USB & external-drive guides
Short checklists. Clear steps.
I kept getting the same USB-drive questions, so I wrote them down. Everyday Guide is a small Mac app with eight lists. This site is the same notes, plus a way to reach me if you’re still stuck.
Mac app macOS 11 or later
The app doesn’t call home. No account, no analytics. If this site is down, the lists are still on your Mac.
Type what you actually see — missing in Finder, won’t mount, keeps dropping — and open the matching list.
I put the boring checks first on purpose. Disk Utility and First Aid come next. Formatting is the last page, not the first.
Same titles as in the app. The site versions are longer — more of the “why”, not just the taps.
Plugged in, but missing from the desktop.
macOS sees it, but Finder won’t list it.
Not listed, even with Show All Devices.
In Disk Utility, but it won’t open.
No icon, no alert, nothing detected.
Connects, then drops or loses power.
Visible, but files won’t open or copy.
Erase can help — and deletes everything.
macOS 11 or later. No ads. I built it as a reference window, not a dashboard.
Short checklists for USB and external drives on Mac.
Nothing matched. Try mount, Finder, or format — or clear the search.
The hardware is connected. Finder is hiding it, or it isn't mounted.
Personal support
If a list didn’t get the drive back, write to me. I read every note.
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Everyday Guide
