External Ram For Mac



Get a data lifeguard for Mac
  1. External Ram For Macbook
  2. External Ram For Macbook Air
  3. External Ram For Macbook Pro
  4. External Ram For Macbook Air
  5. External Ram For Macbook Pro

Back when more Macs had the option for user-expandable RAM, that was a great way to squeeze a little more life out of external machines and make a slowing machine feel much faster. I have an early 2015 13' MBP with 8GB RAM and it really could use a RAM bump. Unfortunately this machine is not upgradeable. Is there any way to attach an external drive and use it as some type of overflow RAM?

Disk Drill brings deleted files back from the dead.

Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your Mac’s USB port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the Finder in the left-hand column under Devices, since Mac’s treat them the same way as another computer.

However, sometimes, an external hard drive doesn't show up. It’s annoying, especially when you need to transfer something right then. And besides, there can be a risk that data on the external USB pen, hard, or flash drive is corrupt, which means you can’t transfer what you need between devices at all.

Corrupt data can be one reason your Mac won't recognize an external drive, but there are other reasons too. Let’s take a look why this is happening and how you can get an external drive to appear on your Mac and get recover data to access to your documents.

How to fix an external disk drive that won't show up on a Mac

Why an external disk drive is not showing up? There could be a few reasons why a USB flash drive isn’t making an appearance.

Open an External Drive Not Showing on Mac

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Start with the basics:

  1. Check whether the drive is properly plugged in. It sounds obvious, but since this relies on a wire - either a USB cable or HDMI cable - if it’s not connected properly then it won’t appear on your desktop.
  2. Faulty cable. Assuming it’s plugged in correctly, not wobbly or loose, the cable could be at fault. Try connecting the same device with a different cable.
  3. Damaged USB or flash drive port. It could be a hardware issue with the Mac. If you’ve got another port, try connecting the device to that one.
  4. Reboot your Mac. Sometimes, if a USB disk won't boot, the cause is macOS issue. Hopefully, some data damage that can be fixed by restarting. Choose the Apple menu > Restart. Or press and hold the power button and, when a dialog box appears, click the Restart or press R. Restarting your Mac essentially clears your macOS’s memory and starts it up fresh.
  5. Incorrectly formatted drive. Not every external drive is optimized for Macs. It could be that you are trying to connect something only fit to interact with Windows devices. If you’ve got a PC or laptop, it’s worth connecting and seeing if you can access the files through another device. The best way to look for an incorrectly formatted drive is to go to
    Apple (in the top toolbar menu) > About This Mac > Storage.
    See if the external drive shows up here. For more information, go to the same menu option, then select System Report.
  6. Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. It could be that your Mac already recognizes the device, but just isn’t showing its icon on the desktop screen. Even if that is the case, the drive will still appear in the left-hand column of the Finder menu under Devices. You should be able to access your drive that way, and, in the Finder menu under Preferences > General, you can check External Drives to ensure that from now on it shows up on your desktop too.
  7. Reset NVRAM. To do this, shut down or restart your Mac, switch it back on and immediately press these four keys together for at least 20 seconds: Option, Command, P, and R. It should look as though your Mac has started again; if it has, release the keys when you hear the second startup chime. Hopefully, the hard drive has shown up now.
  8. Check Apple’s Disk Utility to see if an external drive is showing up. Disk Utility is within System Preferences, or you can find it using Spotlight. If it is visible, then click the option to Mount, which should make it visible on the desktop and in the External Drives option in the Finder menu.

Unfortunately, if none of those options has worked and the external drive still isn’t visible, then it could have crashed, or be well and truly broken. But there might still be a way you can recover the data on the external drive.

How to show connected devices in Finder

  1. Go to the Finder menu and select Preferences (Cmd+comma).
  2. From General tab tick External disks to ensure that from now on it shows on the desktop.

In the Sidebar tab you can choose which folders and devices will be shown in the left-hand column of the Finder window.

How to add cloud storages to Finder

You can also mount cloud storage as local drive on your Mac. By connecting Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon to your computer, you get more space for securely accessing and sharing files. For your ease, add cloud drives to Finder with CloudMounter app, so that you keep them close at hand. You can read detailed instructions on managing cloud storage as local drives here.

Repair the failed external drives with First Aid

If your drive is having problems, you can try to fix them yourself with First Aid and therefore get access to your files. First Aid tool will check the disk for errors and then attempt a repair as needed. It helps to verify and repair a range of issues related to startup HD and external drive problems. If you are able to fix the hard drive or SSD in your Mac (or an external drive) using Disk Utility you will hopefully be able to recover your files.

To run Fist Aid on an external hard drive:

  1. Open Disk Utility. You can searching for it using Spotlight Search or via Finder > Application > Utility
  2. Check on your external hard drive, click the First Aid tab and select Run to start running diagnostics.
External ram for macbook pro 2017

If First Aid successful in fixing errors, the external drive should be available to mount. If the utility unable to repair issues, your drive truly is broken or formatted using a file system that the Mac cannot read - in this way we suggest you follow the next steps to recover data from a damaged disk drive.

How to recover data from a crashed drive

Thankfully, there is an app for that. Disk Drill is the world’s premier data recovery software for Mac OS X. Powerful enough to retrieve long-lost, mistakenly deleted files from Macs, external hard drives and USB drives and camera cards.

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An easy way to recover lost files on an external hard drive

Providing you already have Disk Drill Pro version, which you can get automatically by downloading from Setapp:

  1. Connect your drive to the Mac.
  2. Quit all other applications on the Mac, especially those that may be trying to access the external drive (e.g. iPhoto, Words)
  3. Launch Disk Drill.
  4. Click on the external drive that you are trying to recover files from. If it has partitions, you will see all of them. If, however, you still don’t see any volume to the external drive then you may need to try some of the steps above again or read the Disk Drill Scanning FAQs.
  5. To avoid the external drive being accessed during the recovery process, click Extras next to the drive or drive partition or file, then select Remount Volume As Read Only. A padlock will appear, protecting the drive during the process.
  6. Now click Rebuild (or Recover) next to the file(s) you are trying to recover. Once the scan is finished - it may take some time if the files are large - a list of files will appeal.
  7. Next, click Mount Found Items as Disk button on the bottom-left below the scan results.
  8. Disk Drill “strongly suggest saving the files to a different drive than the one you are trying to recover files from. Saving to the same drive substantially lowers your chances of recovery.”
  9. A drive icon will appear, which once you double click will give you the option to open the files as you would do before they were lost. Drag them to another location, such as your desktop or a folder on your Mac.
  10. Open the files to ensure they have been recovered properly and safely eject the external drive.

Disk Drill does have other ways to recover lost files but assuming there aren’t complications, this method is the most effective. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available from Setapp, along with dozens of Mac apps that will make your life easier. Never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive again.

A few more tips on getting your files back

  1. Macs and third-party apps that look after Macs, such as Disk Drill and iStat Menus come with a S.M.A.R.T. (also known as Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) status monitor. If a SMART check reports errors, then it could mean the hard drive is at risk of failing completely. Within Disk Utility and Disk Drill, there are several solutions for this: Repair Disk Permissions and Repair Disk. If neither work, it’s recommended that you backup all of the data from the disk, erase, then run a SMART check again. The external hard drive should show up as Verified.
  2. Partitions can get lost within hard drives, temporarily hiding all of the information contained within. Disk Drill can help to identify and restore this information.
  3. Within Disk Drill, you can restore data when a hard drive is damaged or add formatting, which is also something Disk Utility can help with.
  4. CleanMyMac, another useful app available from Setapp, can help you identify external hard drive errors and repair them. It is an essential tool worth trying when you’re having external hard drive difficulties.

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Alternative ways to recover data from an external hard drive

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove:

  • Shut down and unplug the power adapter
  • Press Shift-Control-Option and the power button at the same time. Do this for 10 seconds
  • Release all keys
  • Plug the power adapter back in and switch your Mac back on

For Macs with removable batteries, you need to switch them off, remove the battery, then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds. After that, put the battery back in, plug in the power adapter and switch the power on again.

What’s your file format? One reason your Mac isn’t recognizing the hard drive is the file format. Windows uses NTFS file formats, while Macs, up until the introduction of Sierra, have used HFS+. Now, Apple has introduced the Apple File System (APFS) for newer operating systems. It is possible to format a hard drive so it can be read on Mac and Windows computers, providing you format using exFAT. However, if you’re having problems accessing the files and the issue is due to formatting, you will need to connect it to a device it can be read on, and then format the files correctly for the computer you are going to use it on next.

How to make Ext2/Ext3 drives readable on Mac

The common issue is Ext2- and Ext3-formatted drives are not readable on macOS. There are two ways to access such external drives on your Mac – via Linux OS or FUSE system. The easiest would be installing Linux to a secondary drive or virtual machine.

If you go with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac with Linux on another drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary. If you don’t have a drive to install Linux to, use virtual machine as an interface for it. Transferring can be done the same way – with FAT32, or via network.

Another option for reading Ext2/Ext3 disks is mounting disk with Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE). Basically, it works as an extra interface enabling file system access via specially installed modules. Here’s how to mount drives with FUSE:

  1. Install FUSE for macOS or MacFUSE as well as fuse-ext2 module.
  2. Use the following Terminal command to enable Disk Utility’s debug menu and see all partitions: defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled 1
  3. Attach your Ext2/Ext3 drive and locate the device name via Disk Utility.
  4. In your user account, create a folder to be used as a mount point.
  5. Use the following Terminal command to mount the drive as read-only: fuse-ext2 /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint
  6. For write support, use the command: fuse-ext2 -o force /dev/disk2s2 /Volumes/mountpoint

And that’s not the only case where Terminal helps you access external drive.

Employ the handy all-powerful Terminal, which always comes forward with solutions for difficult problems. Especially if System Information does recognize the USB or hard drive, but continues to hide it from you, disconnect the drive and try to find it using the Terminal, which you can find in Applications > Utilities.

  • Once in the Terminal, type in the command diskutil list
  • A list with information about volumes and drives should appear
  • Look for a section labelled /dev/disk_ (external, physical)
  • Make a note of the whole line after the word disk
  • Now put the following command into the Terminal diskutil info disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
  • Now you should see detailed information about the drive, therefore confirming that your Mac can and does recognize it
  • Eject using the Terminal by entering the command diskutil eject disk followed by the number or digits assigned to that disk
  • Physically remove the disk from you Mac
  • Plug it back in and your Mac should recognize it

Console is also reliable when it comes to solving tricky problems, although it isn’t always that easy to use. You can find Console under Applications > Utilities > Console. Console shows if an external drive or any error is detected under the Errors and Faults tab. If no errors show up, then the problem is not caused by the device.

To sum up, there are lots of potential solutions for a Mac not reading an external hard drive. If we were to pick one, Disk Drill seems to be the most well-rounded, offering plenty of customizations and power in an easy-to-use interface. Disk Drill Pro recovery app is available via Setapp, along with 150+ Mac apps that strive to make your life much much easier. At the very least, you’ll never have to worry about a crashed or corrupted external drive ever again.

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Ever since computers have been around, RAM (or Random Access Memory) has been the one defining factor associated with loading performance and your computer's ability to quickly access information or display the desired output.

Today we will talk about something related to Mac RAM upgrading. If you had lots of Mac memory, you were the 'fastest kid on the block' or something along those lines. And this still holds true today.

We will discuss 2 key ways through which you can effectively add RAM to your MacBook Pro, iMac or MacBook Air.

  • Part 2. The Cheapest and Easiest Way to Get More Mac RAM with Software

Part 1: Knowledge of RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM) refers to a small, replaceable circuit board inside your computer that gives your Mac temporary workspace - that is, a place where data is temporarily stored. That is why the data can be quickly loaded and accessed. So for example, when you launch an app or do anything else that requires you to load data, your Mac brings RAM into play to store any relevant data while it continues to work with it. Modern computers often come equipped with 4, 8, 16 or more gigabytes of RAM pre-installed.

More available RAM means you can run larger and more apps and programs simultaneously, without slowing down your Mac or waiting for long disk load operations before you can actually access or start using a specific program.

Should I Do a Mac Memory Upgrade?

2018

If your system is running low on RAM, you will experience slowdowns when launching programs, loading documents, and otherwise using your system. It makes sense to upgrade your RAM - because more RAM means faster CPU access times and as a result, your storage media also works faster. We can know the details at below:

1. Take More Multitasks

The more physical RAM you have installed, the more programs you can run at the same time, and with more efficiency as well. This can be particularly useful if you work a lot with photo editing software like Photoshop or you have too many browser windows and tabs opened at the same time, along with the usual word processor or presentation software running in the background.

2. Open Programs Faster

Naturally, adding memory to your iMac can launch your programs faster ' something which can be a frustrating ordeal otherwise when you're working with a program that's memory-intensive.

3. Get Better Gaming Performance

This may not be seen as a potential advantage by everyone. But if you also use your Mac for entertainment, then you can expect games to generally perform better, run smoother and of course, load faster between screens.

4. More productivity

3D modeling and photo editing software are just two examples of applications that suck up a lot of resources. Having more RAM means you can stay productive as you won't have to wait too long for things to load.

Part 2: The Cheapest and Easiest Way to Get More Mac RAM with Software

The easiest and most cost-effective way to increase Mac RAM is to release more internal memory space on your Mac. With longer operation times, more memory can get clogged up. Using a professional tool like iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner, you can free up unused RAM on your computer and instantly see noticeable performance gains.

Advantages of using iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner:

  • It support all Mac models and versions
  • Very straightforward operation, allowing you to free up memory in a single operation or in bulk
  • Very easy for new users and you can free up RAM yourself without any technical knowledge
  • The low-cost tool that offers amazing features for a lifetime
  • Lists out all apps and processes which are eating up RAM larger than 50MB
  • Shows real-time statistics to help you manage RAM
  • All-in-one Mac manager helps to delete large and unnecessary files, duplicate files, private data that's no longer needed, junk files, etc. It helps to manage all apps and extensions on your computer which are occupying too much memory.
  • Helps you get twice as much RAM

Here is how to download, install and use this tool to increase Mac RAM

External Ram For Macbook

  1. Download the tool by clicking the above button.
  2. Launch Umate Mac Cleaner and click on 'Speed Up Your Mac' on the left panel.
  3. Click on 'Start Now'.
  4. It will show you all the programs that can be closed to release more RAM. Click on 'Free Up RAM'.

Now, you have got the super easy steps to increase Mac RAM. Of course, if you don't want to adopt the simple way we mentioned above, there is another relatively hard way to add RAM to your Mac. Next, we are going to tell you something you should pay attention to when doing Mac memory upgrading.

Part 3: Complex and Expensive Way: Manually Add RAM to your Mac/MacBook

Unlike using the solution to increase RAM with software, adding RAM to Mac is a hard way for most of us. We can conclude this way as a high-cost, complex and technology necessary method. If you don't mind spending extra cash and arming yourself with some technical knowledge, then here's how you're going to physically do a Mac memory upgrade:

3.1 Preparations before Mac Memory Upgrading

1. To prevent damage from static electricity, shut down your Mac (without removing the Mains plug) and wait for at least 10 minutes.

2. Keep your new RAM in its packaging right up until you're about to install it.

3. Touch an unpainted metal surface in your Mac to discharge any remaining static in your body.

4. When mounting your RAM into the slot, ensure that the gap in the front-facing gold contacts matches up with the protrusion in your motherboard's RAM housing.

3.2 Check the Actual Expandable Size of Your Mac

Access the Apple menu and select 'About this Mac'. Under the Memory tab, you can access a variety of information about your RAM, including the maximum it can hold.

Alternatively, you could also visit Apple's web support.

3.3 Check if Your Mac Models Can be Upgraded

You can use the same Apple menu and pull down the 'About this Mac' option to see if your model can be upgraded. Below the current memory size, if you see slots that say 'Empty', that means your Mac is upgradeable. Also, you can check the list we have posted below.

With some Mac models, the RAM is fixed into place and not upgradeable. Check the list below to know if your Mac models can be upgraded.

Some iMacs, like all the 27' models, have an access panel specifically for adding RAM. And it takes only a few seconds to pop that panel off. Other models, like the latest 21.5' iMac models, require you to remove the screen and logic board which may take at least a few hours. As things stand now, you can upgrade the RAM yourself in the following Mac models:

  • MacBook Core 2 Duo
  • MacBook Unibody
  • MacBook Pro 13' (Mid 2009-Mid 2012)
  • MacBook Pro 15' (Late 2008-Mid 2012)
  • MacBook Pro 17' (All Models)
  • iMac 17' (All Models)
  • iMac 20' (All Models)
  • iMac 24' (All Models)
  • iMac 27' (All Models)
  • Mac Mini (Mid 2010-Late 2012)
  • Mac Pro (All Models)

Because Apple has taken to soldering the RAM to the motherboard of the computer - particularly on laptops in the last few years. You currently cannot upgrade the RAM yourself in these Mac models:

  • iMac Pro (All Models)
  • Retina MacBook (All Models)
  • MacBook Air 11' (All Models)
  • MacBook Air 13' (All Models)
  • MacBook Pro 13' with Retina Display (All Models)
  • MacBook Pro 13' with Touch Bar (All Models)
  • MacBook Pro 15' with Retina Display (All Models)
  • MacBook Pro 15' with Touch Bar (All Models)

3.4 Steps to Install More RAM

  1. Completely shut down your Mac.
  2. Turn your computer over so that the back is facing you.

  3. Remove all the screws to take the case off.

  4. Discharge any static electricity in your body by touching a painted metal surface inside your Mac.

  5. Align the notch on the gold edge of the module with the notch in the lower memory slot.
  6. Tilt the card and push the memory into the slot.
  7. Use two fingers with a firm, even pressure to push down on the memory module. There should be a click when you insert the memory correctly.

  8. Repeat this procedure to install an additional memory module in the top slot. Press down on the module to make sure it is level.

  9. The last step is to replace and tighten the ten screws you removed earlier, making sure to put the different length screws in their proper locations.

That's how to upgrade Mac RAM t get more running space! If you have any question about the steps on how to install RAM on Mac, then you can check the Apple official guide for details.

Important

If you apply the manual way to upgrade RAM, there truly exist some risks. We can have an idea as follows:

1. You may damage your Mac

There's a good chance that you may damage the really expensive and fragile components inside your Mac if you don't exercise certain antistatic precautions and general care.

External Ram For Macbook Air

Even if you do take all the necessary precautionary measures, you are still undertaking the task of a MacBook pro memory upgrade on your own. If you inadvertently damage anything in the process, the repairs will not be covered under your warranty.

Mac

2. Installing the wrong RAM

Not all RAM modules are made the same. Install the wrong-spec RAM, and you may irrecoverably damage the RAM module itself as well as some of the components inside your computer. Furthermore, you may also be looking at a string of hardware and software corruption issues that can be costly to fix.

External ram for macbook

3. Some Macs Are Not Upgradeable

External Ram For Macbook Pro

Whether or not you can upgrade the RAM in your Mac—and how easy it is to do so—depends entirely on the model. Some iMacs, like all the 27” models, have an access panel specifically for adding RAM. And it takes only a few seconds to pop that panel off. But for some other models, they are not supported to upgrade or install more RAM. There will be a detailed list for all supported Mac models on part 3.

4. It's complex, technical and expensive

By not knowing which RAM module to use in your computer or not understanding whether your computer allows RAM upgrades, you are taking a colossal risk. Besides, buying genuine mac memory upgrades from an authorized dealer can be very expensive.

For these potential risks of upgrading Mac RAM in a manual way, we recommend increasing Mac RAM with software solution - Umate Mac Cleaner.

External Ram For Macbook Air

In Closing

External Ram For Macbook Pro

Freeing up RAM on your MacBook Pro, iMac, or MacBook Air is as simple as knowing what RAM module to use and how to install it. However, for the easiest, cheapest and most hassle-free way to free up Mac memory, we'd still recommend iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner.