Drive shows up in WD App but not Disk Utility

When a Western Digital (WD) external drive appears in the WD Drive Utilities app or WD Discovery software but is missing from macOS Disk Utility, it can be frustrating—especially if you're trying to access or format the drive. This issue is usually rooted in connection problems, system compatibility, partitioning formats, or hardware issues. Here's a breakdown of potential causes and solutions.

1. Check Physical Connections and Power

Start with the basics:

Ensure the USB cable is firmly connected to both the drive and the Mac.

If the drive uses external power, verify that the power adapter is plugged in and functional.

Try using a different USB port or cable, especially if you're using USB-C adapters or hubs. Faulty or underpowered connections often cause the system to recognize a device minimally (as the WD app does), but not fully mount or display it.

2. Update or Reinstall WD Software

The WD Utilities app may be detecting the drive using proprietary firmware communications, even if the macOS system doesn't fully recognize the drive's file system or partition. Make sure you're using the latest version of WD Utilities and WD Discovery:

Visit the WD support site and download the most recent software versions.

Restart your Mac after installation.

If the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall the WD software.

3. Check System Information and Terminal

If Disk Utility doesn’t show the drive, try checking if macOS sees it at all:

Open Applications > Utilities > System Information, then go to USB under the Hardware section. Look for your drive under the USB tree. If it's listed, that means macOS detects it at a hardware level.

You can also open Terminal and run:

This shows all connected drives, even if they aren’t mounted or visible in Disk Utility. If the drive appears here but not in Disk Utility, it may have a corrupted partition table or unsupported file system.

4. Format or Repartition the Drive (if Data Loss is Acceptable)

If you don’t need the data on the drive, or if it’s already backed up:

diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ WDDriveName /dev/diskX

Replace /dev/diskX with the correct disk identifier found using diskutil list.

If Disk Utility can't see or erase it, try third-party tools like GParted Live, Drive Genius, or Paragon Hard Disk Manager.

Important: If you do need the data, avoid formatting and try data recovery first.

5. Try on Another Computer or OS

If the drive is visible on another system, the issue may be Mac-specific. If it also doesn’t show up elsewhere, the drive could be failing.

6. Check for Encryption or WD Security Features

Some WD drives use built-in encryption or password protection enabled via WD Security. If the drive is locked or encrypted, it may only be visible in the WD app until unlocked. Open WD Security and check if the drive requires a password or unlock process.

Conclusion

If your WD drive appears in WD’s app but not in Disk Utility, it's likely a connection, format, or system-level recognition issue. Try alternate cables, update software, check system logs, and use Terminal to further diagnose. If all else fails, try accessing the drive on another machine or contact WD Support for hardware diagnostics or replacement options.