My Gtechnology 18 TB is not recognized in my Mac

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for macOS
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It appears en disk utility like disk10s2 and can not access to it.

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Hi @chemulder ,

Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:

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Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to get your G-Technology 18 TB drive recognized by your Mac:

1. Verify formatting:

  • Compatibility: G-Technology drives are typically pre-formatted for Mac using HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) format. However, if you previously used it on a Windows PC or formatted it in another format, it might not be recognized by your Mac.
  • Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility). Look for the G-Technology drive under the “External” section. If it is listed but appears grayed out, it might not be mounted. Right-click on the drive and select “Mount” if available.

3. Update drivers and software:

  • macOS Updates: Ensure your Mac is updated to the latest version of macOS. This can sometimes address compatibility issues with external drives. Go to System Preferences > Software Update to check for updates.
  • G-Technology software: Check the G-Technology website for any available firmware updates or software specifically designed for your drive model. Installing the latest updates can sometimes resolve recognition issues.

4. Additional troubleshooting:

  • Restart: Sometimes a simple restart of your Mac can resolve minor glitches that might be causing the issue. Try restarting your Mac with the G-Technology drive connected.
  • Reset SMC and PRAM: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) and Parameter RAM (PRAM) can sometimes help resolve hardware-related issues. Search online for specific instructions on how to reset these based on your Mac model, or let me know I will guide you throughout.

If none of these steps work, it’s possible that the drive itself might be experiencing hardware-related issues. In this case, you should contact G-Technology support for further assistance.

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Here are some solutions you can try:

  1. Run First Aid in Disk Utility: Launch Disk Utility and use the First Aid tool to check and repair any minor issues on your external hard drive.

  2. Use Terminal to Detect, Mount, and Display the Drive: Open Terminal and enter commands like diskutil list to see if your My Passport drive is recognized. If it shows up, use sudo diskutil mount /dev/diskX (replacing “diskX” with your actual disk identifier) to manually mount it. You can also check out this guide for more: External Hard Drives Not Showing Up on Mac [2026 Fixing Guide]

  3. Reset NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory): Sometimes resetting the NVRAM can help resolve hardware-related issues, including problems with external devices not being recognized.

  4. Boot in Safe Mode and Remove Third-Party Software: Start your Mac in Safe Mode by turning it on and immediately pressing and holding the Shift key. This disables unnecessary startup programs, including third-party apps that might interfere with mounting your external hard drive. Once in Safe Mode, check if the drive appears. If it does, you can uninstall any third-party software causing the issue.

  5. Reformat the Drive (Be Careful): If none of the above steps work, you may need to reformat the drive to Mac OS Extended or APFS. But make sure you have back up your data first, as reformatting will erase everything on the hard drive.