G-Raid with Thunderbolt 3 issue with macOS Monterey

If your G-RAID with Thunderbolt 3 is acting up on macOS Monterey (e.g. not mounting, invisibility, errors), you’re not alone — there are several known pain points and workarounds. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening, possible causes, and fixes you can try.

🔍 Common Symptoms & Known Issues

Here are a few of the more frequent complaints users have reported:

The drive fails to mount after a reboot; unplugging/replugging the Thunderbolt cable makes it reappear

In “G-RAID Thunderbolt Configurator” the device shows “No Device Found.”

In apps like Lightroom, the drive/folder structure might show, but files cannot be accessed (error: “file could not be found”) unless you give the app Full Disk Access in System Preferences → Security & Privacy.

The issue seems specific to that G-RAID device — other external drives often work fine.

Some users managed partial success by adjusting macOS security settings (allowing kernel extensions etc.) or using alternative drivers (in other RAID / TB setups)

So it's not a universal “macOS broke Thunderbolt 3 RAID” issue, but strong evidence that Monterey + certain G-RAID/firmware/driver combinations are unreliable.

🛠 Troubleshooting & Workarounds

Here’s a checklist of fixes and tests you can do to try to restore functionality.

Step What to Try Notes / Why It Helps

1 Test different Thunderbolt cables / ports A marginal or faulty TB3 cable or port may prevent stable enumeration of the RAID.

2 Power-cycle the drive, then plug in after macOS fully boots Helps avoid initialization timing conflicts.

3 Unplug and replug after “non-mount” boot Many users report that this works — the device then shows up.

Give applications Full Disk Access

For apps like Lightroom which complain “file not found,” granting Full Disk Access in System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy resolved the issue for some users.

Check or allow kernel extensions / system extension permissions

If any WD or RAID-control software needs to load kernel extensions, macOS’s security might block them. You may need to reboot into Recovery, reduce “Secure Boot” settings, and allow “user management of kernel extensions from identified developers.” (This is more often seen in other RAID/Thunderbolt setups, but could help here.)

Reset SMC & NVRAM / PRAM Though more relevant on Intel Macs, sometimes clearing these helps hardware connection issues.

Check system logs / Console.app when you plug in Look for error messages in the system log; maybe an extension is crashing or being blocked.

Update firmware / software for G-RAID / WD / RAID controller If there’s a firmware update or driver update for your G-RAID model, that might resolve compatibility.

 Test the G-RAID on another Mac (or older OS) If it works on a prior OS or Mac, that helps isolate whether the issue is in the drive or in Monterey.

 Contact WD / G-Technology support If the issue persists, check whether your model is officially supported under Monterey, and whether WD has any updates or known patches

✅ What I Recommend You Try First

Given what you’re dealing with, here’s a good order to try:

Try a different (certified Thunderbolt 3) cable and port.

Boot macOS fully, then connect the G-RAID (rather than having it connected during boot).

Unplug & plug back in if it doesn’t appear immediately.

Go to System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Privacy → Full Disk Access, and ensure apps you use to access the drive (Lightroom, Finder, etc.) are permitted.

If that fails, check whether WD / G-RAID has any firmware or software updates, or whether there’s a driver / kernel extension blocked by macOS.

If you're on an Intel Mac, try resetting NVRAM / SMC; if on a Mac with T2 / Apple Silicon, look into security policies and extension approvals.