How to Remove Read Only From Thumb Drive on Mac

Read Time: iv mins Languages:

More and more people are finding themselves using both Macs and Windows based PCs. While compatibility is almost a non-event at present days betwixt Macs and PCs, too as Macs and third party peripherals, there is ane area that may still cause defoliation. In this tutorial I will explain the "Read Simply" error you may run into while using external storage devices, and likewise bear witness yous how simple it is to fix.

Quick Tip: Solving "Read Only" External Drive Problems on Your Mac

---

The Cause of "Read Merely" Disk Errors

I have a USB drive that I purchased and use with diverse PCs at work and school. I am able to open up the drive and can even copy files from the bulldoze. Only if I effort to copy a file to the drive on my Mac, I get an icon telling me that I am not able to copy the file. If I endeavour to delete a file, past pressing Command+Delete, goose egg happens and, if I right click the file, the option to move it to the trash can is missing. Something is obviously not correct with the storage bulldoze.

Trying to copy a file to my USB drive gives an icon indicating that you lot cannot copy files to the volume.

If you lot correct click the drive and select Get Info, you can see at the bottom of the info window under the sharing and permissions twirl downwardly, you lot only have permission to read from this drive and zippo else.

Looking in the info window you can encounter that the permissions for the drive only let for reading.

The cause of this is due to the filing organisation the storage device is formatted in. If you wait in the general twirl-down under format you tin run into that this drive is formatted in the windows NT file system. The NTFS file system is a system specifically optimized for Windows in the fashion that it organizes the data on the drive. While this file system is readable on Macs because Bone X can rearrange the data as it is reading information technology, the way that NTFS writes the files to the storage device is not; hence, you can read, simply not write.

The cause of the "Read But" beliefs is due to the format of the file organisation.

Many storage devices such as USB drives and external hard disk drives come pre-formatted in NTFS because a larger number of consumers are using them on PCs. Withal, making your storage device Mac uniform, and even cross uniform with Macs and PCs, is as unproblematic equally reformatting the drive.

---

Correcting the "Read Only" Deejay Error

Commencement and foremost before proceeding any further, yous are about to format your storage device. Exist certain to copy any and all file from the drive as all the information on the drive will exist erased. This can be a simple task or a long undertaking depending on the size and usage of the storage device, simply is a necessary and of import footstep.

Yous can reformat a difficult drive on Mac OS X by using Disk Utility. In the left-hand side inside of Deejay Utility yous will see a listing of all the connected difficult drives. Each physical bulldoze is shown with the partitions of that drive nested below. Highlight the physical bulldoze you lot wish to reformat and on the menu at the meridian to the correct select erase.

You are nigh to format your storage device. Be sure to re-create any and all file from the bulldoze as all the data on the drive will be erased.

Yous can select the physical disc y'all want to reformat in the tree on the left-hand side of Disk Utility.

You can select a new file system format from the drib downwards below, and also name the new volume to exist created.

You lot volition see two fields where y'all can choose a file organization format and a field to name the new partition you are going to create. If yous are just going to use your drive on Mac computers, you tin select one of the Mac OS options. If you wish to create a partition that is cross compatible with Mac computers besides every bit PCs, you can select either the MS-DOS Fils Organisation format or the exFAT format. You lot tin rename the hard drive to any descriptive proper name y'all similar then click erase and at present the bulldoze is formatted in a cross compatible filing arrangement. If yous click on the drive and select become info you can now encounter that the permissions are prepare to read and write.

Showing the info of the newly formatted drive, you tin can see the disc is now fix to read and write.

---

Conclusion

The NTFS file organization format is a great format to use if you are using your drive solely on Windows based PCs. But if you lot demand to use your drive on Mac Bone, or on both PCs and Mac OS, NTFS will unfortunately non be the all-time format to utilize. In this tutorial I've identified the crusade of the "read just" fault that Mac users may find when using external storage devices, and too how to hands fix the problem by reformatting your drive to a fully Mac OS uniform format.

Robert Anthony is a Certified Mac Expert, Apple Product Specialist for Pro Sound, Guitar Heart Certified Pro Audio Specialist; and overall audio tech fanatic. Robert has had his electronic trip the light fantastic music productions played past international DJs around the world and loves sharing his knowledge and feel with budding producers.

chevalierarown1990.blogspot.com

Source: https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/quick-tip-solving-read-only-external-drive-problems-on-your-mac--mac-52507

Share this post