Summary: When plugging your Seagate Backup Plus into a Mac computer, you may find the drive stops working and is not mounting in Disk Utility. Have you been troubled by the issue? This post will give you 7 workable solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus drive not mounting/working issue on Mac.
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Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is often used for Time Machine backup. But many users reported that they were unable to mount Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac computers. And some say theirSeagate Backup Plus couldn't work on Mac after plugged in. Here is a real example:
'I really need your help. My Seagate Backup plus just stopped getting detected (led not working anymore) with my MacBook Pro 2016 model (with USB Type C to USB 3 connector) suddenly. It was working fine 1 month before. I tried this backup disk with a Windows computer and the LED light is working in that case but I am not able to get it to work with my MacBook Pro anymore. Any idea guys?'
In fact, this issue is very common, especially for those who frequently share the same drive between different computers. This page will help when Seagate Backup Plus drive doesn't work on Mac.
- The setting 'Turn off hard disk after' should be set to 'Never' while running any SeaTools for Windows test. 3.) Select the Drives to Test. Seagate, Samsung, LaCie, and Maxtor drive models are all supported drives. Please safely remove all other hard drives except the drive.
- Manage your drive with this package that includes Samsung AutoBackup (for real-time backup), Samsung SecretZone (for data protection), Samsung Secure Manager (for data encryption and backup), and Samsung External Hard Drive (for management tools). Seagate® Media App. Easily browse your universe of files from anywhere with this free app.
- Look for the Seagate External drive in (My) Computer/This PC. It will be a drive letter, like E: or F: (unless you have changed it). Double-click on the external drive. The window will change to a display of the contents of the external drive. On the top bar of the window, choose Edit.
7 solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, not working on Mac
For some reason, Seagate external hard drives could not be recognized by Mac. If you can't mount the Seagate Backup Plus drive in Disk Utility, the hard drive won't work on Mac. And you can't access the data stored on it. So it's very urgent to fix the problem to make it work again.
Here are solutions to the Seagate Backup Plus not working or mounting issue.
1. Have some basic checks
Sometimes, the Seagate Backup Plus drive won't mount on Mac is due to the bad USB port or cable. Thus, once the Seagate Backup Plus drive stops working, you can first do some routine checks as below.
- Step 1. Check if the cable of the Seagate Backup Plus drive is connected properly to your Mac
If the drive isn't properly plugged in, it will fail to mount as it received not enough or even no power. - Step 2. Make sure the USB cable is not at fault
Try using a different USB cable to see if that fixes the problem. - Step 3. Check if the USB port is damaged
Plug the Seagate Backup Plus into another USB port if you have another one. Otherwise, insert another external storage device in this USB port. - Step 4. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is powered properly
In general, the current of USB port 2.3 and 3.0 are enough for the most external portable hard drives. But sometimes this amount of current may be insufficient while the drive is spinning up. - In this situation, you can try to connect the Seagate Backup Plus with a USB Y cable if you have one. And for Seagate Backup Plus Hub and Expansion Desktop, a power adaptor is required for power supply.
- Step 5. Access the drive on other Macs
Connect the Seagate Backup Plus drive to another Mac computer to see whether it works on that one or not. If the drive works on another Mac computer, there is something wrong with your Mac computer rather than the drive. What you should do is to ask for help from Apple support. - Step 6. Check if the format of Seagate hard drive is supported by macOS
For example, a Windows BitLocker encrypted drive will not be working on Mac originally. Your Mac computer is not able to mount it. To fix the problem, you can plug the Seagate Backup Plus into a PC and then access the drive on Windows.
2. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus is showing up in Disk Utility
To troubleshoot this problem, you first need to know if this Seagate hard drive is detected by your Mac. Open the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. Launch Disk Utility and check the left pane then. If you can't see the external hard drive in macOS, the drive probably has been physically damaged. In that case, you should send the drive to the local repair shop. Otherwise, you can move to the next solution.
3. Check if the Seagate Backup Plus drive is mounted in Disk Utility
If the Seagate Backup Plus is mounted in Disk Utility, you should blame the wrong computer settings or outdated computer. Fortunately, it's easy to fix these issues. Just try solution 4 and solution 5. If the external hard drive is greyed out in Disk Utility, it's not mounted. You can try right-clicking the Seagate Backup Plus and choose the 'Mount' button. If that doesn't work, the drive has some file system problems. Please follow the solution 6 to repair the problem.
4. Show the Seagate Backup Plus on the desktop
If the Seagate external hard drive is mounted in Disk Utility, but it still doesn't show up on Mac. First of all, you should make sure the settings in Finder display drive icons on the desktop.
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > General tab.
Step 2: Select 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop' and then the connected external hard drive will appear on the desktop.
5. Repair Seagate Backup Plus drive via First Aid
Seagate Backup Plus not mounting issue on Mac can be caused by file system problems. Disk Utility's First Aid is a built-in tool on Mac to deal with errors related to disks, such as file system corruption. So you can try to fix the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive in Disk Utility by following the steps below.
Step 1: Go to Utilities Disk Utility.
Step 2: Click 'View' in the top menu bar (Or click 'View' on the top window). Then select 'Show All Devices'.
Step 3: Select the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive from the left sidebar.
Step 4: Click 'First Aid' on the top of the Disk Utility window.
Step 5: Click 'Run' to perform hard disk diagnostics and fix the not mounting/not working Seagate Backup Plus.
Seagate External Hard Drive For Mac On Pc
6. Update the software on Mac
Software updates keep your computer and programs secure, deal with quite a few bugs, and provide new features. Out-of-date software can cause a variety of issues. It's possible that the operating system will become sluggish and the connected device may not function properly. Fortunately, you can easily update the software on Mac.
Case 1. Update the software on macOS Mojave or Catalina. If you upgrade to macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina, you should choose 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu, then click 'Software Update' to check for updates. If any updates are available, click 'Update Now' to install them.
Case 2. Update the software on earlier macOS versions. Just launch the Mac App Store, click the 'Update' tab on the top and then choose the 'Update All'.
7. Fix the not mounting or working Seagate Backup Plus drive by reformatting
If First Aid failed on the external hard drive, it might have some serious errors that are beyond its reparation capability. In that case, you need to recover lost data from the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive as soon as possible.
Step 1. Recover lost data from the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Back Plus
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is free external hard drive data recovery software. It can easily recover files when the hard drive is not working or mounting on Mac. Also, it canrecover deleted photos and lost data from formatted drives, unreadable drives, corrupted drives, and recover deleted/lost partitions, etc. It's compatible withmacOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
- 1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.
- 2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 3. Select the Seagate Backup Plus and click the 'Scan' button to scan for all lost data.
- 4. Preview the searching results, choose files you want to get back, and click the 'Recover' button.
Here is a short video tutorial which shows you how to recover lost data from unmountable/corrupted external hard drives:
Step 2: Reformat the Seagate Backup Plus to make it work
After recovering data from the unmounted Seagate Backup Plus, you can now go to Disk Utility and reformat it without worrying about data loss.
• Steps to reformat Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive
If unfortunately, you can't reformat the Seagate Backup Plus drive, it must have physical issues. In this case, you have to look for help from a local data recovery company.
Bonus Part: Introduction to different Seagate Backup Plus drives
You probably use a Seagate desktop drive like Backup Plus Hub and Expansion. Or you could use a Backup Plus Portable drive like Ultra Touch and Slim. No matter which Seagate Backup Plus drive you choose, it could not work on the Mac for some reason.
Therefore, it's important to know the differences between those Seagate Backup Plus drives. This helps you to use the Seagate Backup Plus drive more correctly and efficiently, and then avoid hard disk corruption.
- 1. Seagate Backup Plus Hub: This Seagate Backup Plus Desktop drive has large capacities with cross-platform compatibility, which means you don't have to format the drive for both Mac and Windows again. It's an all-in-one data hub and recharging station for tablet, smartphone and camera.
- 2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch: Backup Plus Ultra Touch portable hard drives feature password protection and hardware encryption, USB-C compatibility, and file sync. You can't open the Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac until it's unlocked. Moreover, an NTFS for Mac software is needed to use Backup Plus Ultra Touch on Mac, as it's preformatted with NTFS.
- 3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim: Seagate Backup Plus is small enough for a loaded laptop bag. It's an ideal external hard drive with easy portability and enough storage space. But avoid dropping your Seagate Backup Plus drive during transportation, in case it's damaged and not working.
- 4. SeagateBackup Plus Portable: Backup Plus portable drives offer easy-to-use software tools like Seagate Dashboard, so that you can schedule automatic backup and mirror folders easily.
Conclusion
No matter what caused Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, working, or readable issue on Mac, such as logical problems and physical damages, the most important thing is to back up important data or recover lost data with free Mac data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a powerful and reliable data recovery tool on macOS which supports various external drives, including external hard drives, SD cards, USB flash drives, etc.
If you have any suggestions to solve this issue or experience any questions when using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, please feel free to let us know.
When your Seagate hard drive not working, it is usually about external hard disk not detected, not recognized, or not showing up. This article has the most comprehensive solutions to Seagate internal and external hard drive not working problems on both Windows and Mac. In the final part, you can learn how to recover data from a Seagate (external) hard drive which is not detecting by EaseUS hard drive recovery software.
Is your Seagate external hard drive suddenly not working? This page explains the reasons why your Seagate and other brands of external hard drive not working, not detected, or not showing up, and the fixes to repair external hard disk without losing any data.
Follow the content navigation and pick up the right methods to make your Seagate external hard drive work again:
- Error: Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working
- Why Is Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working/Detected
- How to Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working in Windows
- How to Repair Seagate External Disk Not Working/Detected in Mac
- Bonus Tip: Recover Data from Seagate Drive after Making It Work Again
Also applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up, external hard drive not detected, Seagate external hard drive light blinking but not work, Seagate external hard drive not recognized Widows 10, USB not showing up, etc.
Error: Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working
'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 as a backup so pretty much all of my personal and work files are stored in the drive. Please help me out.'
Seagate external hard drive not working or not detected issue is top concerned among worldwide Seagate users. Normally, the external hard drive should be detected by the Operating System and viable for storing all types of files, without the need for drivers, software, or firmware updates.
However, each drive has its own issues after long-term use or possibly improper use. So the first step that you should take is to find out the reasons why your Seagate disk cannot be detected by a computer. Then, you can follow the presented solutions in the following parts to repair Seagate external hard disk not working issue without losing any data.
Let's start the journey and follow the tutorials below to make your Seagate, Toshiba, Sandisk, etc., external and internal hard drive work properly again.
Why Is Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working/Detected
Generally, 'Not Working' is a state that usually describes a malfunctioning hard disk or external hard drive. For example, you may define your Seagate external hard drive 'not working' as it's not accessible or detected after connecting it to your computer. Or, even you correctly connect it to a computer, it doesn't show up in the drives list in Windows or Mac computer.
So, what caused your external hard drive malfunctioning? Both software and hardware issues may cause a hard drive not working as usual. Here is a list of commonly explored reasons related to this issue:
- Incompatible file system
- File system corruption, Invalid file system, RAW
- The drive turns to unallocated
- Disk drive letter conflict
- Hard drive driver is corrupted or out of date
- The hard drive has too many bad sectors
- The hard drive is damaged, dead, not spinning up
How to Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working in Windows
Applies to: Troubleshoot Seagate external hard drive not working, not detected issue in Windows 10/8/7.
If you tried the above-presented hardware troubleshooting tips but the Seagate external hard drive is still not working, don't worry. You can open disk management to check the state of your external hard drive and refer to the right solutions as presented below for help:
Fix 1. Try a Different USB Port, Connection Cables
Applies to: All types of storage devices that are not working, not showing up or detected in both Windows and Mac computers.
So how to repair Seagate hard drive that is not detected by the computer? Here is a list of basic hardware troubleshooting that you may first try to improve the chance of success in making the hard drive or external hard drive work again:
- 1. Try a different USB port on the computer.
- 2. Switch a new cable if the current one is damaged.
- 3. Try connecting the drive to a different computer.
- 4. Verify if the drive's light is on. (No light could indicate the power adapter is not connected to power.)
- 5. Try a different power outlet. (Desktop Drives)
After following these tips, if your Seagate external hard drive is still not detected, move on and try the other solutions offered here.
If Seagate is detectable but inaccessible, jump to recover Seagate disk data first as presented at the end of this page. Then revert to this part to fix Seagate disk to workable again.
Fix 2. Format RAW Seagate External Hard Drive to NTFS
Applies to: Format RAW Seagate external hard drive, change invalid file system on Seagate disk to a supported one, like NTFS.
When a hard drive's file system turns to RAW, it won't show up in my computer. Also, if your Seagate external hard drive contains an unsupported file system, the drive won't be able to work normally on your computer.
In this page, You need to format the RAW drive to a file system that Windows recognizes, such as NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT.
- Warning
- Note that as formatting will cause data loss on your Seagate device, if you need the data, turn to reliable data recovery software before the formatting.
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard with the tutorial as shown below is capable of recovering data from a RAW, not formatted or inaccessible Seagate HDD, external hard disk and USB flash drive, etc. with ease
Step 1. Connect the Seagate external hard drive to your PC and open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click on the not working RAW drive and select 'Format'.
Step 3. Set volume label, set NTFS as the file system and tick 'Quick Format'. Click 'OK' to start the formatting.
Fix 3. Change Seagate Drive Letter
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not showing, detected, recognized issue due to drive letter conflict.
Note that, sometimes, if your external hard drive shares the same drive letter as your disk partition, Windows won't show the drive letter of your external device. It will show as New Volume in Disk Management without a drive letter.
And this is why your external hard drive not detected. To fix this issue, you'll need to add a new drive letter to your Seagate disk. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Connect Seagate external to computer and open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click the partition of not working Seagate disk and choose 'Change Drive Letter and Paths..'.
Step 3. Set a new drive letter to the Seagate disk and click 'OK' to confirm.
Fix 4. Restore Partition or Create a New Partition on Unallocated Seagate External Disk
Applies to: Fix unallocated Seagate external hard drive not working issue.
Sometimes, you may not be able to use the Seagate external hard drive if the device shows as unallocated in Disk Management, as shown below:
To make your unallocated Seagate drive show up and recognized again, you have two options:
#1. Restore Lost Partition and Data from Seagate Unallocated Space
If you had partition and data saved on the Seagate external hard drive which suddenly became unallocated, you may directly apply reliable partition recovery software for help. It will scan and recover all lost partition and data from the unallocated space.
Step 1: Run EaseUS Partition Recovery on your PC.
Select the disk or device where you lost partition(s), click 'Scan' to continue.
Step 2: Wait for the scanning process to complete.
Let the program scan the selected disk and find the lost partition(s).
Step 3: Preview and restore the lost partition(s).
Double-click on the partition which is marked as 'Lost' with 'Good' recoverability.
Preview the content of the lost partition. Click 'OK' and click 'Proceed' to start restoring the lost partition.
Step 4: Click 'Recover Now' to finish the partition recovery process.
Note: If the program warns you that there is a conflict, back up the listed partition with essential data to an external hard drive first. Then execute the final operation to restore your lost partition.
#2. Create a New Partition on Unallocated Seagate External Disk
If you don't have any valuable data on the not detected Seagate external hard drive, you may directly use Disk Management to create a new partition on the drive with the following steps:
Step 1. Connect the unallocated Seagate external hard drive to PC and open Windows Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click on the unallocated partition and choose 'New Simple Volume..'.
Step 3. Set partition size, drive letter, and file system such as NTFS, etc., click 'OK' to confirm.
Step 4. Click 'Finish' to complete the process.
Fix 5. Uninstall and Re-install Seagate Hard Drive Driver
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not working error due to outdated drive driver.
Mostly, when the respective hard drive or external hard drive driver is outdated, Windows computer will have a problem of showing it up. So the best solution toward this issue is to update the Seagate drive driver immediately.
Be careful with the following four steps, you will resolve the unrecognition problem of the Seagate external hard drive on your own:
Step 1. Connect the not working Seagate external hard disk to PC.
Step 2. Press Windows + X keys or right-click Windows icon and select 'Device Manager'.
Step 3. Expand disk drivers and right-click on your external hard drive, select 'Uninstall Device'.
Step 4. Select 'Search automatically for updated driver software' and restart PC when the process completes.
Fix 6. Turn on USB Root Hub
Applies to: Fix Seagate external USB not working issue due to disabled USB Root Hub.
Sometimes, USB external hard drive devices may stop functioning correctly when multiple devices connected to the same USB hub go into selective suspend.
By enabling the USB root hub, the controllers will recover the USB port from its unresponsive condition so to make your device work normally again:
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Step 1. Connect not working Seagate external hard disk to PC.
Step 2. Open Device Manager and expand 'Universal Serial Bus controllers'.
Step 3. Right-click USB Root Hub > Click 'Properties' > 'Power Management'.
Step 4. Uncheck 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' and restart PC.
Fix 7. Show All Hidden Devices
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard disk not showing up, not detected issue.
Sometimes it's because the connected drive is hidden, not showing up in my computer. You need to unhide the device and make Seagate external hard drive shows up in the Windows Device Manager.
If the Seagate external hard drive is mounted in Disk Utility, but it still doesn't show up on Mac. First of all, you should make sure the settings in Finder display drive icons on the desktop.
Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > General tab.
Step 2: Select 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop' and then the connected external hard drive will appear on the desktop.
5. Repair Seagate Backup Plus drive via First Aid
Seagate Backup Plus not mounting issue on Mac can be caused by file system problems. Disk Utility's First Aid is a built-in tool on Mac to deal with errors related to disks, such as file system corruption. So you can try to fix the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive in Disk Utility by following the steps below.
Step 1: Go to Utilities Disk Utility.
Step 2: Click 'View' in the top menu bar (Or click 'View' on the top window). Then select 'Show All Devices'.
Step 3: Select the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive from the left sidebar.
Step 4: Click 'First Aid' on the top of the Disk Utility window.
Step 5: Click 'Run' to perform hard disk diagnostics and fix the not mounting/not working Seagate Backup Plus.
Seagate External Hard Drive For Mac On Pc
6. Update the software on Mac
Software updates keep your computer and programs secure, deal with quite a few bugs, and provide new features. Out-of-date software can cause a variety of issues. It's possible that the operating system will become sluggish and the connected device may not function properly. Fortunately, you can easily update the software on Mac.
Case 1. Update the software on macOS Mojave or Catalina. If you upgrade to macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina, you should choose 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu, then click 'Software Update' to check for updates. If any updates are available, click 'Update Now' to install them.
Case 2. Update the software on earlier macOS versions. Just launch the Mac App Store, click the 'Update' tab on the top and then choose the 'Update All'.
7. Fix the not mounting or working Seagate Backup Plus drive by reformatting
If First Aid failed on the external hard drive, it might have some serious errors that are beyond its reparation capability. In that case, you need to recover lost data from the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive as soon as possible.
Step 1. Recover lost data from the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Back Plus
iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is free external hard drive data recovery software. It can easily recover files when the hard drive is not working or mounting on Mac. Also, it canrecover deleted photos and lost data from formatted drives, unreadable drives, corrupted drives, and recover deleted/lost partitions, etc. It's compatible withmacOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.
- 1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.
- 2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
- 3. Select the Seagate Backup Plus and click the 'Scan' button to scan for all lost data.
- 4. Preview the searching results, choose files you want to get back, and click the 'Recover' button.
Here is a short video tutorial which shows you how to recover lost data from unmountable/corrupted external hard drives:
Step 2: Reformat the Seagate Backup Plus to make it work
After recovering data from the unmounted Seagate Backup Plus, you can now go to Disk Utility and reformat it without worrying about data loss.
• Steps to reformat Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive
If unfortunately, you can't reformat the Seagate Backup Plus drive, it must have physical issues. In this case, you have to look for help from a local data recovery company.
Bonus Part: Introduction to different Seagate Backup Plus drives
You probably use a Seagate desktop drive like Backup Plus Hub and Expansion. Or you could use a Backup Plus Portable drive like Ultra Touch and Slim. No matter which Seagate Backup Plus drive you choose, it could not work on the Mac for some reason.
Therefore, it's important to know the differences between those Seagate Backup Plus drives. This helps you to use the Seagate Backup Plus drive more correctly and efficiently, and then avoid hard disk corruption.
- 1. Seagate Backup Plus Hub: This Seagate Backup Plus Desktop drive has large capacities with cross-platform compatibility, which means you don't have to format the drive for both Mac and Windows again. It's an all-in-one data hub and recharging station for tablet, smartphone and camera.
- 2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch: Backup Plus Ultra Touch portable hard drives feature password protection and hardware encryption, USB-C compatibility, and file sync. You can't open the Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac until it's unlocked. Moreover, an NTFS for Mac software is needed to use Backup Plus Ultra Touch on Mac, as it's preformatted with NTFS.
- 3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim: Seagate Backup Plus is small enough for a loaded laptop bag. It's an ideal external hard drive with easy portability and enough storage space. But avoid dropping your Seagate Backup Plus drive during transportation, in case it's damaged and not working.
- 4. SeagateBackup Plus Portable: Backup Plus portable drives offer easy-to-use software tools like Seagate Dashboard, so that you can schedule automatic backup and mirror folders easily.
Conclusion
No matter what caused Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, working, or readable issue on Mac, such as logical problems and physical damages, the most important thing is to back up important data or recover lost data with free Mac data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a powerful and reliable data recovery tool on macOS which supports various external drives, including external hard drives, SD cards, USB flash drives, etc.
If you have any suggestions to solve this issue or experience any questions when using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, please feel free to let us know.
When your Seagate hard drive not working, it is usually about external hard disk not detected, not recognized, or not showing up. This article has the most comprehensive solutions to Seagate internal and external hard drive not working problems on both Windows and Mac. In the final part, you can learn how to recover data from a Seagate (external) hard drive which is not detecting by EaseUS hard drive recovery software.
Is your Seagate external hard drive suddenly not working? This page explains the reasons why your Seagate and other brands of external hard drive not working, not detected, or not showing up, and the fixes to repair external hard disk without losing any data.
Follow the content navigation and pick up the right methods to make your Seagate external hard drive work again:
- Error: Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working
- Why Is Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working/Detected
- How to Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working in Windows
- How to Repair Seagate External Disk Not Working/Detected in Mac
- Bonus Tip: Recover Data from Seagate Drive after Making It Work Again
Also applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not showing up, external hard drive not detected, Seagate external hard drive light blinking but not work, Seagate external hard drive not recognized Widows 10, USB not showing up, etc.
Error: Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working
'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 as a backup so pretty much all of my personal and work files are stored in the drive. Please help me out.'
Seagate external hard drive not working or not detected issue is top concerned among worldwide Seagate users. Normally, the external hard drive should be detected by the Operating System and viable for storing all types of files, without the need for drivers, software, or firmware updates.
However, each drive has its own issues after long-term use or possibly improper use. So the first step that you should take is to find out the reasons why your Seagate disk cannot be detected by a computer. Then, you can follow the presented solutions in the following parts to repair Seagate external hard disk not working issue without losing any data.
Let's start the journey and follow the tutorials below to make your Seagate, Toshiba, Sandisk, etc., external and internal hard drive work properly again.
Why Is Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working/Detected
Generally, 'Not Working' is a state that usually describes a malfunctioning hard disk or external hard drive. For example, you may define your Seagate external hard drive 'not working' as it's not accessible or detected after connecting it to your computer. Or, even you correctly connect it to a computer, it doesn't show up in the drives list in Windows or Mac computer.
So, what caused your external hard drive malfunctioning? Both software and hardware issues may cause a hard drive not working as usual. Here is a list of commonly explored reasons related to this issue:
- Incompatible file system
- File system corruption, Invalid file system, RAW
- The drive turns to unallocated
- Disk drive letter conflict
- Hard drive driver is corrupted or out of date
- The hard drive has too many bad sectors
- The hard drive is damaged, dead, not spinning up
How to Fix Seagate External Hard Drive Not Working in Windows
Applies to: Troubleshoot Seagate external hard drive not working, not detected issue in Windows 10/8/7.
If you tried the above-presented hardware troubleshooting tips but the Seagate external hard drive is still not working, don't worry. You can open disk management to check the state of your external hard drive and refer to the right solutions as presented below for help:
Fix 1. Try a Different USB Port, Connection Cables
Applies to: All types of storage devices that are not working, not showing up or detected in both Windows and Mac computers.
So how to repair Seagate hard drive that is not detected by the computer? Here is a list of basic hardware troubleshooting that you may first try to improve the chance of success in making the hard drive or external hard drive work again:
- 1. Try a different USB port on the computer.
- 2. Switch a new cable if the current one is damaged.
- 3. Try connecting the drive to a different computer.
- 4. Verify if the drive's light is on. (No light could indicate the power adapter is not connected to power.)
- 5. Try a different power outlet. (Desktop Drives)
After following these tips, if your Seagate external hard drive is still not detected, move on and try the other solutions offered here.
If Seagate is detectable but inaccessible, jump to recover Seagate disk data first as presented at the end of this page. Then revert to this part to fix Seagate disk to workable again.
Fix 2. Format RAW Seagate External Hard Drive to NTFS
Applies to: Format RAW Seagate external hard drive, change invalid file system on Seagate disk to a supported one, like NTFS.
When a hard drive's file system turns to RAW, it won't show up in my computer. Also, if your Seagate external hard drive contains an unsupported file system, the drive won't be able to work normally on your computer.
In this page, You need to format the RAW drive to a file system that Windows recognizes, such as NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT.
- Warning
- Note that as formatting will cause data loss on your Seagate device, if you need the data, turn to reliable data recovery software before the formatting.
- EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard with the tutorial as shown below is capable of recovering data from a RAW, not formatted or inaccessible Seagate HDD, external hard disk and USB flash drive, etc. with ease
Step 1. Connect the Seagate external hard drive to your PC and open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click on the not working RAW drive and select 'Format'.
Step 3. Set volume label, set NTFS as the file system and tick 'Quick Format'. Click 'OK' to start the formatting.
Fix 3. Change Seagate Drive Letter
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not showing, detected, recognized issue due to drive letter conflict.
Note that, sometimes, if your external hard drive shares the same drive letter as your disk partition, Windows won't show the drive letter of your external device. It will show as New Volume in Disk Management without a drive letter.
And this is why your external hard drive not detected. To fix this issue, you'll need to add a new drive letter to your Seagate disk. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Connect Seagate external to computer and open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click the partition of not working Seagate disk and choose 'Change Drive Letter and Paths..'.
Step 3. Set a new drive letter to the Seagate disk and click 'OK' to confirm.
Fix 4. Restore Partition or Create a New Partition on Unallocated Seagate External Disk
Applies to: Fix unallocated Seagate external hard drive not working issue.
Sometimes, you may not be able to use the Seagate external hard drive if the device shows as unallocated in Disk Management, as shown below:
To make your unallocated Seagate drive show up and recognized again, you have two options:
#1. Restore Lost Partition and Data from Seagate Unallocated Space
If you had partition and data saved on the Seagate external hard drive which suddenly became unallocated, you may directly apply reliable partition recovery software for help. It will scan and recover all lost partition and data from the unallocated space.
Step 1: Run EaseUS Partition Recovery on your PC.
Select the disk or device where you lost partition(s), click 'Scan' to continue.
Step 2: Wait for the scanning process to complete.
Let the program scan the selected disk and find the lost partition(s).
Step 3: Preview and restore the lost partition(s).
Double-click on the partition which is marked as 'Lost' with 'Good' recoverability.
Preview the content of the lost partition. Click 'OK' and click 'Proceed' to start restoring the lost partition.
Step 4: Click 'Recover Now' to finish the partition recovery process.
Note: If the program warns you that there is a conflict, back up the listed partition with essential data to an external hard drive first. Then execute the final operation to restore your lost partition.
#2. Create a New Partition on Unallocated Seagate External Disk
If you don't have any valuable data on the not detected Seagate external hard drive, you may directly use Disk Management to create a new partition on the drive with the following steps:
Step 1. Connect the unallocated Seagate external hard drive to PC and open Windows Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click on the unallocated partition and choose 'New Simple Volume..'.
Step 3. Set partition size, drive letter, and file system such as NTFS, etc., click 'OK' to confirm.
Step 4. Click 'Finish' to complete the process.
Fix 5. Uninstall and Re-install Seagate Hard Drive Driver
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not working error due to outdated drive driver.
Mostly, when the respective hard drive or external hard drive driver is outdated, Windows computer will have a problem of showing it up. So the best solution toward this issue is to update the Seagate drive driver immediately.
Be careful with the following four steps, you will resolve the unrecognition problem of the Seagate external hard drive on your own:
Step 1. Connect the not working Seagate external hard disk to PC.
Step 2. Press Windows + X keys or right-click Windows icon and select 'Device Manager'.
Step 3. Expand disk drivers and right-click on your external hard drive, select 'Uninstall Device'.
Step 4. Select 'Search automatically for updated driver software' and restart PC when the process completes.
Fix 6. Turn on USB Root Hub
Applies to: Fix Seagate external USB not working issue due to disabled USB Root Hub.
Sometimes, USB external hard drive devices may stop functioning correctly when multiple devices connected to the same USB hub go into selective suspend.
By enabling the USB root hub, the controllers will recover the USB port from its unresponsive condition so to make your device work normally again:
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Step 1. Connect not working Seagate external hard disk to PC.
Step 2. Open Device Manager and expand 'Universal Serial Bus controllers'.
Step 3. Right-click USB Root Hub > Click 'Properties' > 'Power Management'.
Step 4. Uncheck 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' and restart PC.
Fix 7. Show All Hidden Devices
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard disk not showing up, not detected issue.
Sometimes it's because the connected drive is hidden, not showing up in my computer. You need to unhide the device and make Seagate external hard drive shows up in the Windows Device Manager.
Here are the steps:
Step 1. Press Windows + R keys, 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 PC and check if you can see your Seagate external hard drive.
Fix 8. Run a Virus Cleaner Software
Applies to: Fix virus or malware infection that cause Seagate device not working.
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.
Step 1. Download and install an antivirus software on your computer.
Step 2. Connect Seagate external hard drive to your PC.
Step 3. Launch the antivirus tool and scan to remove virus or malware from Seagate drive.
Afterward, you can format the hard drive to make it readable again. Remember to run a reliable data recovery software to scan and find all your valuable data on the Seagate device before formatting.
How to Repair Seagate External Disk Not Working/Detected in Mac
Here we collected 3 troubleshooting for you to follow and repair the Seagate disk to work normally again on your Mac:
Before you go further, check Seagate disk in Disk Utility or System Information/Profiler section:
- If the drive is not showing on your desktop or within Finder check Disk Utility: go and open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility
- If the drive is not detected in Disk Utility then see the System Information/System Profiler section.
- If you are using macOS 10.13 or higher then click view in the upper left and select 'Show All Devices' which allows you to see both the disk as well as volumes.
If all the attempts failed to display the Seagate drive on your Mac, go on with the 3solutions.
Fix 1. Format Seagate Disk to macOS Supported File System
Applies to: Fix Seagate external hard drive not working or not detected error due to Mac unsupported file system.
If you switch NTFS Seagate external hard drive to a Mac computer, it won't show up nor work on Mac. The reason is that Mac is only compatible with APFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc., formats.
So to fix this issue, you'll have to format the drive to FAT32 or exFAT. For a step-by-step guide, you may refer to: Format External Hard Drive to FAT32 for help.
Fix 2. Repair Seagate External Hard Drive in First Aid
Applies to: Mount Seagate external disk to make it work on Mac.
If the Seagate drive is unmountable or the Mount icon is greyed out, it could be some disk errors that prevent your Mac from recognizing/detecting the drive correctly. You can repair the problematic drive in the built-in First Aid utility.
Step 1. Click on the Launchpad on the Dock and find Other.
Seagate External Hard Drive User Manual
Step 2. Locate Disk Utility and open it.
Step 3. Select the unmountable Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar and choose First Aid at the top.
Step 4. Click 'Run' to repair this Seagate hard drive.
Fix 3. Reformatting Unmountable Seagate External Hard Drive
Applies to: Fix corrupted file system on Seagate external hard drive that cause it not working on Mac.
If the file system on your Seagate hard disk is corrupted, it won't work nor be detected. In this case, reformatting a corrupted drive is the most instant way to revive it.
- Warning
- As formatting a disk will erase data, so make sure that you will turn to reliable data recovery software like EaseUS data recovery software for Mac for help after the formatting.
Let's see how to reformat and make the Seagate external hard disk work again on Mac:
Step 1. Go to Applications > 'Utilities' > Double click and open 'Disk Utility'.
Step 2. Select your Seagate external hard drive on the sidebar, choose 'Erase'.
Step 3. Rename the drive, choose the format as MS-DOS (FAT) for Format, Master Boot Record for Scheme. Then click 'Erase'.
After trying the above presented methods, you should be able to use your Seagate external hard drive to transfer or save data again on both Windows and Mac computers. However, as some of these solutions may cause file loss issue.
Therefore, if your Seagate disk data lost after making it work normally again. Don't worry. You can continue with the data recovery tutorial in the next part to bring all your lost files back immediately.
Bonus Tip: Recover Data from Seagate Drive after Making It Work Again
Applies to: Recover inaccessible or lost files from Seagate external hard drive or USB after making it work again.
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.
- If you have backups of your Seagate external hard drive data, you can directly restore those lost files from your backups.
- If you have no backups, here the best hard drive recovery software will help you.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard enables you to restoring unlimited data from your Seagate external hard drive in three simple steps. If you're a Mac users, download the Mac version and apply it to help.
Let's see how to fully restore all data on your Seagate external hard drive within only a few simple clicks:
By going through three short stages, you can easily find lost data on a Seagate external hard drive.
Step 1. Under the 'External Devices', you should see the Seagate external hard drive showing up after it's correctly connected to your computer. Select the drive and click the Scan button.
Step 2. Soon, the software will find more and more data and display the data in the scan results.
Step 3. You can use the Filter feature to quickly locate some specific file types in the results. Select the target files and click the Recover button.
To recover Seagate external hard drive data on Mac, you may refer to: External Hard Drive Data Recovery on Mac for help.
Save your recovered data to another location other than the external storage device. It is recommended that you reformat this Seagate drive to make sure it's secure for storing new data again.
Sum Up
On this page, we explained why is your Seagate external hard drive suddenly doesn't work or not detected by Windows or Mac computers. We also offered respective solutions to repair not working Seagate external hard drive with reliable data recovery software to retrieve all precious data from your disk.
Note that although most of these suggested solutions work to repair device not showing up, not detected, or even not working issues, but it's not the best way out.
In order to avoid further data loss, we suggest you create regular backup of your valuable data to another location frequently. Also, forming up the habit of using antivirus software is also a key point to protect your data and privacy.
Seagate External Hard Drive For Mac And Pc
Whenever you encounter data loss issue, always remember to let EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard help.