---
id: external-drives.how-do-i-check-an-external-drive-for-errors
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-check-an-external-drive-for-errors
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Checking your drive"
question: "How do I check my external drive for errors or health problems?"
alt_questions:
  - "Run First Aid on external SSD"
  - "Is my external drive dying?"
  - "check external drive health mac"
  - "SMART status external SSD Mac"
  - "Disk Utility First Aid fast drive"
  - "How do I repair an external drive on Mac?"
short_answer: "Run First Aid on the drive in Disk Utility (View → Show All Devices, select the volume, First Aid). Many USB enclosures don't report health status. If errors can't be fixed, move everything to a new drive with Transfer Drive."
tags: ["first aid", "disk utility", "drive health"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-check-my-drive-is-set-up-correctly", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/what-does-validate-check", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-see-free-space-on-my-fast-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I check my external drive for errors or health problems?

Use **First Aid** in Disk Utility. Open Disk Utility, choose **View → Show All Devices**, select the drive's volume and click **First Aid**, then **Run**. It checks the file system and repairs what it can. Quit apps using the drive first, and expect the volume to be briefly unavailable while it runs.

Disk Utility can also show a drive's health status, but many USB enclosures don't report it, so a missing status isn't a bad sign by itself.

In Storage Studio, **Inspect fast drive → Validate** confirms the drive is connected, prepared and usable — it's a set-up check, not a hardware test. If First Aid finds problems it can't fix, copy everything to a new drive with **Transfer Drive** promptly.