Connecting your iPhone and accessing its contents is really easy ever since Apple ditched iTunes as the intermediary to the connection. Now you can simply plug in your iPhone to your Mac and access it from the Finder itself. However, things can get tricky when the iPhone doesn’t show up on the Finder sidebar. Luckily, there are several methods to remedy this problem. In this article, we bring you the top 7 easy fixes for the ‘iPhone not showing up in Finder’ issue on Mac.
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Table of Contents
Make sure your iPhone is unlocked
You won’t be able to see the contents of your iPhone on your Mac if your phone is locked. This added layer of security ensures no one will be able to break into your phone simply by connecting it to a Mac. In order to view your iPhone you will need to unlock it first. Enter your passcode or use the FaceID or fingerprint to unlock your iPhone and then connect it to your Mac.
Restart your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone can fix any minor background glitches and issues that may be keeping it from connecting to your Mac. To restart your iPhone, simply press and hold one of the volume buttons and the side button until the power-off slider appears on the screen. Drag the slider to turn off your phone. Then, press the side key to turn it back on.
Check the USB cable
A faulty USB cable will be unsuccessful in connecting your iPhone to your Mac. In this scenario, your iPhone won’t show up on the Finder at all. Try using the USB with a power adapter to check if it is charging your iPhone. In some cases, a USB cable may charge your iPhone but it may not connect it to a Mac. Try using a different USB cable to check whether the fault lies with your phone or the cable.
Force quit and relaunch Finder
It is possible that the issue lies with the Finder and not your iPhone. To fix this, force quit the Finder and then restart it. Here’s how.
Step 1: Click on the Apple icon at the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Click on Force Quit.
Step 3: Click on Finder and select Relaunch.
Restart your Mac
If relaunching Finder does not work, try restarting your Mac. Here’s how.
Step 1: Click on the Apple icon at the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Select Restart.
Once your Mac restarts, connect your iPhone and see if it shows up on the Finder.
Enable CDs, DVDs, and iOS devices from Finder preferences
If your iPhone still isn’t showing up on the Finder’s sidebar, try updating its preferences. Here’s how.
Step 1: Click on Finder and select Preferences.
Step 2: Select Sidebar from the top menu.
Step 3: Make sure all the entries in the Location section are enabled.
Step 4: Reconnect your iPhone and check if it shows up on the Finder.
Check your Mac’s USB connection
If your iPhone doesn’t show up in the Finder after trying all the fixes mentioned above, the issue may lie with your Mac’s USB connection. Here’s how you can check if there’s a connection issue with your Mac.
Step 1: Connect your iPhone with your Mac and click on the Apple icon at the top left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Select ‘About this Mac’.
Step 3: Click on ‘System Report’.
Step 4: Select USB from the side menu.
Step 5: Check your iPhone under USB Device Tree. If your iPhone is not listed, it means your Mac’s USB port may be faulty.
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Conclusion
These are the top 7 fixes for the ‘iPhone not showing up in Finder’ issue on your Mac. If the problem still persists after you’ve tried all the fixes mentioned above, you will need to take your iPhone and Mac to the Apple Store for further diagnosis. If you found this article helpful, let us know in the comments!
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