If you need to read an old Mac-formatted Zip 250 disk, you have two options:
| Problem | Solution | |---------|----------| | Disk not mounting | Reinsert 2–3 times – Zip drives have finicky mechanisms. | | “This disk is not readable” | Use Disk Utility → First Aid. If fails, format as MS‑DOS (FAT) – not Mac OS Extended. | | Drive clicks repeatedly | – disk or drive is failing. Stop using to avoid data loss. | | Parallel port Zip 250 not detected | Need a USB‑to‑parallel adapter with chipset that supports bidirectional mode (rare). | | USB Zip 250 not seen in System Information | Bad cable, dead drive, or insufficient USB power (use powered hub). |
This guide focuses primarily on the and SCSI variants, as these were the standard for Apple ecosystems.
The Iomega Zip 250 was popular in its USB variant. It was one of the first mass-market drives to use the USB interface. However, there is a caveat that often trips up modern users.
If you are searching for a current, official driver download for the Zip 250 on macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma, You will not find an official package on the Lenovo support site that will install on a modern Mac.
You cannot find these on Iomega’s website anymore (it redirects to Lenovo’s storage division, which no longer hosts the files). Your best sources are and Macintosh Garden .
| macOS Version | Zip 250 Support | |---------------|----------------| | Mac OS 9.x | Full native support | | Mac OS X 10.0–10.4 (Tiger) | Works with Iomega drivers | | Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) | Limited – last version with some support | | Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and newer | |
: If using a SCSI version of the Zip 250, you will need a SCSI-to-USB or SCSI-to-FireWire adapter, though driver reliability on OS X 10.4+ is inconsistent. Modern macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon)
If you read/write Zip 250 disks on a modern Mac: