why doesn't my 2022 M1 MacBook not recognize the superdrive?

It depends on the SuperDrive. Apple made several different SuperDrives over the years and some of them are not compatible with all Macs. The adapter you use to connect the SuperDrive to the Mac may also be the problem. Perhaps try using another USB-C adapter. I personally don't like the Apple SuperDrive due to so many odd restrictions. A standard external USB optical drive will likely work a lot better and be more compatible with other systems.

Also, the M1 Macs tend to have some compatibility issues with some external devices. I've also seen macOS 12.x Monterey have some issues with certain external devices as well. It is hard to say what the problem is unless you have another Mac to test the SuperDrive.

If the DVD/CD is not spinning up and being ejected almost immediately, then this usually indicates a bad optical drive or some foreign object is inside the optical drive jamming the mechanism.

Stepwolf51 Said:

"why doesn't my 2022 M1 MacBook not recognize the superdrive?: once I plug in my superdrive to my new M1 MacBook it isn't recognized and rejects any DVD/CD I attempt to place in it. what gives??"

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Mount the Drive in Recovery Mode:

Boot into Recovery Mode (Intel or Silicon) . Then, using Disk Utility, see if the drive is seen. If so, then see if you need to click the “Mount’ button for it. Try rebooting once more. If of no success, then click unmount button, and then the mount button. Try rebooting once more.