The Mac operating system relies on the file system, partition table, and other partition information to know how the disk organizes data. Corrupted file system or partition table.This usually happens when it has been plugged and unplugged several times. The disk or the USB interface is likely damaged. Below are possible factors that might be causing this problem:

The major reason causing the error message the disk you inserted was not readable is because the Mac operating system cannot read the data located on the disk in an orderly way, or it's failing to access the disk entirely.

What makes disk not readable by Mac computer Thankfully, there is a solution that can help you fix this problem. This can be frustrating considering that you cannot view your precious files like images, documents, videos, and more. However, if the system disk or files are corrupted, you receive error messages that prevent you from accessing the device and data. The only way you can open up your storage devices, such as an SD card, external hard drive, or USB flash drive is by inserting it into a Mac or Windows computer. Overview of the Mac disk not readable error When Mac alerts you with this message, it means USB flash drive or external hard drive has detected problems. Part 1: Why disk was not readable by Mac computerįor Mac OS, you can sometimes come across an error message saying the disk you inserted was not readable by the computer.

Part 4: How to avoid external disk not readable on Mac.

Part 3: Recover unreadable files from disk not readable on Mac.

Part 2: Fix 'The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer'.

Part 1: Why disk was not readable by Mac computer.

However, the file system is not supported by many older systems. In theory, data capacity of up to 2 TB is possible, but Microsoft has limited the partition size in newer systems to 32 GB in order to promote the modern NFTS format.ĮxFAT is a further development of FAT that in principle offers unattainable storage and data capacity. The maximum data size is limited to 4 GB in the latest version FAT32. It is not supported by many applications.įAT is a file system developed by Microsoft that is also supported by Linux and macOS. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with the addition that the file system can differentiate between upper and lower case (e.g. HFS+ or Mac OS Extended (case-sensitive and journaled) Windows/Linux devices are only able to read but not write on USB sticks in this format. A file system developed by Apple that is particularly suited to data media with large memory capacity.

Usb format readable by mac and pc