# How to Fix an SD Card That Won't Mount on Mac \(With Verifiable Steps\) *English*[*Français*](https://iboysoft.com/fr/recuperation-donnees-mac/carte-sd-ne-se-monte-pas-mac.html)[*Deutsch*](https://iboysoft.com/de/mac-datenrettung/sd-karte-nicht-mounten-mac.html)[*やまと*](https://iboysoft.com/jp/mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac.html) ## How to fix SD card not mounting on Mac? **Quick Answer:** To recover important files from the inaccessible or unmounted SD card on Mac, use[iBoysoft](https://iboysoft.com/)Data Recovery for Mac. ![SD card not mounting on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac/summary-sd-card-not-mounting-mac.jpeg) [SD cards](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/sd-card.html)are widely used to store data like photos, audio, videos, documents, numbers, presentations, etc. Usually, when you insert an SD card into the SD card slot on a Mac or connect an SD card with a[USB adapter](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/usb-port-adapter.html)or an[SD card reader on a Mac](https://iboysoft.com/tips/sd-card-reader-macbook-pro.html), the SD card will be detected and then mounted on your Mac. You can find it on the destop and access, transfer files from it as expected. However, sometimes, the SD card won't mount on your Mac or digital camera, preventing you from accessing the files, as shown in the forum post below. > Hello everyone\! I'm having some issues mounting an SD card on my 2016 MacBook Pro via a USB\-C SD Card reader. The problem is that the card does not mount at all, not in Finder nor on the Desktop. I can't mount the SD card in Disk Utility either. So I'm reaching out to see if any of you might have an idea of how to fix this. This article provides 8 ways to help you mount the SD card on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, or iMac. [How to Fix SD Card not Showing up, Reading or Recognizing on Mac?](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-working-recognized-on-mac.html) This post will show you how to fix an SD card that's not showing up on a Mac in efficient ways. Then, you can get your data back. ## Solution 1: Test the SD card on another Mac or with a new card reader Whatever[SD card problems](https://iboysoft.com/sd-card-recovery/corrupted-sd-card.html)you encounter, the first step is to check whether the connection is well. To check the connection between an SD card and a Mac, you can replace the SD card reader, USB adapter, or USB cable with an alternative one. On top of that, you can also insert the enclosure into another Mac port to see if everything works well. If the card works well, then it's the fault of the reader, adapter, or cable causing the Mac not to mount the SD card. You should move to address the issue of the[SD card reader not working](https://iboysoft.com/howto/sd-card-reader-not-working.html)instead of spending time and energy on the SD card perse. If SD still fails to mount on your Mac, try the following solutions elaborated below\! Please leave your comment then share it with more people on your favorite social platform\! ## Solution 2: Restart your Mac computer [Restarting a Mac](https://iboysoft.com/howto/restart-mac.html)can solve temporary system glitches and gets it ready for the next working routine. When an SD card is not mounted on your Mac, it's useful to try a reboot. Just safely[remove the SD card from your MacBook](https://iboysoft.com/tips/remove-sd-card-from-macbook.html)\> completely shut down your Mac computer and remove the power cable \(if you have a laptop, please remove the battery\) \> then turn on your computer and plug your SD card into your computer's SD card slot \> wait and see if the SD card successfully mounts on your device. ## Solution 3: Check the SD card format [BitLocker encryption](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/bitlocker.html)is developed by Microsoft for Windows only; if your drive is BitLocker\-encrypted, macOS can't read it. To check if the SD card is BitLocker\-encrypted, you can insert it into an SD card slot or enclosure of a Windows PC, then see if it shows up in File Explorer and asks for a password for accessing. If it does, the SD card is undoubtedly encrypted with BitLocker. To make it readable on a Mac, you must decrypt it on a PC and then use it for file transfer or storage on a Mac. Or, more simply, you can launch[iBoysoft BitLocker for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/bitlocker-for-mac/)to unlock the SD card storage for file access, especially for users who don't have a PC at hand. ## Solution 4: Update macOS and disk drivers Out\-of\-date software \(e.g., disk driver\) installed on a Mac may result in all sorts of unexpected issues. For example, it causes performance lags and disk mounting problems. To deal with the issue that the[external hard drive won't show up on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/external-hard-drive-not-showing-up-on-mac.html), you ought to check if there is any software update available and update it now if there is. **1. Update the software on the newer macOS.** The update steps vary based on the Mac operating system your Mac is running, please follow the steps that fit your macOS. For macOS Monterey to macOS Mojave users, click**About This Mac**from the**Apple Menu**, then tap**Software Update**to check for updates. If any updates are available, click "**Update Now**" and then restart your Mac to mount the SD card. For macOS Ventura and later macOS versions, click**Apple Menu**\>**System Settings**\>[General](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/general-tab-mac.html)\>**Software Update**\>**Update Now**. **2. Update the software on earlier macOS versions.** Just launch the Mac App Store, click the "**Update**" tab at the top, and then choose "**Update All**". ![Update SD card disk driver on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac/update-mac-drivers.png) ## Solution 5: Ensure the SD card is set to show up on Mac If the external hard drive is set to not show up on the Mac desktop, you can't see it when connected. It apperas that the drive didn't mount on your Mac though you can still open and read the files stored on it in Disk Utility. Let's see if you have disabled the external disks from showing up on your Mac: 1.**Check your Finder preferences**. First of all, you need to make sure your Finder preferences are set correctly. 1. Open a Finder window randomly and click **Finder** in the upper left corner of the Mac desktop. 2. Click **Preferences** from the dropdown menu and select **General** for further checks. 3. Ensure the ' **External disks** ' option is toggled on. 4. Switch to the **Sidebar** menu and check the ' **External disks** ' option. Then, go check if the SD card mounts on your Mac successfully. ![Mount SD card on the desktop](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac/show-external-disk.png) 2.**Check if the SD card is listed in Disk Utility**. After you confirm that the SD card is visible on the Finder and Mac desktop, you need to check if it appears in Disk Utility as well. 1. Open **Finder** and click **Applications** from the sidebar to access it. 2. Locate **Utilities** and find **Disk Utility** to open it by double\-clicking. 3. Identify if the SD card is listed on the left sidebar of Disk Utility. If not, the SD card not mounting issue is caused by file system errors. You need to fix the issue of the[SD card not showing up on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac.html)Disk Utility. ## Solution 6: Repair the unmountable SD card with Disk Utility If your SD card is listed in Disk Utility but can't be mounted, you can tap the SD card in the device list and click the**Mount**button to force mount it. If this operation doesn't work, it means the file system of the SD card is corrupted. Don't worry\! There is a chance to repair it still. 1. Go to **Application** , click **Utilities** , and select **Disk Utility** to open. 2. Click " **View** " in the top menu bar \(Or click " **View** " on the top window\). Then select " **Show All Devices** ". ![Click Show All Devices in Disk Utility](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac/show-all-devices-disk-utility.png) 3. Select the unmountable SD card from the left sidebar and click " **First Aid** " on the top of the Disk Utility window. 4. Click " **Run** " to perform hard disk diagnostics and fix the not mounting or not working SD card. ![Repair disk errors when SD card is not mmounting in Disk Utility](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-mac-data-recovery/sd-card-not-mounting-mac/first-aid.png) Once the repair ends, Disk Utility will notify you with a popup saying the repair is successful or failed. If the repair works out, you can read and write to the SD card without a hitch. If the repair fails to make the SD card mountable, try the following solutions then. ## Solution 7: Recover data and reformat the SD card Once[Disk Utility fails to repair the disks on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/disk-utility-cant-repair-disk.html), you can reformat the SD card drive to give it a new file system for further file storage and organization. Before the format, you should make a full backup of this SD card since the format wipes everything stored on it. However, since the SD card is not mounted on your Mac, you have no access to the files and folders stored on it. In such a case, you can try iBoysoft Data Recovery to recover files from the SD card before the format. ### Step 1: Recover lost data from the unmountable SD card I recommend[iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/free-mac-data-recovery.html), it is the best software for[SD card recovery on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/sd-card-recovery/recover-sd-card-mac.html)and[SDHC card data recovery on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/sdhc-card-recovery-mac.html). It can recover lost data like videos, images, audio, photos, Word documents, archive files, and email files from unmountable SD memory cards, including SDXC, SDHC, and SD cards that are used in digital cameras, android phones, and computers. You can recover files from SD memory cards formatted with APFS, HFS\+, HFS\+, exFAT, and FAT32. This excellent data recovery tool supports a large number of common SD card brands, including SanDisk, Lexar, Transcend, Samsung, and Sony. Recovering data from an unmounted SD card therefore is not wishful thinking anymore. So, just try this SD card recovery software on macOS 15 Sequoia/macOS 14 Sonoma/macOS 13 Ventura/12 Monterey/macOS 11 Big Sur/Catalina 10.15/Mojave 10.14/High Sierra 10.13/Sierra 10.12/10.11 with ease. It also works fine on M3, M2, M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max Mac. **This video will guide you on how to recover data from an unmountable SD card on Mac:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtPatLWHRwU ### Step 2: Reformat the unmountable SD card With all files and folders at hand under the assistance of Mac Data Recovery software, then you can learn[how to format an SD card on your Mac](https://iboysoft.com/howto/format-sd-card-on-mac.html). ## Solution 8: Ask for help from a local professional With all solutions being implemented, if you say the SD card still not mounting on Mac, you're out of luck because it indicates that the SD card is severely corrupted or physically damaged. In this case, you can only send the SD card to local professionals for help. Just bring the SD card to the local external disk repair center for repair. Do not forget to file a report to the vendor of the SD card in case they get any idea about this issue. How to Fix exFAT Drive Not Mounting/Showing Up on Mac? If your unmountable SD card is exFAT formatted, you can read more solutions to fix it in this article.[Read more \>\>](https://iboysoft.com/howto/exfat-drive-not-mounting-mac.html) ## FAQs ATo manually mount your SD card on Mac, open Disk Utility, select your SD card and click the Mount button. ATo make a Mac recognize an SD card, ensure the SD card and reader are not physically damaged, the card is properly connected, the file system is Mac\-compatible \(such as exFAT or FAT32\), and the reader, ports, and Mac settings are functioning properly.