Solutions to SD Card Not Showing Up, Reading, Recognizing on Mac

Try to access new photos on an SD card, but only find that the SD card is not showing up on your Mac. It's very disappointing when the card doesn't pop up on Mac. After a few tries, what's worse, you only find an SD card not recognized on a Mac. No matter which scenario you're in, this is a common phenomenon. This guide will help uncover different solutions to make your SD card up and running smoothly again.

Table of contents

Why Isn't My Memory Card Showing Up, Readable, or Recognized on My Mac?

What to do for SD Card Not Showing Up on Mac

Tips on How to Avoid SD Card Failure in the Future

Why Isn't My Memory Card Showing Up, Readable, or Recognized on My Mac?

SD card not showing up on Mac could be because of different reasons, and it's important to find the root cause before we get down to the solution. Here are some possible reasons:

• ⚠️ The card reader or slot of your Mac is loose or damaged.
• 🚫 The SD card is not put into the right slot or abruptly detached without the proper ejection.
• 🧩 Physical damage to SD card.
• ⁉️ The file system of the SD card is not incompatible with macOS.
• 📑 The data in the memory card is corrupted.
• ⚙️ Outdated or missing drivers for the card reader.
• 🪫 There is not enough power supply to the card reader.
• 📛 Third-party software is interfering with the recognition process.

What to do for SD Card Not Showing Up on Mac

#1. Restart your Mac

Software conflicts can prevent the SD card from being recognized and displayed. To eliminate the cause, you should quit all the running software. It's not an easy process to quit software one by one. And there are still system programs you don't know running in the background. The quickest way is restarting your Mac. It will refresh macOS and resolve any small glitches that could cause the problem. Once your Mac reboots, reinsert the SD card to see if it's now recognized.

Click the Apple icon on the top left and choose Restart. If it doesn't restart, press and hold the Power button for about ten seconds until it is powered off. After that, restart it.

#2. Try Different SD Cards/SD Card Readers

The SD card will not show up on Mac, no matter if there is a problem with the SD card or SD card reader. Test the SD card with a different computer if you have one to determine if the issue is with the SD card itself. And loose and damaged SD card reader can also cause the problem. Try the SD card with another SD card reader on your Mac. Besides the SD card slot, if you have a USB-C to SD card reader, you can try it.

#3. Check if the SD Card Is Locked

Have you checked whether there is a lock switch on your SD card? Check it. It is on the left edge of the SD card. Make sure you've unlocked the SD card. You can take this instruction as a reference for how to fix a broken lock on an SD card.

#4. Check Finder Settings

If you have tried steps 1 and step 3, find there is nothing wrong with the SD card, SD card reader, or system temporary glitches, then check Finder Settings. There could be a possibility that your SD is getting recognized by your Mac, but not displayed by the Finder.

Show SD card on desktop:

1. Open the default manager Finder and click on the Finder menu at the top left.
2. Now click on the Settings button.
3. Click on the General tab.
4. Check the 'External disks' button under the option of 'Show these items on the desktop.'

Show the SD card in the sidebar:

1. Go to Finder and click Settings.
2. Click on the Sidebar tab.
3. Make sure the option of 'External disks' is checked under the 'Locations' tab.

#5. Manually Mount Your SD Card

If your SD doesn't automatically show up on your Mac, you might need to mount it. "mounting manually" is a must, meaning allowing the macOS access to the SD card. If the SD card is not mounted, it will not appear in the Finder on your desktop.

Follow these steps:

1. Connect your Mac to the memory card.
2. Open Disk Utility just by searching with Spotlight or go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
3. Find your SD card's name on the left sidebar under the External section. If it is listed but grayed out, it's not mounted.
4. Right-click the SD card and select "Mount."
5. Check Finder to see if your SD card is showing now.

If Disk Utility doesn't work, you can also use Terminal to mount it manually.

1. Search Terminal on Spotlight or just open it by going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Type this command: diskutil list, and press Enter. This will show all of the connected drives.
3. Find your SD card name in the list and remember its identifier( like disk2).
4. Now type the command sudo diskutil mount /dev/diskX (replace X with your SD card's identifier) and press Enter.
5. Enter your Mac's password if asked, then press Enter.

#6. Repair SD Card via First Aid

If the "Mount" button is grayed or not clickable, or you see error messages during the mounting process, there must be something wrong with your SD card file system. In this case, You can carry out a First Aid check on Disk Utility to resolve the issue.

1. Select "SD Card" from the left pane of the Disk Utility.
2. Click on "First Aid."
3. Click "Run" in the pop-up dialog box to check and verify the content of the SD card.

#7. Check for Drivers or System Updates

While the possibility is rare, you might find that outdated drivers and operating systems are causing your SD card to not show up on your Mac.

Here's how to check for updates:

1. Click on the Apple menu.
2. Select System Settings (or System Preferences in older versions).
3. Click on Software Update.
4. Check for any new updates and click Update Now to install them.

#8. Reset NVRAM/PRAM

Resetting the Non-Volatile Random Access Memory or Parameter RAM on your Mac can help fix a lot of hardware-related issues, including the issue of your SD card not being recognized.

Follow these steps to reset NVRAM/PRAM:

1. Click the Apple menu and Shut Down.
2. Turn on your Mac and quickly press and hold the following keys: Option (⌥), Command (⌘), P, and R.
3. Hold the keys for about 20 seconds. You might hear the startup sound twice or see the Apple logo appear and disappear.
4. Once you hear the second startup sound, let go of the keys.
5. Let your Mac restart fully, and then put your SD card back again.

#9. Fix SD Card File System with TeskDisk

Wrong/corrupted file systems or bad sectors will cause the SD card not to read on Mac. The freeware TestDisk can fix the file system of an SD card. TestDisk is a command-line tool without a graphical user interface. It's still easy to use to fix file systems on hard drives. If you don't know how to fix an SD card file system with it, take this video guide as a reference.

Download TestkDisk

#10. Format the SD Card

If all methods fail to let you read your SD card contents on Mac, then you're left with just one solution: format it. But do remember that this method will erase all your data from the card. If you have important data saved on the SD card and you are unable to access the card at all, use data recovery software to extract your files first.

#9-1. Extract data from unrecognized SD Card:

Though it's hard for you to access data on a malfunctioning SD card, the file recovery tool might do it. Advanced techniques are used in such programs for detecting hard drives and digging data on them. Here, take iBeesoft Free Data Recovery for Mac as an example of how to recover data from an unrecognized SD Card.

1. Download and install the Mac version of iBeesoft Data Recovery.
2. Insert the memory card into the reader, connecting it with your Mac.
3. Launch iBeesoft Data Recovery and select the target SD card to scan.
4. Preview and select important data for recovery.

#9-2. Format SD Card:

Formatting the card will put it in factory settings, which means this will fix the problems and issues. After that, it's possible that your Mac will recognize the SD card again.

1. Insert the card into your Mac.
2. Open Disk Utility.
3. Select your SD card from the left panel.
4. Click the Erase button.
5. In the dialog that appears, choose a name for your card and select a format:

   🔹 xFAT: Best for compatibility with both Mac and Windows.

   🔹 Mac OS Extended (Journaled): Best for use with Mac only.

6. Click Erase to start the formatting process.

It's also tested that if the SD card is not recognized on a Mac, try it on a Windows PC. It might work there.

Tips on How to Avoid SD Card Failure in the Future

Of course, if you fix your issue of SD card not being recognized using any of our methods, then follow these to prevent your card from failing in the future:

• ⏏️ Eject Properly: Always eject the SD card safely before removing it from your device.
• 🛟 Store in a Safe Place: Keep your memory cards in a protective case to protect them from physical damage, dust, and wear and tear.
• 🧼 Regularly Format: Format an SD card after every few months to keep it working at its best.
• 🔰 Avoid Overwriting: Keep your data backed up regularly and avoid filling the SD card to its maximum capacity.

It's scary to see your SD card not show up, read, or be recognized on a Mac, especially if it holds files that are important to you. But you should calm down, figure out what the real problem is and find the right solution. And keep in mind that you always have copies of important files in different storage devices.