However, GoPro not connecting to Mac or GoPro not showing up on Mac is a problem experienced by many. The process of how to load GoPro on Mac involves using the simplest methods to connect the GoPro SD card to Mac so that you can offload content, edit and post for your friends to see. Photos show up just fine, so all the JPEG files are there however the videos are not! At first when I shot AVCHD and it didn't show on my Mac, I thought maybe something was wrong with the card and formatted the card, and then after that time I reset all the settings to 0, and set videos to shut in MP4, and still nothing!
by Christine Smith • 2020-10-28 17:29:18 • Proven solutions
GoPro cameras offer the best way to capture special moments. They are embedded with GoPro SD cards that store the videos and photos and can be connected with Mac to enable sharing in social media sites like Facebook or Instagram. Mac computers and GoPro technologies regularly advance. However, GoPro not connecting to Mac or GoPro not showing up on Mac is a problem experienced by many. The process of how to load GoPro on Mac involves using the simplest methods to connect the GoPro SD card to Mac so that you can offload content, edit and post for your friends to see. Unfortunately, one of the challenges experienced during this procedure is that GoPro won’t connect on Mac, so offloading videos and photos becomes complicated. This article has details of how to handle such a situation using various methods on Mac.
Part 1. Why is the GoPro Not Showing Up on Mac
You can make GoPro compatible with Mac in 3 ways; through an SD card, Image Capture application, or GoPro Quik. The first method entails using a small portable memory card that stores high content in a small space. The SD card is normally inserted in the GoPro cameras to store the videos or photos, which are then transferable to your Mac. The second method that helps to load GoPro on Mac is by connecting the Mac and the source through a USB cable. Image Capture is an application from Apple that allows Mac users is making GoPro compatible with Mac so that images and videos stored in GoPro are accessible. Quik is also great at how to open GoPro on Mac since it only requires a USB connection to make GoPro compatible with Mac. Aside from enabling compatibility, it can also organize and create videos that are synced to music.
As you work on how to load GoPro on Mac using the above methods, one of the issues you are likely to experience is GoPro not connecting on Mac. GoPro won’t connect on Mac because the camera is unrecognizable on the Mac computer, on the GoPro app, under the My Devices section. This issue comes up when using GoPro cameras like HERO+, HERO Session + HERO4 Session, HERO 5, 6, 7, and 8 Black and all HERO versions.
If you are connecting GoPro and Mac via a micro SD card adapter, it will show Mac's mass storage device. Unfortunately, there are high chances that other applications like Image Capture will fail to recognize the camera.
Another situation that may arise is whereby the camera is recognizable. However, you will still have GoPro not connecting on Mac because a message like 'No Files to Import' will appear or 'Space Used,' which indicates that there is some data in the micro SD card, will show up.
Part 2. How to Solve if GoPro is Not Connecting to Mac
If you wonder about an issue like “Why is my GoPro not showing up on Mac?” there are higher chances that you may also wonder about Mac not detecting GoPro. Luckily, there are solutions to GoPro not showing up on Mac.
When using the GoPro app for Mac and find GoPro not showing up on Mac, you can try to solve the issue using the following two methods.
Method 1: Reactivate the hardware settings.
For you to reactivate the various hardware settings, you need to reset the USB port. Here are the steps on how to do it:
- Access the Apple Menu and go to Shut Down
- On the Keyboard, locate these keys: Shift + Control + Option + Power Button
- Hold these buttons for 5 seconds, then ultimately release them together at once.
- Proceed to turn on the Mac
When resetting Mac’s USB ports are complete, confirm if GoPro is compatible with Mac by checking if you can connect GoPro through micro SD card adapter or USB cable. You must ensure that GoPro for desktop is recognized under My Devices.
Method 2: Do not change folder names.
You may find GoPro SD card not recognized on Mac because of changes in folder names. So, ensure that you avoid changing the folder names and the SD card structure since it is one of the ways of opening GoPro on Mac.
For instance, avoid changing or renaming the “DCIM” folder. In case you rename the folders, ensure that you return the original name. When changing the name of the file folder, it is recommended that you use a micro SD card because it is significant in how to find GoPro on Mac.
If the folder is named 1 like indicated below,
Change it back to the original name 100GoPro.
Conclusion
The above two methods are also applicable when using Quik for desktop and still find that GoPro won’t connect on Mac. Use Method 1 above to reactivate the various hardware settings. When done, confirm that you can connect GoPro using the micro SD card adapter or USB cable. Proceed to verify that Quik does recognize GoPro in the My Devices section.
As you use Quik for desktop, also ensure that the file structure organization does not change from when recording through the formatted card. Changing the folder name from 100GOPRO to another leads to GoPro not connecting on Mac because Quik does not allow the importation of files. For you to import files through Quik, you must change back the file structure to 100GOGRO and use a micro SD card to do it. As you use Quik and SD card to make GoPro compatible with Mac, you may find challenges. However, simply resetting the various hardware settings and ensuring the folders remain unchanged could be the way out. If these methods do not work, do not hesitate to contact GoPro Customer Support.
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Does your Mac not recognize a USB drive? Is the USB flash drive not showing up on Mac after inserting it in the USB port? Find solutions here. Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac when you want to recover data from a USB drive not recognized.
Mac Won't Recognize USB, What Should You Do?
Commonly, when you insert a USB drive in the USB port on a Mac computer, the drive will soon appear on the desktop or hide in the Finder, letting you access, view, and manage data on it. Did you come across the situation that no matter how many times you try to connect the USB drive with a Mac computer, the USB drive is not showing up anywhere? Why this time Mac won't recognize a connected USB you may wonder. Though not a usual thing, the issue of an external hard drive or flash drive not showing up on Mac happens sometimes. What should you do in this circumstance? What are the effective solutions to make your USB drive show up again?
This page basically covers all the possible fixes for USB not showing up on Mac, which also applies to the similar issues of other storage devices like an external hard drive not showing up on Mac, flash drive not showing up on Mac, SD card not showing up on Mac, etc. Take a quick glance at the main content and directly jump to the part you're most interested in.
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Fix 1~4. Some basic check and change settings | 1. Change the connection way 2. Change settings for desktop 3. Change settings for Finder 4. Check system information..Full steps |
Fix 5~8. Repair corrupted USB drive | 1. Reset USB ports 2. Repair in Disk Utility 3. Repair with the terminal 4. Reformat USB drive..Full steps |
Fix 9~10. macOS troubleshooting and manual repair | 1. update macOS and firmware 2. Manual repair service..Full steps |
10 Fixes for USB Not Showing Up on Mac
The reasons behind the problem of a USB device not showing up are various, including the USB port is not working, USB drive corruption, virus infection, macOS faulty, etc. So, to figure out the effective solutions for your own case, you need to take time to have some basic check, exclude the irrelevant issues, identify the potential risk, and finally solve it!
- Important
- As losing the access to data is the most direct impact of Mac not detecting a USB drive, you might need to perform USB data recovery on Mac.
Fix 1. Change the USB-to-Mac connection way
Have you tried to restart your Mac once or twice? Before taking further measures, don't forget the most efficient way to tackle commonplace hardware glitches that arises from time to time. If this operating system restarting fails to solve the current problem, move on to check the physical connectivity issue step by step.
Step 1. Plug the USB drive out from the not working USB port and change to the other USB port. Try all the available USB ports on your Mac.
Step 2. Did you use a USB connection cable or a USB-C adapter? If yes, take the USB drive out, and directly plug it in the USB port.
Step 3. Is there the other Mac computer available to you? If yes, try to connect the USB drive to this computer. Is it showing up normally?
Step 4. For SD card owners, the common way to connect an SD card to a Mac needs a card reader. If changing the USB ports did not work, try to change a card reader for a new round of tests.
The four steps of troubleshooting a USB drive not showing up on Mac are very basic, however, quite helpful in most cases. Each step can help us exclude the issues of a bad/loose connection, a not working USB port, a lack of power, and other superficial phenomenons.
Fix 2. Change settings for Mac detecting an external hard disk on the desktop
Occasionally, your Mac has already recognized the USB flash drive but not shown it on the desktop. Thus, you should go to Finder > Preferences > General and make sure the 'External disks' option is ticked. Then you'll see the USB flash drive showing up on Mac desktop.
Fix 3. Change settings for Mac recognize an external hard disk in the Finder
Finder is the other access for us to check a connected external drive on Mac. If your flash drive or external hard drive is not showing up there, go to Finder > Preferences > Sidebar, and under Locations, you need to tick the option 'External disks'. By selecting this option, we can make sure that the connected external USB hard drive or flash drive will normally show up in the Finder.
Fix 4. Check the USB drive in System Information
When you cannot find the USB drive on the desktop or in the Finder, try to look for it in the System Information section, which is usually a hidden place for average Mac users.
Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > System Information.
Step 2. Check if the system detects the USB drive. Click 'USB' on the left panel, and you can also check the USB flash drive information.
Fix 5. Reset USB ports on Mac to detect a USB drive
Step 1. Restart Mac computer, press the Command +Option+P+R keys until the Apple logo appears.
Step 2. Press Command+Option+Esc keys to close all applications that are not responding.
Step 3. Plug the USB which is not showing up to your Mac computer. If it doesn't show up, click Apple icon and select 'Sleep'.
Step 4. Wake up the computer after a few seconds by pressing any key.
Step 5. Shut down the Mac, unplug the power cord, reattach it after 15 seconds.
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If this doesn't work, we should suspect the corruption issue at this moment. Don't give up and try to do some repair by yourself.
Fix 6. Repair USB flash drive with First Aid if it doesn't show up
Step 1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Step 2. Select USB flash drive on the left panel of Disk Utility, and click 'First Aid' at the top toolbar and click 'Run'. Disk Utility will repair any errors on the drive automatically.
Step 3. Select the USB drive and click 'Unmount' at the top toolbar, unplug the USB and plug it back in 10-15 seconds.
Fix 7. Check and fix errors in a not recognized USB with Terminal
Step 1. Open Terminal in Utilities, type:diskutil list Word and excel for mac. and press Return.
Step 2. Find the disk number of your USB flash drive, type: diskutil info disk2 and press Return. (Replace 2 with the disk number of your USB flash drive.)
Step 3. Type: diskutil eject disk 2 and press Return.
Step 4. Type: diskutil list and press Return.When the USB disappear from the Terminal list, close the window.
Step 5. Close Terminal and open Console to inspect your drive errors.
Storage Device Not Showing Up
Step 6. Click 'Errors and Faults' to check if there are any errors.
Step 7. Reconnect your USB flash drive back to Mac, if no error shows up, your USB flash drive is safe.
Fix 8. Save data and reformat the not showing USB drive
Disk reformatting basically solves many hard drive issues, including the not showing up USB, particularly the time when you are able to see the USB icon but files are not showing. USB drive showing empty makes no sense, so you have to reformat the disk and make it usable again.
Note that reformatting will erase data. As long as the data matters, you need to follow the standard procedure to ensure zero data loss. [1] Download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, the professional Mac data recovery software, to perform a full USB drive data recovery. [2] Reformat the USB drive in Disk Utility.
To format the USB drive in Disk Utility:
Step 1. Go to Utilities and open Disk Utility.
Step 2. Select the not showing up USB flash drive in the Disk Utility sidebar.
Step 3. Click Erase on the top.
Step 4. Finish the necessary information (name, format, and scheme) to format the USB flash drive.
Fix 9. Update your macOS and firmware
Did your Mac's OS keep updating all the time? Chances are that your Mac won't recognize a USB drive, especially after a macOS update. This time, take a close look at the settings whether your Mac is up-to-date. Equally, firmware updates address a variety of hardware issues and the functionality of the USB ports could well be one of them. So, keep your software and firmware up to date will likely make the USB drive show up as normal again.
Fix 10. Send the USB drive to a repair center
Nowadays even the branded USB flash drives are not expensive. If you've tried all the suggested troubleshooting methods, the USB drive is still not showing up on Mac, you have to accept the truth that it's severely damaged and beyond your ability to repair it.
Mac won't recognize a badly damaged flash drive or external hard drive since there is no way to show it up, even temporarily, which makes the data recovery difficult. The last chance for you to rescue data is to send the broken USB drive to a specialized data recovery service center nearby, and let the professionals try their best. You need to prepare for the manual data recovery cost, which is noticeably higher than the software data recovery. Hence, always try the cost-effective plan of using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to scan the USB drive for the first attempt.
Step 1. Correctly connect your USB flash drive to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Start selecting the flash drive and click 'Scan' to let the software search lost files on it.
Step 2. After a quick scan and deep scan, all files will be presented in the left panel in the scan results.
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Step 3. Select files you want to recover and click the 'Recover Now' button. Don't save the recoverable files to the USB drive itself in case of data overwriting.