I have a mid-2012 iMac and just bought a new external SSD which works fine from the USB ports but using a Thunderbolt to USB-C adapter and a male/male thunderbolt cable it won't power up. Do those Thunderbolt ports have any power? Are they somehow turned off and can be turned back on? I see the ports in my hardware configuration but they show nothing connected. The whole point of buying this hard drive was to use the Thunderbolt port because two of my USB2 ports aren't working properly.
Windows coding program. I also have a 2014 Mac Mini and tried it there too with no luck.
Apple Thunderbolt External Hard Drive
Secure digital files during adventures with this 2TB LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt portable drive. It lets you transfer large files quickly at up to 130MB/sec., and its AES 256-bit software encryption function. M2E1BMU31C USB-C 10Gbps to M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure - Portable External M.2 NGFF PCIe Aluminum Case - 1GB/s Read/Write - Supports 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 - TB3 Compatible - Mac & PC.