A flash drive is similar to a hard disk, which is used to store digital data such as photos, videos, presentations, and other important documents. Under normal circumstances, when plugging in USB/thumb flash drive to your Mac’s USB port, you will see it mount on Mac. If not, then you get into an annoying trouble.

• How To Move All Photos From Mac To Flash Drive
• How To Import Photos From Mac To Flash Drive
• How To Download Photos From Mac Computer To Flash Drive
• How To Download Photos From Mac To Flash Drive Windows 7
• How To Download Photos From Mac To Flash Drive Mac

USB flash drive not showing up on Mac is a problem that freaks many users out. Today, we will expound the methods to solve USB or thumb drive not detected issue, as well as how to recover data from undetected USB flash drive.

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Recover Data from Flash Drive on Mac

• Restore data from a deleted, formatted flash drive
• Recover all sorts of your files, including photos, videos, music, emails, etc.
• Preview flash drive files before recovery
• 5 modes to solve data loss in different situations

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Why is USB Flash Drive Not Showing up on Mac?

There are several root causes that would lead to USB flash drive not showing up on Mac. When you are stuck on the undetected USB flash drive, investigate each of reasons. Most problems of flash/thumb drive can be solved effortlessly.

Main possibilities why USB flash drive not detected or recognized:

A USB 3.0, USB-C, or Thunderbolt hard drive may appeal, but if you intend to spend time using the Photos app editing the photos and so on, the best option would be to consider flash storage (an SSD). Check out our guides to the best external hard drives and what to consider while buying an SSD. Mar 26, 2021 Connect your external hard drive to your Mac. In Finder, go to your Pictures Folder. Note: If you don’t see Pictures in the sidebar, you can click Go Home Pictures. Drag your iPhoto or Photos Library onto your external hard drive. If your images are not all saved in iPhoto or Photos, you can follow these same steps but for step 2, find.

Sep 21, 2021 Move your Photos library to an external storage device. In the Finder, go to the external drive where you want to store your library. In another Finder window, find your Photos Library. By default it's stored in the Pictures folder located at /Users/ username/Pictures. Drag Photos Library to its new location on the external drive. Apr 01, 2021 Copy and Paste: Select a file, folder, or group of files, and then right-click. In the menu that pops up, select “Copy.”. Then navigate to the USB drive in Finder, right-click in an open area and select “Paste Item.”. The items will copy to the drive. You can also use the “Copy” and “Paste” commands in Finder’s Edit menu to do.

• USB flash drive is damaged (buy a new one)
• USB port is not working
• Format USB drive incorrectly before
• USB driver is unavailable or outdated
• USB firmware is corrupted (buy a new one)
• For the first time to use
• Old operating system can’t recognize the flash drive (update the system)
• …

How to Fix USB/Thumb Flash Drive Not Showing up on Mac?

According to the reasons, you can find the corresponding solutions. The following methods can solve most USB flash drive not showing up on Mac issues. Give them a try before you buy a new USB flash drive or upgrade your system.

Fix 1. Check USB Device and USB Ports

The damage of USB device would cause flash drive not showing up on Mac, particularly if you’re using a cheap and low-quality product. As for USB ports, they can become dirty and worn over time.

• Inspect the device for any physical damage or wear
• Reconnect the USB device
• Plug in USB device to another USB port
• Connect the USB device to another Mac computer
• Update the USB device drivers

Fix 2. Discharging Static Electricity

1. Unplug all USB devices and shut down your Mac.
2. Remove the battery.
3. Press the power button 5~6 times to completely release the static electricity of the motherboard.
4. Reboot your Mac and insert all USB devices, including USB flash drive.

Fix 3. Check Disk Utility

How To Move All Photos From Mac To Flash Drive

You can open Disk Utility app to check if the USB flash drive is showing up. There are two situations. If your flash drive is detected, but you still have the trouble accessing the content on the drive, you can run First Aid: click on drive > hit First Aid > run the process to repair the error on the drive.

If your Mac won’t recognize the USB flash drive, I suggest you to unmount the disk: Click on Unmount button > unplug the flash drive > wait about 10~15 seconds > plug flash drive back in. Next, try to access the flash drive again.

Fix 4. Check Finder Preferences

1. Go to Finder menu at the top of the screen, and choose Preferences option from the drop down list.
2. Tick External disks option on the General tab.
3. Swift to Sidebar tab, making sure External disks option is selected under Devices.

These steps are very important. If you haven’t ticked the option, flash drive would not show up on desktop or Finder.

Fix 5. Manage the Manual Connections

1. Navigate to Applications > Utilities > Devices.
2. Click on Devices tab and choose “Ask me what to do” option.
3. Turn to Devices menu > select External Devices.

Connecting USB drive manually may solve the flash drive not showing up or recognized problem on Mac.

How To Import Photos From Mac To Flash Drive

Fix 6. Reset SMC

Many authors are recommending to reset NVRAM or PRAM, but it does little to help. The method mainly solve some basic problems, such as wrong time, question mark icon, strange mouse scrolling speed, etc. When resetting SMC, you can fix external devices are not recognized and USB ports are not working issue.

Reset SMC with a non-removable battery:

1. Remove the USB flash drive.
2. Shut down your Mac.
3. Press and hold Shift, Control, and Option keys on the keyboard. At the same time, press the power button.
4. Hold all the keys down for 10 seconds.
5. Release them and restart your Mac.
6. Insert your USB drive and check whether flash drive not showing up or recognized on Mac issue fixed or not.

Reset SMC with a removable battery:

1. Remove the USB flash drive.
2. Shut down your Mac.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
5. Reconnect the battery and restart your Mac.
6. Re-insert flash drive to USB port.

Fix 7. Format USB Flash Drive

Why USB flash drive is in Disk Utility, but it’s unable to mount and be recognized? Why my files can’t be copied to flash drive? Obviously, you encounter disk format problem.

If your USB flash drive is used for both Windows and Mac computers, the HFS+ and NTFS formats are not applicable. HFS+ can’t be recognized on Windows, and NTFS format can only be read (unable to be written) on Mac. FAT32 and exFAT supports both of them, but FAT32 has a limitation of file size. Therefore, exFAT should be the best choice.

NTFS	HFS+	FAT32	exFAT
Mac (10.6.4 or earlier)	Read Only	✓	✓	✓
Mac (10.6.4 or later)	Read Only	✓	✓	✓
Windows XP	✓	X	✓	✓
Windows 7/8/10	✓	Read-only with Boot Camp	✓	✓
Max. file size	No limit	No limit	4GB	No limit
Max. partition size	No limit	No limit	8GB	No limit

1. Re-insert flash drive into a USB socket.
2. Launch Disk Utility software on your Mac.
3. Click on the USB drive in the left sidebar and then choose Erase tab from the right panel
4. Select ExFAT from Format dropdown menu and type the name.
5. Click on the Erase button. You will see a confirmation window, just hit the Erase button again. Then, the formatting process will be started.

Recover Lost/Formatted Data from USB/Thumb Drive on Mac

Even if your USB flash drive not showing up on Mac problem is solved, there is possibility that some files are missing on your USB or thumb flash drive. Then, you need to restore deleted or formatted files from flash drive on Mac using professional USB flash drive data recovery software.

Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac is considered as the No. 1 option to help you retrieve data from USB flash drive. It can quickly detect, preview and recover missing, formatted, deleted data. Besides supporting hard drive recovery, it offers comprehensive recovery from multiple devices as well including USB flash drive, SD card, SSD, MP3/MP4 player, Cameras, HDD, CD/DVD, etc.

Main Features of Cisdem Data Recovery

How To Download Photos From Mac Computer To Flash Drive

• Recover files from internal and external storage device: USB, SD, SDHC, Thumb drive, etc.;
• Recover lost, deleted and formatted files on Mac;
• Support recovery of videos, audios, documents, photos, archives, etc.;
• Restore files fast and sucessfully;
• 5 scanning modes;
• Allow previewing files before final recovery;

How to Recover Lost/Formatted Data from USB Drive on Mac?

1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac;
   Free Download
2. Select the scenario.
   To recover lost data from a USB flash drive, I recommend you choosing the option of External Drive Recovery mode. Advanced File Recover mode is also feasible, but it takes a long time to scan the whole lost data. As for Basic Data Recovery mode, it works for recovering photo, video, audio, and document, excluding some unneeded files, like configuration files.
3. Select your USB flash drive.
   This flash drive recovery will list all logical drives on your Mac, including hard drive and external devices. Select your USB flash drive which on the list, and click on Scan button to start the scanning process.
4. Preview and recover data from USB drive.
   After the scan, all lost contents on USB flash drive will be displayed according to file category. You can preview and check file validity before recovery. In addition, you can start a quick scan to search your target files that were lost. Finally, choose the files you intend to recover, and click on Recover button to retrieve your lost items on USB flash drive.
5. Safely Eject USB Flash Drive.
   When you want to remove the USB flash drive, don't pull it out directly. You’d better disconnect it properly to avoid damaging files on the drive: Right click the USB flash drive and choose Eject>Click the Eject button below the Devices section in Finder>Drag your USB flash drive to the trash.

Bottom Line

As USB flash drive brings so much convenience and is used frequently by us, issues tend to occur beyond our expectations. Finishing reading this guide, you will never worry about “flash drive not showing up or recognized on Mac” problem.

The possible way to avoid troubles is to eject USB flash drive safely, keep backing up important data and install anti-virus software to ensure the security. If you think these are not enough, the safest insurance is to install a USB flash drive recovery for Mac tool.

IDISkk iPhone Flash Drive 64GB Photo Stick for iPhone 11 pro XR XS Max iPad Lightning External Storage for iPhone X,iPhone 7,iPad Mini,iPad air,iPod,Mac and PC,MFi Certified 4.2 out of. Dec 11, 2018 Photos are some of the most important files people want to keep safe. Storing them in the cloud is nice, but you might also want the peace of mind of having your pictures stored locally. Luckily, it’s easy enough to copy your Mac’s Photos library to an external drive.

With the four methods provided in this guide, you can transfer photos from USB to iPhone/iPad easily and quickly.

A portable storage device like a USB flash drive is often used to store files that you use most frequently, like photos, documents, and more. And it's quite common for you to transfer files between a USB and a computer or other devices.

According to the information collected, one of the data transfer needs related to a USB is to transfer photos from USB to iPhone/iPad. Given that, here I'd like to show you four proven ways on how to transfer photos from USB to iPhone/iPad, either with or without iTunes.

Part 1. How to Transfer Photos from USB to iPhone Without iTunes

Yes, you can get photos from USB to your iPhone using iTunes. But you may not like the data loss caused by the synced items. Therefore, to help you safely transfer photos from flash drive to your iPhone or iPad without syncing, we will show you how to transfer photos from USB to iPhone or iPad without iTunes first.

Method 1. How to Put Photos from USB to iPhone with iOS Data Transfer Software

To get photos from USB flash drive to iPhone without using iTunes, the most popular choice is to apply software for iOS data transfer, like EaseUS MobiMover. With such a tool, you are able to:

• Transfer files between an iPhone/iPad and a computer
• Transfer data from one iPhone/iPad to another
• Manage iOS content from the computer
• Download videos from YouTube or other sites to a computer or iPhone/iPad

Thus, when you want to transfer files like photos, videos, music, and more between an external storage device, like a USB flash drive, memory card, external hard drive, and an iPhone/iPad, you can also use EaseUS MobiMover to get it done since you can connect such an external device to your computer.

To transfer photos from USB to iPhone or iPad without iTunes:

Step 1. Connect your USB and iPhone/iPad to your computer, either Mac or PC. Then launch EaseUS MobiMover > choose 'PC to Phone' > click 'Select Files'.

Step 2. Go to your flash drive on the computer to choose images. You can import single or multiple photos to your iPhone or iPad at one time. Then, click the 'Open' button to go on.

Download Mac Photos To Flash Drive Windows 7

Step 3. If the folder you select contains other files, MobiMover will load all the supported file types automatically. Check the category/categories you want to copy. And click the 'Transfer' button to start transferring photos from USB to your iPhone/iPad. When it has finished, go to the 'Photos' app on your iOS device to check the items.

If there are other supported items on your USB, you can also copy them to your iPhone or iPad together with the photos. Without any data loss, you can copy photos from USB to your iOS device with a USB cable.

Besides, EaseUS MobiMover also allows you to transfer iPhone photos to a computer or an external storage device. That's really helpful if you want to make a backup of your precious photos.

Apply the steps above to put the pictures to your iPhone/iPad as you want to.

Method 2. How to Get Photos from USB Flash Drive to iPhone with iCloud

How To Download Photos From Mac To Flash Drive Windows 7

When I say iCloud, I actually mean all the cloud storage services. Cloud-based services like iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Photos enable you to share files between two devices, including your phone, tablet, and computer. Thus, it's workable to transfer files between a USB flash drive and an iPhone/iPad with the help of a computer using iCloud other services alike.

iCloud helps you by syncing files across your devices over Wi-Fi. To make it work smoothly, you need to make sure you have signed in iCloud with the same Apple ID and there is a stable network connection on your devices.

To transfer photos from flash drive to iPhone or iPad:

Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive or other external storage devices to your computer with a USB cable.

Step 2. Upload photos from USB to iCloud. (These operations are taken on a PC.)

• If you have installed iCloud for Windows, go to 'iCloud Settings' > check 'Photos' > turn on 'iCloud Photo Library' and 'Download new photos and videos to my PC'. Under the latter option, click 'Change' to set the folder as the one on your USB that stores the images you want to transfer.
• If you didn't install iCloud, go to iCloud.com > sign in with the Apple ID you use on your iPhone > choose 'Photos' > click the 'Upload photos' icon to select the photos on your USB to upload.

Step 3. On your iPhone or iPad, go to 'Settings' > [your name] > 'iCloud' > 'Photos' and turn on 'iCloud Photos'. It may take a which to finish syncing. When it has done, you can see the photos shown in the Photos app on your mobile device.

Download Mac Photos To Flash Drive Thru

If iCloud photos are not syncing on your iPhone, learn how to fix it from the guide.

Other cloud services work in a similar way: You first need to download and install the software on your devices, then upload photos to the service from the USB using a computer, and, at last, download the items from the cloud service to the target device.

Method 3. How to Transfer Photos from USB to iPhone via Email

Are you looking for a free and easy way to import photos from USB to your iPhone or iPad? If so, why not try email. By sending yourself an email that has the photos as attachments, you are able to transfer photos to your iOS device wirelessly. You neither need to connect your iPhone to the computer nor download any software.

Step 1. Create an email and add the photos you want to transfer as the attachments.

Step 2. Send the email to your own account.

Step 3. Check the email on your iPhone or iPad and download the attachments to your device.

Convenient as it is, it's not advisable to transfer lots of pictures using this way, because that's time-consuming. However, if you just have several items to copy, using an email is a good choice.

How to Transfer Photos from USB to iPhone Using iTunes

How To Download Photos From Mac To Flash Drive Mac

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If data syncing is acceptable for you, you may prefer to import photos from USB to your iPhone using iTunes.

How Do You Copy Files From Mac To Usb? - Apple Community

To transfer photos from flash drive to iPhone/iPad using iTunes:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone/iPad and the USB to your computer.

Step 2. Run iTunes if it doesn't open automatically.

Step 3. Click the 'Device' tab and select 'Photos'. If your iPhone is not connecting to iTunes, you need to solve the problem before you continue.

Step 4. Check 'Sync Photos' and select the photos you want to transfer on your USB from the option 'Copy photos from'.

Step 5. Click 'Apply' to start syncing photos from the USB flash drive to your iPhone or iPad.

Download Microsoft USB Flash Drive Manager (Standard) From ..

The Bottom Line

These are the four proven ways to transfer pictures from USB to iPhone or iPad. No matter whether you want to use iTunes or not, you can find a detailed solution. For you to make a better decision:

• EaseUS MobiMover helps you transfer all pictures from the USB flash drive to the iOS device without even installing iTunes.
• iCloud and other similar cloud storage services enable you to send photos wirelessly.
• Using an email is quite convenient if you only have several items to export.
• iTunes is also a choice if you don't mind data syncing.

Carry out the one best suited to your needs to get the photos to your iPhone immediately.