Can't Access exFAT on macOS Sonoma? 5 Verified Fixes

Many users have reported that their Mac “can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma.” Normally, when you insert an exFAT disk, the system automatically mounts it so you can access the data stored on it. However, disk errors may cause the data on exFAT to become inaccessible, such as the common mount errors “com.apple.DiskManagement.disenter error 0” and “com.apple.DiskManagement.disenter error 49244.”

Sonoma seems to not like exFAT USB drives for an odd reason
Posted by u/propernekoz in MacOS

Suppose you are one of them; don't worry! This article discusses the solutions to the problem of "Can't Access exFAT on macOS". Read on to know more and save the data stored on the inaccessible exFAT disk.

How to access and recover data from an exFAT disk using software?

When your exFAT partition holds important data you can't afford to lose, consider using professional and reliable data recovery software, such as the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, to access the stored data on the exFAT disk. Download and install the Mac data recovery tool, then follow the steps below to access data on the exFAT drive.

With its advanced scanning features, the tool helps users access data from an exFAT disk that fails to mount when you encounter a "Mac disk error 119930868". Follow these steps to recover data from an exFAT disk that is inaccessible:

Step 1: Search for the Lost Files

Connect the external hard drive to your Mac correctly. Launch the tool “Data Recovery Wizard for Mac,” and select the external drive. Then, click “Search Lost Files” to look for lost or deleted files on the external device.

Note: Before data recovery, it's better to click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of your external hard drive to prevent further data loss. After backing up the external hard drive, the software can recover data from the backup of the external hard drive, and then you can remove the external hard drive and use it again.

Select the external hard drive and click "Find Lost Files"

Step 2: Filter and locate the missing file

After the scan, all file types will be displayed in the left panel. Select a file type to look for the desired files on the external device.

Step 3: Preview and Recover

Preview the files and select the ones you want to restore, then hit the “Restore” button. You can save your data to both local and cloud drives.

After saving the recovered data to a secure location using the Sonoma Data Recovery Software, you can follow these solutions to address the "exFAT not accessible on macOS Sonoma" error.

Fix 1: Mount exFAT Drive Manually with Disk Utility

If you can't mount an exFAT-formatted disk after upgrading to macOS Sonoma, try mounting the disk manually in Disk Utility:

Step 1: Click on “Finder” > “Applications” > “Utilities,” and then open “Disk Utility.”

2. In the sidebar on the left, choose “View > Show All Devices,” then select the exFAT volume.

Step 3: Click “Mount” from the top menu bar to manually mount the exFAT drive.

This method works with virtually all disk brands that are compatible with macOS file systems, including mounting Seagate hard drive on Mac.

If this post was helpful, bookmark it and share it on social media to help others learn how to fix the “Unable to access exFAT” error on macOS Monterey.

Solution 2: Force Mount exFAT Drive on Mac Using Terminal

In addition to using Disk Utility, you can also force a hard drive to mount on your Mac by using a terminal command. Here's how:

Step 1: Open the Terminal app from the Utilities folder.

Step 2: Type each of the following two commands into your terminal window, pressing Enter after you type each one to run it.

Remember to replace “identifier” with your exFAT disk's identifier.

Fix 3: Kill the fsck Process

The fsck process might prevent your exFAT drive from mounting on macOS. What is the fsck process? If an exFAT drive is removed without being ejected, macOS runs the fsck process to repair it. Here's how to stop the fsck process on your Mac:

Step 1: Open the Terminal app from the Utilities folder.

Step 2. Enter the following command to see if fsck is hijacking your exFAT disk:

Step 3: Type sudo pkill -f fsck to kill the fsck process. Enter your administrator password if prompted.

Fix 4: First Aid to Repair exFAT Disk on macOS

“First Aid” is a feature in the built-in Disk Utility app that can help you quickly check and fix disk errors. To run First Aid on an exFAT volume, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click the “Disk Utility” icon in the “Tools” folder.

2. In the sidebar on the left, choose View > Show All Devices, then select the exFAT volume.

Step 3. Click the “First Aid” button in the top menu, and then click “Run” to confirm. Wait for the First Aid process to finish.

Fix 5: Reformat exFAT on Mac with Disk Utility If your SD card uses the exFAT file system, you can try formatting it using the built-in Disk Utility on your Mac. Note that this will erase all data on the card, so make sure to back up important files beforehand. 1. **Open Disk Utility**: Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, choose "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Disk Utility." 2. **Select the SD Card**: In the left sidebar of Disk Utility, find your SD card, which is usually labeled as "SD Card" or something similar. 3. **Choose the Format**: In the right panel, click the "Format" dropdown menu and select "ExFAT." 4. **Name the Disk**: In the "Name" field, enter a new name for your SD card (optional). 5. **Start Formatting**: Click the "Erase" button. A warning will appear, informing you that all data will be erased. Confirm and the formatting process will begin. 6. **Wait for Completion**: Formatting may take a few minutes. Once finished, your SD card should be ready for use again. After reformatting, check if your Mac can read the SD card correctly. If the issue persists, you might need to consider other methods or seek professional assistance.

The last resort is to reformat the exFAT disk via Disk Utility, but this will erase all the data stored on exFAT, resulting in data loss. Thus, you should back up the stored data before formatting or use software tools to access and save the data you want. Then, follow these steps to reformat the exFAT disk:

Step 1: Open Disk Utility, and select the exFAT volume from the sidebar.

Step 2: Click the “Erase” button in the top menu. Choose a new file system for the formatted drive, rename it if you'd like, and click “Erase” again to confirm.

Last Words

This article introduces 5 solutions to fix "Unable to Access exFAT on macOS Sonoma": manually mount the exFAT drive via Disk Utility and Terminal, kill the fsck process, repair the exFAT disk, and reformat it. Install a powerful data recovery software tool – Mac Data Recovery Wizard – to salvage your data.

FAQ: Common Issues with Accessing exFAT on macOS Sonoma

When people search for “Can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma,” they often have one of the following issues in mind. Let's take a look.

1. Why won't my Mac recognize an exFAT drive?

Most of the time, a corrupted macOS is the primary reason why your Mac won't 'see' an exFAT drive. Physical damage to the exFAT drive can also cause this error.

2. Why isn't my external hard drive showing up on my Mac Sonoma?

Aside from issues or corruption with the exFAT file system itself on macOS, there's also a chance that your Mac recognizes the exFAT hard drive but isn't showing it on the desktop or in Finder. Here's how to check the visibility settings:

• Go to Finder > Preferences > General. • Check the box next to “External disks.”