Having unmounted drives on a Mac can be a distressful experience, especially if your important files become inaccessible. When a hard drive becomes unmountable, it can no longer be accessed by the operating system, causing frustration and potentially leading to data loss.
Luckily, there are various Mac data recovery software tools and manual methods available that you can try to restore lost data from such unmounted drives. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss various step-by-step solutions to recover your files from unmounted drives on Mac, ensuring that your data remains safe and retrievable.
What Makes Drives Unmountable on Mac?
Before diving into methods for data recovery on Mac, it is important to understand some common reasons behind an unmountable hard drive. On macOS, an unmounted drive is a storage device that your system detects but does not automatically attach to the file system for use. These drives are visible in Disk Utility but do not appear on the desktop or Finder.
Here are some common reasons why a hard drive may fail to mount:
- File System Errors: When the file system gets corrupted, it may prevent macOS from recognizing or mounting it.
- Connection Issues: Physical connection issues, such as faulty cables or ports can cause drives to disconnect unexpectedly.
- Partition Map Damage: Errors in the partition table can make the drive appear unallocated or unrecognized, making it unmountable.
- Malware or Ransomware Attacks: Malicious software like Malware and ransomware can interfere with your drive’s normal operation, sometimes resulting in file encryption or file system corruption, making the drive unmountable.
Quick Methods to Mount Your Unmounted Drives on Mac
In this part of the blog, we will discuss some quick and easy methods to mount an unmounted drive on Mac:
01: Check the Drive in Disk Utility
Firstly, it is important to check the status of your unmounted drive using Disk Utility. For this:
- Press the Command + Space keys to open Spotlight and search for Disk Utility.
- Check your external or internal drive in the sidebar (unmounted drives may appear greyed).
- Select the drive and tap the Mount button After successful completion of the process, try finding the drive in Finder.
02: Run First Aid in Disk Utility
If Disk Utility fails to mount the drive, it’s time to use the First Aid feature to identify and repair common issues with it. All you have to do is:
- Click on the unmounted drive in the Disk Utility window.
- Now, click the “First Aid” button and confirm. Wait till macOS scans for errors and attempts repairs.
- If the drive is fixed, it should automatically.
Note: If the above steps fail, an error message indicating “The disk cannot be repaired” or “The file system is corrupted” will appear on your screen. In such cases, you’ll need to use a specialized Mac data recovery software.
03: Use Terminal Commands to Access the Drive
macOS provides an in-built Terminal tool that you can use to manage unmounted drives using certain commands. Follow the below steps to recover files using Terminal:
- Go to Applications > Utilities and launch Terminal.
- Now, type diskutil list and press Enter (this command displays all connected drives).
- Find the problematic drive from the list and use the command: diskutil mount /dev/diskX to mount it (replace X with the correct disk number).
If Terminal fails to mount the drive using the above command, try advanced commands such as:
Force Mounting: sudo diskutil mountDisk force /dev/diskX
Repairing Disk Permissions: sudo fsck_hfs -fy /dev/diskX
Recover Lost Files from Unmounted Drives Using Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac
If the above steps fail to unmount the drives on your Mac, it’s time to use a Mac data recovery software. Tools like Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac allow you to restore files lost or deleted due to any reason, including accidental deletion, formatting, system crashes, and many more. You can easily restore lost data of multiple types, such as photos, videos, documents, etc. using this versatile software.
Key Features of Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac Software:
- The software supports the recovery of up to 1 GB of files for free. To restore files of larger size, you need to upgrade to the premium versions.
- Compatible with Mac devices powered with the latest M3 and T2 chips.
- Recover files from various internal or external storage devices, including USB drives, HDDs, SD cards, etc.
- Provides a ‘Pause and Resume’ scanning feature to pause the scan and resume at a more convenient time.
- Also, offers a Deep Scan option to restore files lost in severe cases.
Here’s how to recover files from unmounted drives using this Mac data recovery software:
Step 1: Firstly, download and install the Stellar Data Recovery Free software on your Mac. Launch the software and from the homepage, select the type of data you need to restore and click Next.
Step 2: Now, from the Recover From window, choose your unmounted drive and click Scan to initiate the scanning process.
Step 3: After the scan, preview the recoverable files and select the one that you want to save. Click the Recover button to save the recovered data at the desired location on your device.
What If All Fails?
Instances may occur when all the above methods for data recovery on Mac get failed to recover files from unmounted drives. When all else fails, professional data recovery services can restore files from severely damaged or unmounted drives. These services use specialized tools to recover data, even in cases of physical damage. These professional recovery services can be costly, but they are often the last resort for critical data recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover files from an unmounted drive without professional help?
Yes, you can use Disk Utility’s First Aid feature, Terminal commands, or third-party Mac data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Free for Mac to recover files from an unmounted drive.
Is it possible to recover files if the drive is physically damaged?
Recovery from physically damaged drives is often impossible with software alone. In such cases, you should consult professional data recovery services, such as DriveSavers or Ontrack.
How much does professional data recovery cost?
The cost of professional data recovery varies based on the severity of the damage and the size of the data to be recovered.
How long does file recovery take?
The duration depends on the size of the drive, the extent of damage, and the recovery method used. Scanning a large or heavily corrupted drive may take several hours.
Final Thoughts
If you are wondering how to recover files from unmounted drives on Mac, don’t worry; the above manual methods and Mac data recovery software will help you resolve the issue. Start with Disk Utility or Terminal commands, and then move to third data software such as Stellar Data Recovery Free if required. However, if all fails, you can get help from professional data recovery services to restore your lost data. Moreover, you can consider preventive measures like regular backups, monitoring drive health, etc. to avoid such data loss issues in the future.
