by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2020-02-27 / Update for Mac OS

Jul 26, 2019  Summary. Here is a step-by-step guide for you to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up in My Computer in Windows 10. Providing that data is valuable, we suggest you try fixes first to make the disk show up in Disk Management, and next take one more step to recover data on the unrecognized Seagate external hard drive with the help of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

So you plugged in your Seagate hard drive into your Mac and it ain't showing up, right? Well, perhaps, the files and folders or the disk itself is unapproachable and therefore, your Mac was unable to detect the Seagate external hard drive. Consequently, the Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac Sierra! But worry no more, we've got your back! We are going to uncover some proven ways to fix Seagate hard drive not showing up Mac. Stay glued!

Part 1: Why Seagate External Hard Drive Not Showing up Mac?

Usually, when an external hard drive is plugged into Mac via a USB port, it gets mounted over the desktop. You can even find it under the Devices column on the left in the Finder. Just in case, your Seagate hard drive not showing up on Mac, there can be a number of reasons behind it. Here are they.

• 1. Chances are that your hard drive may have been corrupted.
• 2. Perhaps, it may not have been formatted properly.
• 3. Maybe, the drive got broken internally due to physical damage.
• 4. Or, your Seagate hard drive is faulty.

Part 2: Quick Fix The Issue of Seagate Hard Drive Not Showing up Mac

1. Check If Connected Properly

First things first, check if the Seagate external hard drive that is not showing up Mac is properly plugged in to the USB port. It is one of the most notable reasons when Mac fails to mount the drive. If you are using an older Mac ensure that the drive is receiving enough power supply. Older Macs need a special USB power cable, which splits up into two USB connectors and both of which has to be plugged into the Mac.

2. Troubleshoot the Seagate Hard Drive

If the above mentioned solution brought you no good, then you need to troubleshoot the Seagate Hard Drive. Try reconnecting the hard drive into a different USB port and check if it shows up or not. If not, you should then plug it in a different Mac or Windows PC to check if it is the hard drive itself that is faulty.

3. Restart your Mac

Performing a restart has known to be an ideal solution to resolve various software glitches in the first place. If your Seagate external hard drive not showing up Mac Sierra, try restarting it with the help of the steps mentioned right below.

Hit on the 'Apple' icon available on the top left corner of your Mac screen and then opt for the 'Restart' option from the appearing drop down menu.

4. Fix The Seagate Hard Drive with Disk Utility

If the above methods were not able to produce good results for you, the next method to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up Mac is via Disk Utility. Here's what you need to do.

Step 1: Launch the 'Spotlight search' by hitting the 'cmd + spacebar' key over your keyboard and punch in 'Disk Utility'. Hit the 'Return' key afterwards to launch the program.

Step 2: On the left panel of the Disk Utility, you'll be able to locate your Seagate hard drive. If your drive is there and not mounted, it should appear as greyed out. Select the drive and then opt for 'Mount' option. Once mounted, the drive will now turn to normal.

Step 3: If Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac yet, try running the First Aid and Erase options to fix or format the drive respectively.

Part 3: The Ultimate Way to Recover Files from Formatted Seagate External Hard Drive

Since, the Seagate hard drive has now been formatted and is now accessible on your Mac, the data stored over it have been wiped off completely. Now, if you wish to recover the data contained within the formatted Seagate external hard drive. We have brought you the ultimate way to serve the purpose. Tenorshare Ultdata – Mac Data Recovery is your life saver when it comes to recovering data from various data loss scenarios. No matter if the data was stored over your Mac or over the external storage drive, Tenorshare Ultdata - Mac Dasta Recovery can retrieve the lost data without any hassle.

Step 1: Install and launch the Tenorshare Ultdata - Mac Data Recovery over your Mac and then opt for the desired location from where the data has been lost. Then hit the 'Scan' button to initiate scanning of lost data.

Note: If you're recovering data over the macOS High Sierra system or higher, you need to grant access to Mac files by disabling SIP first.

Step 2: Soon after the scan completes, you will be allowed to preview the data detected for recovery. You can selectively check the categories or the individual files as well that you wish to recover. Once done, hit the 'Recover' button. Lastly, set the destination location and you're done.

Seagate External Hard Drive App

Conclusion

Well, that was all about how to fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up on Mac Sierra. We are now positive that you've successfully got your issue resolved. And just in case, you need format your hard drive for some reason, you can always look up to the mighty tool Tenorshare Ultdata – Mac Data Recovery to retrieve the lost data back.

Summary

A Seagate external hard drive can occasionally not be detected/recognized by the PC. The reasons why this can happen and several solutions are provided. If you notice any data loss once your hard drive is recognizable again, download reliable data recovery software to recover the lost data.

My 1TB Seagate external hard drive cannot be detected by my computer but the light is blinking, what can I do to fix this? I need to get my data back. I use it at as a backup so pretty much all of my personal and work files are stored in the drive. Please help me out.

There are a variety of reasons why an external hard drive can become undetectable. Luckily, this is a well-documented issue and there are a number of fixes to get your external hard drive working again. First we’ll discuss why your Seagate external hard drive cannot be detected by your Windows PC, then we'll provide you with some effective solutions.

Download Driver For Seagate External Hard Drive

ReasonsWhy Does a Seagate External Hard Drive Become Undetectable

Seagate external hard drive not recognized due to:

• PC's USB port is not working.
• Hard drive driver is out of date.
• Virus attack.
• Hard drive failure.

Five SolutionsFix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Detected

So, how do you fix these problems when your hard drive, such as Seagate external hard drive, becomes undetected or unrecognized? There can be a number of underlying causes, so these solutions try to cover every circumstance.

Fix 1. Try a different USB port

If the Seagate external hard drive is blinking but not detected on you PC, then you can try to unplug and plug it into a different USB port.

Also, you can reboot your PC and try to connect your Seagate external hard drive to the computer again.

If this simple fix works, then your problem with the Seagate 'external hard drive not detected' error is solved.
If not, move on to the other solutions offered here.

Fix 2. Uninstall Hard Drive Driver

By carefully performing the four steps, you should be able to resolve the unrecognition problem of the Seagate external hard drive.

• Step 1: Click on Start > Type: devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
• Step 2: Open Device manager > Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers > check whether any device shows up as unrecognized.
• Step 3: If it displays as unrecognized, go to the drivers tab and delete/uninstall the driver. Then check whether the external hard drive shows up in My Computer/My PC or not.
• Step 4: If it doesn't show up, reboot or restart the PC. If it shows up but disappears later, repeat the above steps and go to Disk Management > Change drive letter of your external hard drive only > Select one new drive letter to replace the old one by clicking Change, and click OK to confirm.

Fix 3. Turn on USB Root Hub

• Step 1: Click on Start > Type: devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
• Step 2: Click View > Select Show hidden devices.
• Step 3:Expand all notes by clicking on the + (plus) symbol.
• Step 4:If there are any grayed-out entries, right-click on them and select Uninstall.
• Step 5:Reboot and try again.

Fix 4. Show All Hidden Devices

• Step 1: Click on Start > Type: devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
• Step 2: Click View > Select Show hidden devices.
• Step 3:Expand all notes by clicking on the + (plus) symbol.
• Step 4: If there are any grayed-out entries, right-click them and select Uninstall.
• Step 5: Reboot and try again.

Fix 5. Make Changes in Registry

• Step 1: Click on Start > Type:regedt32 and click OK.
• Step 2: Back up your registry by going to File > export.
• Step 3: On the left side, go to:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
• Step 4: If you see any upperfilter or lowerfilters at the right side, delete them.
• Step 5: Then try accessing your external hard drive again.

How to Import/Restore Registry from A Manual Backup:

• Step 1: Type: regedit.ext in Search and hit Enter.
• Step 2: In the Registry Editor, click File > Import.
• Step 3:In the Import Registry File dialog box, select the location where you saved the backup copy, select the backup file, and click Open.
• Step 4: After this, restart your PC.

Fix 6. Run a Virus Cleaner Software

If it is a virus that caused your external hard drive to be undetectable or unrecognized, you can try a virus cleaner software to wipe out and remove any viruses from your PC and hard drive. Afterwards you can format the hard drive to make it readable again, but formatting will delete any software on the drive.

Data RecoveryRecover all lost data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

After getting your hard drive to be recognized once more, you should check to see whether any files were lost. Files could have been lost due to the drive becoming unreadable, or from fixing this issue.

You can turn to these two methods for help:

• Method 1. If you do have backups on your Seagate external hard drive, you can directly restore those lost files from your backups.
• Method 2. If you have no backups, here the best hard drive recovery software will help you.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will assist you with restoring unlimited data from your Seagate external hard drive in three simple steps. Even if you don’t notice any files missing, you can use this tool to scan your entire drive for any lost files that you may have missed. You can download this software and scan your drive completely for free.

Seagate External Hard Drive For Mac

If the amount of lost data is less than 2GB, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition will help you restore it all for free. Alternatively, you can purchase the Pro version to recover an unlimited amount of data.

Save your recovered data to another location than the external storage device. It is recommended that you reformat or format this drive to make sure it's secure for storing new data again. To do this, first back up the data on the drive, format, then restore the data.