[FIXED] The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer Mac

[FIXED] The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer Mac:

When you connect an external disk to Mac, it should show up the disk on desktop as well as in Finder. In case your Mac is not showing up the flash drive, you should check its settings. It is possible that the Mac is set for not to show up the external drive. Sometimes you face the error “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer” on Mac. This happens when your Mac recognizes the external disk you inserted but the Mac cannot read the disk.

What’s The Error: The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.

The Mac OS is capable to read internal disks as well as external drives. The list of external drives includes Flash Drive (Pen Drive, USB Drive), Hard Drive, SD Card, SSD, iOS or Android Device as Mass Storage and many more. The Mac PC or MacBook shows up the external disk when it is plugged-in to Mac. If the disk is readable, the external disk icon will appear on Mac desktop and in Finder. In case the disk is unreadable, you will see the error as The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.

Causes of Disk Not Readable on Mac

You may face the error The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer for various reasons. The problem can be in disk, or its file system or in your Mac or it can be anything else. We cannot give one specific reason for the error of a disk not readable on Mac. Here we provide some possible causes for unreadable disk error on Mac as follows:

• Disk is Encrypted.
• Disk is Protected with High Security Password/Code.
• Disk is Virus Infected or Physically Damaged.
• One or More Files on Disk are Corrupted.
• Whole Disk is Corrupted.
• Internal File System Errors.
• Some Bad Sectors on Disk.
• Disk was not removed safely from computer last time.
• File Transfer Process from Disk to Mac or Mac to Disk was interrupted.
• Disk is New and it requires formatting before using on Mac.
• Disk is Old & Used, but not in the Format that Mac can read/recognize.

Basic Solutions for Disk Not Readable Error on Mac

In order to fix the error “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer,” you need to do some process on that disk. But we suggest you to try our basic solutions to fix the unreadable disk error on your Mac. In case the basic solutions can’t fix your issue then you can apply the best ways to fix not readable disk error on Mac.

Remove the Disk and Insert it Again

Your flash drive is not readable by Mac because it was not inserted properly. So you should remove it and insert the same into your Mac to check if this time the mac can read the disk.

Check if the Disk is Encrypted

Many people encrypt the external disk/drive to protect privacy of their data. However, the Mac cannot read an encrypted disk and that can be the reason of showing disk as not readable error on your Mac.

Plug-in Another Disk in Mac

You should remove the unreadable disk and insert another disk (flash drive or SD card). It will help you to know where the actual problem is. If your Mac reads the other disk then the problem is in your disk. In case Mac does not read the other disk, there are chances of a problem in the disk or your Mac.

Plug-in Unreadable Disk into Other Computer

If you have other computer, it is the best option for checking the not readable disk. Just remove the disk from Mac and insert it to other computer. In this way, you can check if the other computer can read the disk or not. If other PC can read it then the disk may not be in the format that Mac can read.

Update Mac Drivers

The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer, it can happen on Mac due to the outdated drivers. You should update your Mac drivers and then plug-in the external drive/disk again. In order to Update Mac Drivers, please go to Apple Menu>App Store>Updates and update drivers, apps and Mac OS Software to the latest version. This process should fix the issue and your Mac will be able to read the disk.

How to Fix: The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer Mac

Mac System shows up an external disk at two locations i.e. on desktop and in Finder. If the external drive is not readable, the Mac will show an error as The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer. On the window of disk not readable error, you will see three options on your Mac screen. These options are Initialize, Ignore and Eject. It means you can eject the disk from Mac PC or you can ignore this error or initialize to fix the error. Before you choose any option, we request you to go through our best solutions to fix the error.

7 Best Ways to Fix The Error: The disk you inserted was readable by this computer Mac

We have conducted a research to find the best methods to resolve the unreadable disk issue on Mac. Here we provide all those methods in a simple and easier way as follows:

01. Repair the Disk with First Aid

First Aid is a feature in Disk Utility, it is helpful to check the disk for errors and repair them. The Disk Utility can work on both the internal disk i.e. Main Hard Drive of Mac and External Disk i.e. external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD Card or other external device. When your Mac shows the dialogue as the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer, it is recommended to run “First Aid” on that disk. Kindly follow the steps given below to run First Aid on the disk which is not readable by your Mac computer.

The external drive (disk) should be already plugged-in to your Mac before you begin the following procedure.

01. On your Mac Desktop, Open Finder and select “Go” option.

02. Go to Applications folder and select Utilities.

03. Thereafter click on “Disk Utility” to open a new window.

04. Make sure the Disk Utility is showing both the Internal and External Volumes.

05. The unreadable disk you inserted will show up under External section.

06. Select the disk under External section in the left sidebar.

07. Click on “First Aid” button and click “Run” to proceed.

08. First Aid will check and repair permissions/errors on the disk.

09. The disk has been successfully repaired.

After the disk is repaired with First Aid, you should Unmount the disk and mount it again. This time, your Mac computer will show it up. Now the disk can be read by the Mac and you can access all data on the external disk.

02. Access Encrypted Disk with Third Party App/Tool

Mac System can read the external disk which is in supportive format and not encrypted. The First Aid cannot repair the encrypted disk, because it is protected by BitLocker or other encryption. If the external drive is encrypted, you will face the error “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.” Therefore you must check if the disk is encrypted before you attempt to repair it.

Most repair tools do not work on an encrypted disk, that’s why you need to decrypt the disk before repairing the same. In order to decrypt the disk, you should have relevant software on your Mac. For example: If you have encrypted the disk earlier on Mac then you can decrypt the same on your Mac. If your disk is encrypted by BitLocker, you must get BitLocker App to decrypt it and access the data on disk.

Steps to Decrypt an Encrypted External Disk on Mac:

01. Plug-in the Disk into your Mac System.

02. Wait till your Mac recognizes the external disk, it may take a few seconds.

03. Go to Finder and check devices in the left sidebar.

04. Select your external disk in sidebar and double-click on it.

05. Enter the Password (same as you created during encryption).

06. Click on Decrypt “Device Name” option.

07. Click on “Turn Off Encryption” to proceed.

08. Wait till the decryption process is completed.

You can access the external disk on your Mac after it is completely decrypted. In case you are still facing some error, you should better go with our next method.

03. Erase the Disk [For New Disk Only]

New External Drive or Flash Drive comes in various file system formats. The Windows computer supports external disks in NTFS and some other formats. But the Mac OS X supports FAT32, exFAT and HFS+ file system. In such circumstances, when you insert New Disk, your Mac will show the error “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.” Along with the error, you will get a small window with 3 options i.e. Initialize, Ignore and Eject.

When the External Drive (Disk) is New, there is no risk of data loss. Because you are using the disk for first time and you have not stored any data yet. Therefore you should choose “Erase” option and format the disk to delete all data on it. It will fix all errors and file system format issues. Now your Mac is able to read the disk and you can store your important data into that external drive.

If you want to Erase Disk from Disk Utility on Mac, kindly follow the steps given below:

01. Open Finder, Select “Go” option and go to Applications folder.

02. Select “Utilities” icon and click on “Disk Utility” to see relevant options.

03. Select your disk under External Drive in left sidebar.

04. Click on “Erase” button and confirm the action.

05. The disk will be Erased soon and you can access it on your Mac.

Note: Please do NOT apply this method if the disk contains your important data. Because “Erase” option will delete all the data on disk and this action is not reversible.

04. Restore Data to Other External Drive

You can Erase Disk from prompt window or Disk Utility on Mac. Erasing the disk will solve the issue of the disk you inserted was not readable by this computer, but you may lose all data on the disk. In order to keep your data safe, we have found the restore process for you. Here we will guide you about how to restore data to other external drive from your disk which is not readable by Mac.

You must have the disk (not readable by Mac) and an Empty Disk (other external drive) to perform the restore process given below:

1. Insert both the external drives into your Mac.
2. Go to Finder and select “Go” option.
3. Select “Utilities” in Applications Folder.
4. Click on “Disk Utility” to open relevant window on screen.
5. Find both the drives under External section in left side bar.
6. Select the Empty Disk and click on Restore button.
7. Choose the Not Readable Disk as Source of Restore and Empty Disk as Destination.
8. Wait till the Restore Process gets over and your data is saved on other disk.

On completion of restore process, you should open the other disk to check if all data is restored there. Now you should remove the other disk that contains your data. Thereafter you can Erase the disk which was not readable by the Mac computer. Once the disk is erased, it will automatically be repaired and readable by your Mac.

05. Initialize the Disk (If you have Backup)

Initialize is one of the options you get when the disk you inserted was not readable by the Mac computer. If you choose Ignore, the error will be there and not solved. If you choose Eject, the disk will be ready to remove from Mac. You should choose Initialize when you want to repair the disk (external drive) on Mac. You should have a backup of your external disk because there is a risk of data loss during Initialize and Repair process.

After you click on Initialize button, you will get repair options under Disk Utility. In order to repair the disk, you should run the “First Aid” option. If the First Aid fails to repair the disk then the next option is Erase. If you already have a backup, you should go ahead with “Erase” option otherwise you should skip this method and follow our next method to fix the error: The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.

06. Recover Data and Initialize the Disk (If you don’t have Backup)

Initialize option leads to Disk Utility on Mac. You should run First Aid on the disk which was not readable by Mac computer. In case the First Aid cannot repair the disk, you need to Erase it. You must have your disk backup to recover its data after formatting the disk. In case you don’t have the backup, we suggest you to use a third party software. Such software will help you to recover data from the unreadable disk on Mac.

How to Recover Data from an Unreadable Disk:

You have to buy a Data Recovery App/Software to use it on your Mac PC. EaseUS Data Recovery, M3 Data Recovery and iBoysoft Data Recovery are good software to recover files from an unreadable disk. Kindly get any data recovery app and follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Download your desired Data Recovery Software on Mac.
2. Buy its paid version and get the software registered.
3. Launch the Data Recovery App on your Mac.
4. Connect the Unreadable Disk to the Mac PC/MacBook.
5. Check Data Recovery App Menu and select the Unreadable Disk as source.
6. Click on Recover Data to begin the process.
7. Choose your desired files or all files to recover.
8. Save the recovered files in Mac Hard Drive Storage.

You can Erase the Unreadable Disk after the data has been recovered. You can follow our method 3 to erase the disk which was not readable by Mac computer.

07. Get Help of a Professional

The final step you need to take is to contact a professional expert. When none of the techniques can help to access the data on your disk, it is advisable to seek help from an experienced person. Just find and contact your nearby technical expert who repairs computers and storage devices. After the professional repairs the disk, you won’t see the error as The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer. The expert professional will charge some fees for helping you to recover data and make your disk readable again on Mac.

How to Prevent Unreadable Disk Error and Data Loss in Future

The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer. This error can happen randomly at anytime to anyone with Mac or other computer. Therefore you cannot prevent this error in advance, but you can get ready to face such error with following instructions:

• You should keep your external disk backup at minimum two computer devices.
• Keep the backup updated when the external disk data are changed.
• When you buy a new external drive/disk, format it to the file system which is readable by Mac.
• Never Unplug external disk without Safely Remove option.
• Never Interrupt any Data Transfer Process from Disk to Computer or vice versa.

Final Words:

All the information mentioned above about How to Fix The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer Mac is true and fair. The techniques shared here are working well according to our best knowledge. In case you have more queries regarding how to fix unreadable disk error on Mac, kindly contact Apple Helpline Number at 1-800-MY-APPLE (800-692-7753) or visit Apple Support Website at support.apple.com.