Can't Access exFAT on macOS Sonoma? 5 Proven Ways to Fix It

Many users reported that their Mac can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma after updating. By default, your exFAT disk will be mounted when inserted so you can access stored data on it. However, disk errors may cause the exFAT's data to become unavailable, such as the common mounting 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
byu/propernekoz inMacOS

Suppose you are one of them; don't worry! This post will discuss solutions to the "can't access exFAT on macOS" issue. Read on to learn the detailed information and rescue the stored data from an unavailable exFAT disk.

Access and Recover Data from an exFAT Disk with Software💎

When your exFAT contains essential data that you never want to lose, consider using the professional and trusted data recovery software EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to access the stored data on an exFAT disk. Download and install the EaseUS Mac data recovery software and follow the steps behind to access data on your exFAT disk.

With its advanced scan capability, the EaseUS software helps users access data from an unmountable exFAT disk while the "Mac disk error 119930868" occurs. Follow the steps below to recover data from an exFAT disk that you can't access data from:

Step 1. Search for lost files

Correctly connect your external hard drive to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, and select the external hard drive. Then, click "Search for lost files" to find lost/deleted files on your external devices.

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

Step 2. Filter and find lost files

After the scan, all file types will be presented in the left panel. Select the file type to find wanted files on your external devices.

Step 3. Preview and recover

Click the file and preview it. Then, select the files you want to recover and click the "Recover" button. You can save your data to local and cloud drives.

After saving the recovered data to a safe storage location with the EaseUS Sonoma data recovery software, you can refer to the following solutions to fix the "can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma" error.

Fix 1. Mount an exFAT Disk in Disk Utility Manually

After updating to macOS Sonoma, an exFAT disk can't be mounted successfully; in this case, consider mounting the exFAT disk in Disk Utility manually:

Step 1. Navigate to "Finder > Applications > Utilities" and open "Disk Utility".

Step 2. Select "View > Show All Devices" in the left sidebar, and choose the exFAT disk.

Step 3. Click "Mount" at the top menu to manually mount the exFAT disk on your Mac.

This method works for almost any disk brand with macOS-compatible file systems, including mounting a Seagate hard drive on a Mac.

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Fix 2. Force Mount an exFAT Disk with Mac Terminal

Apart from using Disk Utility, you can force-mount a disk on a Mac with the Terminal command. Here are the steps to refer to:

Step 1. Launch the "Terminal" app from the "Utilities" folder.

Step 2. Type the following two commands in the Terminal window; every time you enter a command, you should hit the "Return" key to run it.

Remember to replace the "identifier" with the identifier with your exFAT disk.

Fix 3. Kill the fsck Process

The fsck process may prevent your exFAT disk from being mounted on macOS. What is the fsck process? macOS will run the fsck process to repair your exFAT disk if it was removed without ejecting. Here's how to kill the fsck process on your Mac:

Step 1. Launch the "Terminal" app from the "Utilities" folder.

Step 2. Enter the following command to check if the fsck is hijacking the exFAT disk.

Step 3. Type sudo pkill -f fsck to quit the fsck process. Type your administrator password if needed.

Fix 4. Repair an exFAT Disk on macOS Using First Aid

Mac First Aid is a feature in the built-in program Disk Utility, which helps users check and repair disk errors quickly. Follow the steps below to run First Aid on the exFAT disk:

Step 1. Navigate "Disk Utility" from the "Utilities" folder.

Step 2. Select "View > Show All Devices" in the left sidebar, and choose the exFAT disk.

Step 3. Click the "First Aid" button at the top menu and click "Run" to confirm. Wait for the First Aid process to be completed.

Fix 5. Reformat an exFAT on a Mac via Disk Utility

The last solution is to reformat the exFAT disk via Disk Utility, which will delete stored data on the exFAT, causing data loss. So, you should back up the stored data before formatting it or use the EaseUS software to access and save the data you want. Then, follow the steps below to reformat the exFAT disk:

Step 1. Open "Disk Utility" and select the exFAT disk from the left sidebar.

Step 2. Click the "Erase" button at the top menu. Choose a new file format for the formatted disk, reset a new name if you want, and hit "Erase" again to confirm the reformatting process.

Final Words

This article introduces 5 solutions to fix the "can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma" error: mounting the exFAT disk manually via Disk Utility & Terminal, killing the fsck process, repairing the exFAT disk, and reformatting it. Install the powerful data recovery software EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to rescue your data.

Can't Access exFAT on macOS Sonoma FAQs

Here are questions people frequently ask when they search for "can't access exFAT on macOS Sonoma". Take a look.

1. Why is my Mac not seeing exFAT drive?

In most cases, Mac operating system corruption is the main reason that leads to your Mac not being able to "See" an exFAT drive. Physical damages on the exFAT drive can also lead to this error.

2. Why is my external drive not showing up on my Mac Sonoma?

Apart from macOS glitches or corruptions occurring on the exFAT itself, it's also possible that your Mac has already recognized the exFAT drive but is not showing up on the Mac desktop or Finder. Here's how to check the display settings:

• Navigate to "Finder > Preferences > General".
• Check the box in front of "External disks".