Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac

Summary: When plugging your Seagate Backup Plus into a Mac computer, you may find the drive stops working and is not mounting in Disk Utility. Have you been troubled by the issue? This post will give you 7 workable solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus drive not mounting/working issue on Mac.

  1. The Seagate Backup Plus Slim portable drive simplifies backup for consumers who want to help protect their entire digital life locally, in the cloud, or from their mobile devices and social networks. The slim, metal design provides premium portability - allowing you to slide the drive into your pocket, purse or backpack and carry it with you.
  2. Shop Seagate Backup Plus Slim for Mac 1TB External USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Silver/Black at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.
  3. Store and access 1TB of photos and files on the go with Seagate Backup Plus Slim, an external hard drive for Mac and Windows This portable external hard drive features a minimalist brushed metal enclosure, and is a stylish USB drive. Windows 7 or higher, or Mac OS X 10.11 or higher operating system.
  4. Jun 13, 2012  The Good The Seagate Backup Plus is fast, flexible, and good-looking. The drive's included backup software works well and is easy to use. The Bad The Seagate Backup Plus caps at just 1TB.

A large number of users reported that they were unable to mount Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac computers. And some say theirSeagate Backup Plus couldn't work on Mac after plugged in. Here is a real example:

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'I really need your help. My Seagate Backup plus just stopped getting detected (led not working anymore) with my MacBook Pro 2016 model (with USB Type C to USB 3 connector) suddenly. It was working fine 1 month before. I tried this backup disk with a Windows computer and the LED light is working in that case but I am not able to get it to work with my MacBook Pro anymore. Any idea guys?'

In fact, this issue is very common, especially for those who frequently share the same drive between different computers. Now, let's walk through how to fix it if the Seagate Backup Plus doesn't work on Mac.

7 solutions to fix Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, not working on Mac

Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is often used to back up important files. But for some reason, Seagate external hard drives could not be recognized by Mac. If you can't mount the Seagate Backup Plus drive in Disk Utility, it means the hard drive is not working on Mac and you can't access the data stored on it. So it's very urgent to fix the problem to make it work again.

Here are solutions to the Seagate Backup Plus not working or mounting issue.

1. Have some basic checks

Sometimes, the Seagate Backup Plus drive won't mount on Mac is due to the bad USB port or cable. Thus, once the Seagate Backup Plus drive stops working, you can first do some routine checks as below.

  • Step 1. Check if the cable of the Seagate Backup Plus drive is connected properly to your Mac
    If the drive isn't properly plugged in, it will fail to mount as it received not enough or even no power.
  • Step 2. Make sure the USB cable is not at fault
    Try using a different USB cable to see if that fixes the problem.
  • Step 3. Check if the USB port is damaged
    Plug the Seagate Backup Plus into another USB port if you have another one. Otherwise, insert another external storage device in this USB port.
  • Step 4. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive is powered properly
    In general, the current of USB port 2.3 and 3.0 are enough for the most external portable hard drives. But sometimes this amount of current may be insufficient while the drive is spinning up.
  • In this situation, you can try to connect the Seagate Backup Plus with a USB Y cable if you have one. And for Seagate Backup Plus Hub and Expansion Desktop, a power adaptor is required for power supply.
  • Step 5. Access the drive on other Macs
    Connect the Seagate Backup Plus drive to another Mac computer to see whether it works on that one or not. If the drive works on another Mac computer, there is something wrong with your Mac computer rather than the drive. What you should do is to ask for help from Apple support.
  • Step 6. Check if the format of Seagate hard drive is supported by macOS
    For example, a Windows BitLocker encrypted drive will not be working on Mac originally. Your Mac computer is not able to mount it. To fix the problem, you can plug the Seagate Backup Plus into a PC and then access the drive on Windows.

2. Check whether the Seagate Backup Plus is showing up in Disk Utility

To troubleshoot this problem, you first need to know if this Seagate hard drive is detected by your Mac. Open the Utilities folder in your Applications folder. Launch Disk Utility and check the left pane then. If you can't see the external hard drive in macOS, the drive probably has been physically damaged. In that case, you should send the drive to the local repair shop. Otherwise, you can move to the next solution.

3. Check if the Seagate Backup Plus drive is mounted in Disk Utility

If the Seagate Backup Plus is mounted in Disk Utility, you should blame the wrong computer settings or outdated computer. Fortunately, it's easy to fix these issues. Just try solution 4 and solution 5. If the external hard drive is greyed out in Disk Utility, it's not mounted. You can try right-clicking the Seagate Backup Plus and choose the 'Mount' button. If that doesn't work, the drive has some file system problems. Please follow the solution 6 to repair the problem.

4. Show the Seagate Backup Plus on the desktop

If the Seagate external hard drive is mounted in Disk Utility, but it still doesn't show up on Mac. First of all, you should make sure the settings in Finder display drive icons on the desktop.

Step 1: Go to Finder > Preferences > General tab.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac Windows 10

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac

Step 2: Select 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop' and then the connected external hard drive will appear on the desktop.

5. Repair Seagate Backup Plus drive via First Aid

Seagate Backup Plus not mounting issue on Mac can be caused by file system problems. Disk Utility's First Aid is a built-in tool on Mac to deal with errors related to disks, such as file system corruption. So you can try to fix the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive in Disk Utility by following the steps below.

Step 1: Go to Utilities Disk Utility.

Step 2: Click 'View' in the top menu bar (Or click 'View' on the top window). Then select 'Show All Devices'.

Step 3: Select the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive from the left sidebar.

Step 4: Click 'First Aid' on the top of the Disk Utility window.

Step 5: Click 'Run' to perform hard disk diagnostics and fix the not mounting/not working Seagate Backup Plus.

6. Update the software on Mac

Software updates keep your computer and programs secure, deal with quite a few bugs, and provide new features. Out-of-date software can cause a variety of issues. It's possible that the operating system will become sluggish and the connected device may not function properly. Fortunately, you can easily update the software on Mac.

Case 1. Update the software on macOS Mojave or Catalina. If you upgrade to macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina, you should choose 'System Preferences' from the Apple menu, then click 'Software Update' to check for updates. If any updates are available, click 'Update Now' to install them.

Case 2. Update the software on earlier macOS versions. Just launch the Mac App Store, click the 'Update' tab on the top and then choose the 'Update All'.

7. Fix the not mounting or working Seagate Backup Plus drive by reformatting

If First Aid failed on the external hard drive, it might have some serious errors that are beyond its reparation capability. In that case, you need to recover lost data from the Seagate Backup Plus external hard drive as soon as possible.

Step 1. Recover lost data from the unmountable/corrupted Seagate Back Plus

iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is free external hard drive data recovery software. It can easily recover files when the hard drive is not working or mounting on Mac. Also, it canrecover deleted photos and lost data from formatted drives, unreadable drives, corrupted drives, and recover deleted/lost partitions, etc. It's compatible withmacOS 10.15/10.14/10.13/10.12/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.

  1. 1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.
  2. 2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
  3. 3. Select the Seagate Backup Plus and click the 'Scan' button to scan for all lost data.
  4. 4. Preview the searching results, choose files you want to get back, and click the 'Recover' button.

Here is a short video tutorial which shows you how to recover lost data from unmountable/corrupted external hard drives:

Step 2: Reformat the Seagate Backup Plus to make it work

After recovering data from the unmounted Seagate Backup Plus, you can now go to Disk Utility and reformat it without worrying about data loss.

  1. 1. Launch Disk Utility from Utilities and click 'View' in the top menu bar. Then make sure the 'Show All Devices' is ticked.
  2. 2. Select the unmounted Seagate Backup Plus. Click Erase on the top of the window, and follow the on-screen steps to reformat it.

If unfortunately, you can't reformat the Seagate Backup Plus drive, it must have physical issues. In this case, you have to look for help from a local data recovery company.

Bonus Part: Introduction to different Seagate Backup Plus drives

You probably use a Seagate desktop drive like Backup Plus Hub and Expansion. Or you could use a Backup Plus Portable drive like Ultra Touch and Slim. No matter which Seagate Backup Plus drive you choose, it could not work on the Mac for some reason.

Therefore, it's important to know the differences between those Seagate Backup Plus drives. This helps you to use the Seagate Backup Plus drive more correctly and efficiently, and then avoid hard disk corruption.

  1. 1. Seagate Backup Plus Hub: This Seagate Backup Plus Desktop drive has large capacities with cross-platform compatibility, which means you don't have to format the drive for both Mac and Windows again. It's an all-in-one data hub and recharging station for tablet, smartphone and camera.
  2. 2. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch: Backup Plus Ultra Touch portable hard drives feature password protection and hardware encryption, USB-C compatibility, and file sync. You can't open the Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac until it's unlocked. Moreover, an NTFS for Mac driver is needed to use Backup Plus Ultra Touch on Mac, as it's preformatted with NTFS.
  3. 3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim: Seagate Backup Plus is small enough for a loaded laptop bag. It's an ideal external hard drive with easy portability and enough storage space. But avoid dropping your Seagate Backup Plus drive during transportation, in case it's damaged and not working.
  4. 4. SeagateBackup Plus Portable: Backup Plus portable drives offer easy-to-use software tools like Seagate Dashboard, so that you can schedule automatic backup and mirror folders easily.

Conclusion

No matter what caused Seagate Backup Plus not mounting, working, or readable issue on Mac, such as logical problems and physical damages, the most important thing is to back up important data or recover lost data with free Mac data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a powerful and reliable data recovery tool on macOS which supports various external drives, including external hard drives, SD cards, USB flash drives, etc.

If you have any suggestions to solve this issue or experience any questions when using iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac, please feel free to let us know.

Summary: Tutorial to make Mac recognize Seagate Backup Plus drive when it's not showing up on Mac. You'll know how to fix when Mac doesn't detect Seagate Backup Plus drive. If necessary, you can also recover data from the unrecognized Seagate Backup Plus drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

Seagate Backup Plus drives are great external hard drives for Mac and PC. And there are many options like Ultra Touch, Slim, and Portable. However, many users report that the Seagate Backup Plus for Mac is recognized, or the external hard drive is not showing up on Mac at all.

Here is an example:

I use a Seagate 2TB Backup Plus Portable HD as my Time Machine backups drive and it had been working fine. Since I upgrade to Yosemite (maybe coincidental?) the HD is no longer recognized by my MacBook Pro. I can see the light on HD so I am sure it is getting power. I searched for all day but no Seagate firmware update available (attempt to update shows it to be current) and no other help available from Seagate 'support.' Can anybody help me cuz I'm really in need of the files on this drive?

- Post from Apple Communities

In this case, you can't see files on the external hard drive or access them at all. So, it's important to know why and how to fix when Seagate Backup Plus drive is not showing up on Mac.

Table of contents
1. Why is Seagate Backup Plus drive not showing up on Mac?
2. Have some basic checks
3. Show Seagate Backup Plus drive in Finder and on Mac desktop
4. Check if Seagate Backup Plus drive is showing up in Disk Utility
5. Ways to use Seagate Backup Plus drive on Mac

Why Seagate Backup Plus drive not showing up on Mac?

Actually, it's a common issue that the Seagate Backup Plus drive is not recognized or detected. And sometimes the external hard drive even greyed out in Disk Utility. The reason for this issue is various. And here are some possible causes for this problem.

Mac

The causes for Seagate Backup Plus drive not detected issue could be:

  • A recent macOS update or software update, which could cause many types of incompatibility.
  • The hard drive is encrypted or password-protected, especially for Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch hard drive.
  • Faulty connections such as the wobbly USB port and broken USB cable.
  • Power supply failure, especially when MacBook is in low power mode and external hard drives requires extra power resource.
  • The outdated disk driver that appears if you haven’t updated your software and hardware for a long time.
  • Virus infection that comes from recently downloaded files, applications, patch, etc.
  • External drive hardware errors like bad sectors.
  • Other unknown reasons.

Then how can you fix the problem that Seagate Backup Plus Drive is not recognized/showing up on Mac?

First of all: Have some basic checks

Once your Seagate Backup Plus drive is not recognized on your Mac computer, you can try some routine checks first.

  1. Re-plug the Seagate Backup Plus drive and verify if the drive light is on. Desktop Drives typically require a power adapter.
  2. Try a different USB port or cable to see whether the USB port or cable is bad.
  3. Connect Seagate Backup Plus drive to another Mac or PC and see if it is compatible with it.

All checks seem to be OK? Then you can fix this issue with the following solutions one by one.

Show Seagate Backup Plus drive in Finder and on Mac desktop

For many Mac users, when they say Seagate Backup Plus drive is not showing up, they mean their drives can't show up in Finder or on Mac desktop. In this case, you can try to show your Seagate Backup Plus drive through resetting Finder Preferences.

Step 1: Go to Finder >Preferences > Sidebar.

Step 2: Tick 'External disks' in Sidebar tab to show external hard drives in Finder.

Step 3: Shift to the General tab.

Step 4: Check 'External disks' under 'Show these items on the desktop' and you’re your connected Seagate Backup Plus drive will appear on Mac desktop.

Check if Seagate Backup Plus drive is showing up in Disk Utility

After setting 'External disk' to show up in the Finder or on desktop, your Seagate Backup Plus drive is still not showing up on Mac? You need to check if the Seagate Backup Plus drive is showing up in Disk Utility.

Scenario 1: Seagate Backup Plus drive shows up in Disk Utility

If Seagate Backup Plus drive is listed in Disk Utility, then you can have a relief because it means your drive has no serious hardware problem. And you can follow the below solutions to fix the unrecognizable Seagate Backup Plus drive.

a. Mount Seagate Backup Plus drive

Sometimes, external hard drives cannot be automatically mounted on Mac. But you still have a way to mount Seagate Backup Plus drive manually in Disk Utility:

Step 1: Open Disk Utility.

Step 2: Right-click the Seagate Backup Plus drive from the left sidebar and then click the Mount button.

b. Repair Seagate Backup Plus drive via First Aid

If the above method doesn't work, it might refer to some file system errors on the Seagate Backup Plus drive. You should check and verify Seagate Backup Plus drive by First Aid.

Step 1: Launch Disk Utility.

Step 2: Choose the grayed-out Seagate Backup Plus drive.

Step 3: Select First Aid in the top center and click Run.

Tips: You can also download Seagate's software like Seagate Dashboard to diagnose and repair disk drive errors.

c. Reformat Seagate Backup Plus drive

If First Aid fails to correct errors on Seagate Backup Plus drive, the last choice is to reformat Seagate Backup Plus drive. But reformatting will erase all data stored on Seagate Backup Plus drive. If data stored on the external hard drive are important for you and you don't have any backup, you'd better recover lost data from the unrecognized Seagate Backup Plus drive at first with Mac data recovery software, like iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

Step 1: Recover lost data from Seagate Backup Plus drive

iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a free Mac data recovery software that can recover data from Seagate Backup Plus drive efficiently, whether the drive is unrecognized, formatted, inaccessible, corrupted, unmountable, or unreadable. It also can recover deleted files from emptied Mac trash. This data recovery tool works with macOS 10.15/10.14 /10.13/10.12 and Mac OS X 10.11/10.11/10.10/10.9/10.8/10.7.

Tutorial to recover lost data from Seagate Backup Plus drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac

1. Download and install iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on Mac.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac

2. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.

3. Select the drive you want to recover lost data from and click 'Scan' button to scan for all lost data.

4. Preview the searching results, choose files you need, and click 'Recover' to get them back.

Step 2: Reformat Seagate Backup Plus drive

1. Launch Disk Utility.

2. Select the Seagate Backup Plus drive on the left part of the window.

3. Click the Erase on the top of the Disk Utility window.

4. Complete the related information (name, format, scheme), then click Erase.

Scenario 2: Seagate Backup Plus drive not showing up in Disk Utility

If Seagate Backup Plus drive is not showing up in Disk Utility, unfortunately, your Seagate Backup Plus drive may have some physical problems. In this case, you'd better send the drive to a local data recovery service and see if they could help. What's more, you can contact Seagate Backup Plus support team for disk repair and replacement service.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb

Bonus part: ways to use Seagate Backup Plus drives on Mac

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac Pro

Seagate Backup Plus drives are available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB. And usually, the Seagate Backup Plus drive is formatted with either exFAT, FAT32 or NTFS. That’s to say, you can use Seagate Backup Plus drive for different aims. For example, you can use Seagate Backup Plus drive for Time Machine Backup, or you can simply use it to free up space for Mac internal hard drive.

How to use Seagate Backup Plus drive to back up files on Mac?

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac Windows 7

Different from Windows computer, you can download Seagate software like Toolkit to back up and sync files directly. On Mac computer, you can follow these steps to back up files like photos, documents, and videos on Mac.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1tb Software For Mac Laptop

Step 1: Plug in your Seagate Backup Plus (It could be Ultra Touch, Slim, and Portable) to your system.

Step 2: Choose Yes when Mac asks you 'Do you want to use your Backup Plus as a destination for Time Machine'.

Or you can manually open Time Machine from your Menu Bar (or from System Preferences), choose Select Backup Disk, and then select Seagate Backup Plus Drive for Backup.

Tips: If you newly bought a Seagate Backup Plus drive for your Mac which is NTFS (Read-only on Mac) formatted, you need to reformat it as HFS+ or exFAT before you use it on Mac. Or you can download an NTFS for Mac software, then you can use the NTFS external hard drive both on a Mac and PC.