Connect and use other storage devices with Mac

External hard drives, thumb drives, USB drives, and Flash memory cards are examples of storage devices that you can connect to your Mac. To make the connection, you can use Thunderbolt, USB, or USB-C cables, or connect wirelessly using Bluetooth^® technology.

Additionally, you can insert flash memory cards from your camera or other device in the SDXC card slot in your Mac. If your Mac doesn’t have a card slot, you can access the data on the flash memory card using a connected card reader.

After you connect your storage device, you can move files from your Mac to the storage device or from your storage device to your Mac.

Connect a storage device

• Connect the device to your Mac using the cable that came with it, then use the Finder to view the connected device.

  If the cable doesn’t have a connector that fits in your Mac, you may be able to use an adapter. 

Move files to or from an external storage device

1. Make sure your Mac is connected to the external storage device (for example, using a USB cable or over a network).

2. Click the Finder icon  in the Dock to open a Finder window, then do one of the following to move your files.

   • Move files to the storage device: Select one or more files on the desktop or in a folder, then drag them to the storage device, listed below Locations in the Finder sidebar.

   • Move files from the storage device: Select the storage device, listed below Locations in the Finder sidebar, then drag the files you want to a location on your Mac.

Eject a storage device

On your Mac, do one of the following:

• Select the item to eject, then choose File > Eject.

• In the Finder sidebar, click the Eject button  next to the item’s name.

  Tip: You can quickly eject disks from connected optical drives using the Eject menu in the menu bar. Choose Apple menu 

   > System Settings, then click CDs & DVDs  in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). Turn on “Show eject in menu bar.”

  Note: If you don’t have an optical drive connected to your Mac, then your CDs & DVDs settings aren’t available.

• On the desktop, drag the item that you want to eject to the Trash.

If you can’t eject a storage device, another app or user may be using one or more files on the storage device. See If you can’t eject a disk on Mac because an app is using it and If you can’t eject a disk because another user is using it.