Occasionally, Mac mini M1 not recognizing external SSD drive or after restart. I have to shut down and turn it back on to get it recognizes the external SSD drive. Is it a Mac OS issue? If cable was bad, it would not have recognized it at all. It happens quite often and annoying. Any suggestions?
Hey there Cherub7171,
It's possible there is an issue with the storage device instead. Try the steps below to repair the device:
Disk Utility can check for and fix errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac storage device.
Disk Utility can fix certain disk problems—for example, multiple apps quit unexpectedly, a file is corrupted, an external device doesn’t work properly, or your computer won’t start up. Disk Utility can’t detect or repair all problems that a disk may have.
To check and repair a disk, you need to run First Aid on each volume and container on the storage device in turn, then run it on the storage device itself.
If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back up your data and replace the disk—you can’t repair it.
1. In the Disk Utility appon your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices.
If Disk Utility isn’t open, click the Launchpad iconin the Dock, type Disk Utility in the Search field, then click the Disk Utility icon
Note: If you’re checking your startup disk or startup volume, restart your computer in macOS Recovery. See the Apple Support article About macOS Recovery on Intel-based Mac computers. Next, select Disk Utility in the macOS Recovery window, then click Continue. If you check your startup volume (Macintosh HD), make sure you also check your data volume (Macintosh HD - Data).
2. In the sidebar, select a volume, then click the First Aid button.
3. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
4. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each volume on the storage device.
6. In the sidebar, select a container, then click the First Aid button
7. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
8. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 for each container on the storage device.
10. In the sidebar, select the storage device, then click the First Aid button
11. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
12. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
Continue here for additional guidance: Repair a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
Take care!
Hey there Cherub7171,
It's possible there is an issue with the storage device instead. Try the steps below to repair the device:
Disk Utility can check for and fix errors related to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac storage device.
Disk Utility can fix certain disk problems—for example, multiple apps quit unexpectedly, a file is corrupted, an external device doesn’t work properly, or your computer won’t start up. Disk Utility can’t detect or repair all problems that a disk may have.
To check and repair a disk, you need to run First Aid on each volume and container on the storage device in turn, then run it on the storage device itself.
If Disk Utility tells you the disk is about to fail, back up your data and replace the disk—you can’t repair it.
1. In the Disk Utility app
If Disk Utility isn’t open, click the Launchpad icon
Note: If you’re checking your startup disk or startup volume, restart your computer in macOS Recovery. See the Apple Support article About macOS Recovery on Intel-based Mac computers. Next, select Disk Utility in the macOS Recovery window, then click Continue. If you check your startup volume (Macintosh HD), make sure you also check your data volume (Macintosh HD - Data).
2. In the sidebar, select a volume, then click the First Aid button
3. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
4. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each volume on the storage device.
6. In the sidebar, select a container, then click the First Aid button
7. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
8. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 for each container on the storage device.
10. In the sidebar, select the storage device, then click the First Aid button
11. In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
12. When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
Continue here for additional guidance: Repair a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
Take care!
mac mini not recognising my external SSD drive after restart
