How to Fix External Hard Drive ‘Read Only’ issue on Mac

In the event that you connect an external hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) to your Mac, you might discover that it is configured to read-only sometimes. This is due to the fact that the drive is formatted with the NTFS file system, which is made available by Microsoft, but macOS does not support it in its entirety by default. Your external hard drive can be easy ways how to Fix External Hard Drive ‘Read Only’ issue on Mac, which is a fortunate development.

It is possible that the disc that we are attempting to work with will appear to us as read-only on numerous occasions. What does that entail in its entirety? You are able to open and view the files on the disc, and you can even copy them to your Mac if you have read-only permission. On the other hand, you are unable to add or remove files from your storage drive or change the contents of your storage drive.

You will need to have permission to read and write in order to accomplish this. The process of unlocking an external hard drive on a Mac can be accomplished in a number of different ways, including reformatting the drive and installing software that enables you to write to NTFS volumes. There are also solutions that are riskier and more experimental that are available for more advanced users. It’s time to get started. We mentioned below are the simple ways how to Fix External Hard Drive ‘Read Only’ issue on Mac.

Causes of the External Hard Drive ‘Read Only’ issue on Mac

1. File System Permissions: If the external hard drive’s file system permissions are set to read-only, it will prevent write access to the drive.
2. Corrupted File System: Corruption in the file system of the external hard drive can lead to it being mounted as read-only to prevent further damage.
3. Physical Write Protection: Some external hard drives have a physical switch or button that can be enabled to write-protect the drive, making it read-only.
4. Disk Errors: Errors on the disk itself, such as bad sectors or disk errors, can cause the operating system to mount the drive as read-only to prevent data loss.
5. Compatibility Issues: Incompatibility between the file system of the external hard drive and macOS can result in read-only access.
6. System Integrity Protection (SIP): SIP on macOS can sometimes interfere with write access to external drives for security reasons.
7. Permissions or Ownership Issues: Issues with permissions or ownership of files and folders on the external hard drive can restrict write access.
8. Hardware Malfunction: Physical damage or hardware malfunction of the external hard drive can also cause it to be mounted as read-only.

How to Fix External Hard Drive ‘Read Only’ issue on Mac

Check the External Drive’s

1. Disconnect the external drive from your Mac.
2. Inspect the USB or Thunderbolt cable for any signs of damage.
3. Connect the drive to a different USB or Thunderbolt port on your Mac.
4. If possible, try connecting the drive to another computer to see if the issue persists.

Verify Permissions

1. Open Finder and locate your external hard drive in the sidebar.
2. Right-click on the drive and select “Get Info” or press Command + I.
3. In the Info window, navigate to the “Sharing & Permissions” section.
4. Click on the lock icon in the bottom right corner and enter your administrator password.
5. Ensure that your user account has “Read & Write” access. If not, click on the “+” icon, select your user account, and set permissions to “Read & Write.”

Disable Journaling

1. Launch Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
2. Select your external hard drive from the list on the left.
3. Click on the “Erase” tab.
4. Choose a format compatible with both Mac and Windows, such as exFAT or FAT32.
5. Uncheck the “Enable journaling” option.
6. Click “Erase” to format the drive without journaling.

Reset NVRAM/PRAM

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold Command + Option + P + R.
3. Hold these keys for about 20 seconds, then release them.
4. Your Mac will restart automatically.

Run First Aid macOS

1. Launch Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
2. Select your external hard drive from the list on the left.
3. Click on the “First Aid” tab.
4. Click “Run” to start the verification and repair process.

Check for Software Updates

1. Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Select “System Preferences” > “Software Update.”
3. If updates are available, follow the on-screen instructions to install them.

Conclusion

When you connect an external hard drive to your Mac and discover that it is read-only, it is possible that the disc was formatted using the NTFS file system, which is a file system that is formatted specifically for Microsoft Windows. The NTFS file system is not fully compatible with Mac. However, you are not permitted to copy or write files to the NTFS drive; it only allows you to read the disc. Here is a guide that will show you how to fix the read-only issue on an external NTFS hard drive on a Mac (Sonoma/Ventura). Six potential solutions are presented here.

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