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Can I and how to read the Android SD card on Mac?

I want to access the Android SD card used on my phone on iMac, can I read it, and how?

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Amanda Wong

Amanda Wong

Answered on Sunday, June 8, 2025

You can connect the SD card to your Mac via the SD card slot or a card reader. It should show up on the Desktop, the Finder, and the Disk Utility. If the file system of the Android SD card is compatible with macOS, you can read it on your Mac with ease.

First of all, identify the SD and SDXC card slots on your Mac. If your Mac's SD card slot is compatible with your Android SD card, you can directly insert it into it. In case, the built-in SD card slot is incompatible or there is no SD card slot, you can use an SD card reader.

Read more: SD Card Reader Not Working, How to Fix?

After connecting the SD card to your Mac correctly, it should appear on the Mac desktop and Finder. If the SD card is not showing on Mac, you can check the Finder preferences, the incorrect settings may be the cause. 

Open the Finder, click Finder on the top menu and choose Settings, click the General tab, then check the box of the "External disks" under "Show these items on the desktop," then choose the Sidebar tab, and tick "External disks" under the "Locations" section to show it in the sidebar of Finder.

Now, the android SD card should display on the desktop and the Finder's sidebar which enables you to access it. And the file system of the SD card should be compatible with macOS. Android supports FAT32/Ext3/Ext4 file system. Most of the latest smartphones and tablets support the exFAT file system, which is supported by macOS. If it is an incompatible one, you can not read the android SD card on Mac. The only way to use it on Mac is to format which will delete all contents.

 

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