a while. Alternatively, if you like to keep each project separate, buy many small flash drives so you don’t have an excess of space that you don’t end up utilizing.
Type
These days, USBs are coming in more and more varieties. The classic USB-A actually has two variations- 2.0 and 3.0, and you’ll want to get a 3.0 model whenever possible since at this point 2.0 is fairly outdated though widely available. You can also step it up a notch by going for USB-C, which has the new reversible design and doesn’t look anything like you would expect. It’ll be faster and more efficient, but only newer computers have the correct port to use it.
Size
Do you lose things easily if they’re too small, or would you prefer something that fits in your wallet? USB drives can be as small as one joint of your finger or include keyrings or other attachments that make them easier to keep track of. The size is also relevant when inserting it into your computer — if your USB ports are close together, especially if you already use them regularly, a small flash drive will make sure the other accessories don’t get pushed out in the process.
The Best USB Flash Drive for MacBook: Our Picks in 2020
Kindly note that all the products recommended below are chosen based on the criteria above (plus our own personal preferences). They are, however, by no means ranked in this order.
Macbook Pro Hard Drive Upgrade
1. SanDisk 256GB Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C
Hate dongles and adapters but using the newest MacBook Pro with only Type-C ports available? This flash drive from SanDisk has you covered. The progressive design is made for the future and using USB-C, so you can copy, read, and store files even faster than USB-A 3.0 without ever needed a middleman for your laptop.
Pros:
Available from a range of 16GB all the way up to 256 GB, this USB-C drive is ready to work with your modern Mac.
The Type-C connection is cutting edge and allows faster file transfer than legacy models.
Cons:
Not all old Macs have USB-C ports, so you may be able to use the drive with your main MacBook but not with the computers of peers or your own other models.
2. PNY Turbo 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Need space in epic proportions? PNY offers a 256GB flash drive that will have you covered for quite a while. With a sleek sliding design and transfer speeds 10 times faster than with USB 2.0, you’ll be able to utilize that space quickly and efficiently. PNY has a great electronics reputation isn’t expected to fail anytime soon.
Ssd Drives Macbook Pro
Pros:
Sliding cover is attached and cannot be lost, securely covering the electronics from the elements.
Reading and writing speeds are much faster than on a USB 2.0 model, and the drive has enough space to store thousands of songs or most any other file type.
Cons:
Does not include an activity indicator light.
Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement
3. Samsung BAR Plus 200MB/s USB 3.1 Flash Drive Titan Gray
For an all-around winner, the Samsung BAR Plus drive hits all the important points. It’s extremely damage resistant, easily attaches to a keychain so you can keep track of it, and the slim design leaves plenty of space for peripherals in other ports of your MacBook. The 64 GB size is more than sufficient for a casual user.
Pros:
Slim design is durable — waterproof, shock-proof, and magnet proof- your data will be safe no matter what.
The built-in key ring makes it hard to lose, and the 64 GB of space gives you plenty of options when it comes to what data you want to store- from movies to Word documents.
Cons:
None, this drive does everything right (unless you only have type-C ports, but in that case, any USB-A device is going to be a struggle to use).
Useful Tips
External Hard Drive Macbook Pro
A USB flash drive is more than a place to store files. There are tons of fun things you can do with it, as demonstrated in this article from Gizmodo that shows you 10 cool ways to use a flash drive such as speeding up your computer, applying for a job or making new connections, etc. Nevertheless, Apple also curated a list of commonly asked questions about connecting USB devices to a Mac.
If you’re out of luck when it comes to USB-A ports, Apple has you covered with their USB-C to USB-A dongle (see on Amazon). This means you’ll be able to use any standard flash drives you have because the new USB-C port on your computer will be converted to the legacy version for a perfect fit.
Final Words
You can’t go wrong with a flash drive. From backing up your important files to storing extra video games, they’re extremely versatile and reliable. Flash drives can be used for years, and you’re never really done with one unless it becomes corrupted or lost.
Hard Drives For Macbook Pro
What do you use your flash drives for the most? Leave a comment and let us know!