- Here are the steps on how to install a CAC Reader for Mac: Ensure your CAC reader works with Mac; Check to ensure your Mac accepts the reader; Check your Mac OS version; Check your CAC’s version; Update your DOD certificates; Guidance for Firefox Users; Look at graphs to see which CAC enabler to use; Step 1: Purchase a Mac Friendly CAC Reader. Purchase a CAC.
- If starting up Windows OS or macOS while inserting SxS card with UDF formatted, the card may not be mounted correctly. In that case, please start up without SxS card inserted and then insert the card.
- If the yellow light blinks on the CAC reader, then the computer has added the smart card as a device and the card will work properly FIRMWARE UPDATE for SCR-331 Reader (Requires a physical Windows computer, Mac using Bootcamp, or LPS (see next sentence below).
- For Mac OS X users with supported products, if a driver is not provided by the operating system, they must be downloaded and installed. For Linux/Unix users, support varies widely by product, kernel version, and OS distribution. Click a product category below for driver downloads and installation instructions.
- Table of contents
- 1. How to fix Mac not reading or recognizing SD card?
- 2. Understanding why SD card not reading or recognized on Mac
- 3. How to prevent 'SD card not reading or recognized' in future?
- 4. How to use and open SD card on Mac?
How to fix Mac not reading or recognizing SD card?
SD card not working scenario | Step-by-step troubleshooting |
---|---|
SD card showing up in Disk Utility but not desktop | Check your Finder desktop preferences. Full steps.. |
SD card shows up in Disk Utility but not Finder | Check your Finder sidebar preferences. Full steps.. |
SD card showing up in Disk Utility but not mounting | 1. Restart your Mac 2. Check if SD card reader is not working. Full steps.. 3. Check for the connection issue 4. Check if SD card is locked. Full steps.. 5. Insert your SD card in different devices 6. Reset NVRAM/PRAM. Full steps.. 7. Mount SD card in Disk Utility. Full steps.. 8. Repair SD card via First Aid. Full steps.. 9. Format your SD card. Full steps.. |
SD card is not recognized/detected by Mac Disk Utility | 1. Restart your Mac 2. Check if SD card reader is not working. Full steps.. 3. Check for the connection issue 4. Insert your SD card in different devices 5. Reset NVRAM/PRAM. Full steps.. 6. Update the drivers on Mac. Full steps.. 7. Send SD card to an expert for reparation 8. Replace SD card with a new one |
Understanding why SD card not reading or recognized on Mac
- USB port is not working or damaged.
- SD card reader is not working.
- SD card is formatted incorrectly (the file system is not compatible with macOS)
- SD card driver is outdated.
- SD card is logically corrupted.
- There are bad sectors in the SD card.
- SD card is physically damaged.
How to prevent 'SD card not reading or recognized' in future?
- Format the new SD card as soon as you get it. When you buy an SD card, you should format it on the device and make sure it is compatible with the device system.
- Always safely eject SD card from the device. On Mac, click on the Finder icon on the Dock. Locate the SD card from the left sidebar and click on the Eject icon next to the name of the SD card. As an alternative, you can drag the device to the Trash on the desktop to eject it. More specifically, you should avoid removing the SD card from the device when it is still accessed, such as transferring data or reading data, etc.
- Keep some space left on the SD card. Keep in mind that you should never run out of the space of your SD card.
- Turn off the device before removing the SD card. If you want to remove your SD card from a digital camera or mobile phone, you should ensure the device is entirely turned off. Otherwise, the SD card can easily be corrupted.
- Properly store your SD card in a safe place. Store the SD card in dry, cool space since dirt, moisture, and other factors could damage them.
- Stop using the SD card when getting any errors. As soon as you receive any errors when trying to access the SD card, such as “the disk you inserted is not readable by this computer”, you’d better stop all operations at once in case further damage will be made to the SD card.
- Install antivirus software and run it regularly. It’s important to scan an SD card for viruses and running antivirus software to remove any malware on your computer. In this way, you can prevent malware and virus from damaging your SD card.
How to use and open SD card on Mac?
How to open an SD card on Mac?
Smart Card Reader Driver For Mac
Conclusion
NOTE:
Between mid October 2019 and mid February 2020 everyone in the Army was migrated to use their PIV Authentication certificate for Email access. You no longer use the Email certificate for Enterprise Email.
Mac users who choose to upgrade (or already have upgraded) to Mac OS Catalina (10.15.x) will need to uninstall all 3rd Party CAC enablers per https://militarycac.com/macuninstall.htm AND reenable the built in smart card ability (very bottom of macuninstall link above)
If you purchased your Mac with OS Catalina (10.15.x) already installed, you can skip the uninstall part above and follow the instructions below.