If you’ve installed an OWC Aura Pro X2 and your Mac says the drive is not detected, don’t worry — in most cases the SSD is working correctly and macOS simply needs to be installed using the correct method.

This happens because older Macs often boot into an outdated recovery system that cannot see modern NVMe SSDs.

Follow the steps below to make the drive appear and install macOS.

🔧 Step 1 – Check the SSD is installed correctly

1. 🔌 Power your Mac off completely

2. 🪛 Open the Mac and remove the Aura Pro X2

3. 💽 Reinsert it firmly into the SSD slot

4. 🔩 Tighten the retaining screw

5. ⚡ Close the Mac and power it on

🌍 Step 2 – Start Internet Recovery (Important)

You must use Internet Recovery, not normal Recovery.

1. ⏻ Turn the Mac off

2. ⌨️ Turn it on and immediately hold:
   Option (⌥) + Command (⌘) + R

3. 🌐 Keep holding until you see a globe or loading screen

4. 📶 Connect to Wi-Fi when asked

This loads the latest macOS version your Mac supports, directly from Apple.

🧹 Step 3 – Erase the new SSD

1. 🗂️ When macOS Utilities appears, open Disk Utility

2. 👁️ Click View → Show All Devices

3. 💾 Select the top-level SSD (not a volume)

4. 🧽 Click Erase

Use these settings:

• 📁 Format: APFS

• 🧭 Scheme: GUID Partition Map

Click Erase and wait for it to finish.

⬇️ Step 4 – Install macOS

1. ❌ Close Disk Utility

2. 🖥️ Click Reinstall macOS

3. 📀 Select the new SSD

4. ⏳ Let macOS download and install (this may take some time)

When the Mac restarts, the SSD will now work normally.

🆘 If the SSD still does not appear

Some older Macs still cannot see NVMe drives from recovery.

Create a bootable macOS USB installer using Apple’s official guide:

Then boot from the USB (hold Option ⌥ at startup) and install macOS from there.

⚠️ Important Notes

• 📦 The Aura Pro X2 is supplied blank — macOS must be installed

• 🧠 This is not a faulty drive in most cases

• 🖥️ macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later is required for NVMe support