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USB Drive shows up on desktop but not in Finder or attachments, how to solve?

Ever since I updated to Big Sur, my usb drive shows up on the desktop but I can't find it in Finder, when I need to add attachments to emails, or any other finder-like capability which is extremely frustrating considering the frequency with which I need to perform these things. I have already gone to the Finder preferences to be sure that external disks are enabled and they are. This wasn't an issue before the update. Is there any fix to this? I can't keep moving files to the desktop to attach to emails and other platforms, and I work on two different computers in different locations (and the other is a PC) and need to be able to use my usb.

Best Answered by

Ciki Liu

Answered on Monday, April 29, 2024

 

You can go to System Preference > Energy Saver/Battery and check whether you've ticked the option to Put hard drives to sleep when possible. If so, uncheck it and your USB drive should appear in Finder. Below is a more detailed process of how to do so:

How to fix USB drive not showing up in Finder:

Step 1. Click on the Apple logo from the top-left corner of your Mac screen. Then choose System Preference from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Locate Energy Saver/Battery from Apple settings.

If you are running macOS Catalina and earlier macOS versions, spot Energy Saver from Mac system settings.

If you are using macOS Big Sur and later, on Mac desktop models, click on Energy Saver. If you are using a MacBook, choose Battery.

Step 3. In the Energy Saver panel, scroll down to find an option named Put hard drives to sleep when possible. If it's ticked, uncheck it.

In the Batter panel, click on Battery from the left column. On the right window, uncheck the Put hard drives to sleep when possible option as well.

By doing so, the macOS won't hide your USB drives in the Finder and you should successfully solve the USB drive not showing up on Mac issue.