2 Easy Ways to Fix External Storage Issues with MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Both the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air are among some of the most user-friendly devices money can buy at the moment. While they score high on user convenience, it is not all smooth sailing while using these devices.

One of the common problems that has plagued the users of both, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air is the issue of external storage. That includes showing incorrect amount of space remaining, which includes the amount of storage still available or the amount that has been consumed. This can lead to other problems while using your device like lagging or the inability to save heavier files or install software that requires a large amount of hard disk space.

Fortunately, you can resolve the issue easily and effectively. Here is what you need to do if you are facing issues with External Storage devices with your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air:

Time Machine failure

Time Machine is designed to create a backup of all the data on your Mac at a location of your preference (usually an external hard drive) so that you never lose any vital files. The feature is handy as you get a reassurance that there is always a backup available from where you can restore your data just in case you accidentally delete something or if a file is corrupted. While this is a great feature, a glitch in the same can end up creating more issues than it is supposed to solve. In that case, a good idea will be to turn it off temporarily and then restart your Mac.

Follow these steps to turn off Time Machine and restart your device:

• Click on the Apple logo at the upper left corner
• From the menu that appears, click on System Preferences
• In the System Preferences window, click on Time Machine
• In the Time Machine window that opens, uncheck the Back up Automatically checkbox.
• Click on the close button at the top left corner
• Restart your Mac

This should help you fix storage problems arising due to Time Machine.

Also Read- How to Resolve Common Problems in a MacBook Air, Pro Trackpad Issues

Unable to read/write from an external USB drive:

Sometimes you can face issues with your External Drive, wherein it is being detected but you cannot read or write anything from that drive. In such cases, you may have to format or erase the drive to get it to work again. Please note: If you follow this step, you WILL lose all your data on the drive so proceed very carefully.

• Click on File from the menu option at the top and select New Finder Window
• From the Window that opens, click on Applications from the options on the left
• From the Applications window that opens, click on Utilities
• From the next window that opens, select Disk Utility App
• In the Disk Utility app that opens, select External USB hard drive from the options on the left
• Click on the erase button at the top
• In the confirmatory box that opens, click on the Erase button again
• You will get to see the progress in another window that opens and will show the Done button once it is complete
• Click on File again followed by Quit Disk Utility
• Close the Utilities window by clicking on the close button at the top left corner
• Your drive has been erased and is ready for use again

These two solutions should help you rectify external storage issues in your MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and allow you to continue working without any problems.

If you are still facing issues with your Macbook, please visit Rapid Repair for the best Macbook repair services.