Fix: External SSD or DMG File Not Showing in macOS Sonoma Sidebar

Many Mac users have reported issues with macOS Sonoma not displaying external SSDs or DMG files in the Finder sidebar. If you’re facing this issue, don’t worry—there are several solutions to resolve it. In this guide, we’ll walk you through step-by-step troubleshooting methods to get your external drives and disk images appearing correctly in Finder.

1. Check Finder Preferences

Your SSD or DMG file may not appear because Finder isn’t set to display external disks.

Open Finder.
Click Finder in the menu bar and select Settings (or Preferences on older versions).
Go to the Sidebar tab.
Ensure External disks and CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices are checked.

2. Check Desktop Preferences

Mac may not be set to show external disks on the desktop.

Open Finder Settings.
Navigate to the General tab.
Check External disks under “Show these items on the desktop.”

3. Mount the SSD or DMG Manually

If the drive or DMG file isn’t mounted automatically, you can do it manually:

Open Disk Utility (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility).
Look at the left sidebar and see if your SSD or DMG file is listed.
If it’s visible but grayed out, select it and click Mount at the top.

4. Relaunch Finder

Restarting Finder can refresh your sidebar and help detect missing drives.

Press Command + Option + Escape.
Select Finder and click Relaunch.

5. Check Disk Utility for Issues

Your SSD or DMG file may have errors preventing it from mounting properly.

Open Disk Utility.
Select your external SSD.
Click First Aid and run it to check for disk errors.

6. Check System Information

To see if your Mac recognizes the drive, check System Information.

Click Apple Menu → About This Mac → More Info.
Scroll down and select System Report.
Under USB (or Thunderbolt, if applicable), check if your SSD is detected.

7. Reset NVRAM & SMC

Sometimes, resetting your Mac’s firmware settings can fix mounting issues.

Reset NVRAM: Restart your Mac and hold Option + Command + P + R for 20 seconds.
Reset SMC (Intel Macs only): Shut down your Mac and hold Shift + Control + Option while pressing the power button.

8. Try a Different Port or Cable

Faulty cables or ports can prevent SSDs from showing up.

Test with another USB-C, Thunderbolt, or USB-A port.
Try a different cable or adapter.

9. Enable Full Disk Access

macOS security settings might block access to external disks.

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
Add Finder and Disk Utility.

Final Thoughts

If none of these solutions work, your SSD or DMG file might have deeper compatibility or hardware issues. Consider trying the drive on another Mac or formatting it (after backing up data).

By following these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to resolve the issue and have your external SSD or DMG file appear in macOS Sonoma as expected. If you found this guide helpful, let us know in the comments!