Chirag Arora | Modified: 2018-11-21T11:00:56+00:00 | Tips|
How To Use External Hard Drive on Mac Without Formatting. As we have said earlier, OS X El Capitan or macOS Sierra cannot write to an NTFS (Windows) formatted drive, but it can read from it. There is a however a “driver” available which will allow your Mac to write to NTFS-formatted drives. Remote desktop connection app for mac. Part 1: What Is the Best Format for External Hard Drive Mac? Apple File System. The APFS was first introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the HFS+. Nowadays, all new Macs come. Mac OS Extended. The HFS+, or Hierarchical File System plus on its real name, was the main file system used for. In this guide, you will discover 4 solutions to deal with the dilemma and enable NTFS to write for Mac. Format NTFS to Enable NTFS Writing on Mac; Solution 2. Mount Microsoft NTFS Driver for Mac for Read-Write Access; Solution 3. Write to NTFS for Mac with Apeaksoft Mac Cleaner Directly; Solution 4. “I am having an external hard drive of 1 TB. Recently, I planned to copy some files from Windows 10 to my external hard drive. But when I tried to copy the files on the external hard drive, the message popped up saying the ‘This disk is write-protected. Remove the write-protection or use another disk.’.
“I am having an external hard drive of 1 TB. Recently, I planned to copy some files from Windows 10 to my external hard drive. But when I tried to copy the files on the external hard drive, the message popped up saying the ‘This disk is write-protected. Remove the write-protection or use another disk.’. I clicked on Try Again button but nothing worked. I really want to copy some files into my external hard drive as they are very important files. I am not able to understand what is write-protected on my external hard drive. Please suggest me a simple and reliable solution to fix external hard drive write protected windows 10 error.”
Are you also facing write-protection issues on the external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card or Windows hard drive? Not able to access hard drive data due to write-protection error? Want to fix the issue without any data loss? Do not worry, fortunately, you are landed on the correct page.
As in this blog, we are going to discuss multiple methods to remove write protection from the external hard drive on Windows 10 Operating system.
Have You Ever Thought Why Write Protection Issue Occurs?
Due to write-protection error on an external hard drive, SD card, Windows hard drive etc. the user is not able to save or transfer any file in hard drive. Some of the possible reasons which make a hard drive write-protected are corruption in hard drive, alteration in registry or permissions and encryption of hard drive etc.
In some cases, the user is able to access the data when write-protected hard drive issues occur. But the user is not able to perform operations like write, paste new files and folders. This makes the drive literally unusable.
Thus, it is important to remove write-protection from the hard drive. Find best possible ways to remove write protection from hard disk.
Solutions to Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive
Silverkeeper download mac os x. In this section, we are going to discuss different solutions to remove write protection on hard drive in windows 10 Operating system. After implementing the solution the user will be able to access his/her data and other files present on the hard drive. Moreover, the user will also be able to perform operations such as write, paste new files and folders.
What If Your Data Is Lost While Removing Write Protection From External Hard Drive on Windows 10?
While removing or disabling the write protection from the hard drive, the users face data loss issue. Thus, in case of any data loss issue, the user can make use of an automated and smart utility that name is SysTools Hard Disk Recovery Wizard. With this tool, the user can recover corrupt, lost or permanently deleted files from without any hassle.
Additionally, the software also recovers photos, videos, music, documents and other multimedia files from any external or internal hard drive. It is an efficient, feature-rich and easy-to-use software. It also supports formatted and corrupted FAT, exFat and NTFS file system. The foremost part of the utility it provides free demo version. You can download this utility at any version of Windows.
Method 2: Remove Write Protection from Hard Disk by Unlocking Physical Switch
Most of the SD card, USB and hard drive manufacturers add a switch. Once the drive or SD card is locked with the switch lock then the device becomes write-protected on all PC or devices.
Note: There will be no data loss issue while applying this method to remove write protection from hard drive, SD card etc.
- Remove Write Protection from SD Card
- Remove Write Protection from USB Drive
Method 3: Remove Write Protection from Hard Drive Using Diskpart
The user can apply this method to remove write-protection on internal or external hard drive. Moreover, it also works on SD card or USB flash drive. Follow the steps given below to implement the method and fix hard drive write protected issue.
- First of all, you need to press Windows+R and then type: cmd and press Enter key to open Command Prompt.
- Now, you have to type: diskpart and hit Enter key to open diskpart.
- After that, type: list disk and hit Enter key. Here, you have to remember the disk number of your write protected hard drive.
- Next, type: select disk 2 and hit Enter key. Here, 2 is the number of your write protected hard drive.
- Type: attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter key to disable the write-protection on the storage device
- Once the write protection removing process is completed, close the diskpart window
Method 4: Remove Write Protection from Hard Drive Using Windows Registry
Before tempering windows registry, make sure you are aware with action and their result. Because if anything goes wrong can cause serious issue instead of resolving hard disk write protected issue. Follow the steps listed below:
- First, you need click on the Start to open Run dialog and then type: regedit and hit Enter to open Registry
- Now, click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Expand System
- After that, click on the Current Control Set in the System list and then click on the Control
- Next, you need to check Storage Device Policies > Change the digit in the DWORD value box into 0
- After that, to save the changes you need to click on the OK button
- Finally, exit Regedit and reboot PC to keep all changes
Method 5: Remove Write Protection from External HDD Using BitLocker
When the user enables BitLocker on the hard drive partition, it protects the files by applying encryption feature. As a result of which, the user would not be able to do any changes to the BitLocker partition. Thus, it becomes important to remove or unlock the protection from it. Perform the steps listed below:
![Hard Hard](https://mac-optimization.bestreviews.net/files/paragon-ntfs-for-mac-application-window.png)
- Open This PC and right-click on the BitLocker partition or storage devices and select Manage BitLocker.
- Now, you have to select the right partition which is write-protected by BitLocker and click on the Turn off BitLocker.
- After that, you need to wait as the BitLocker will decrypt on its own.
- You will be able to see your partition or hard drive showing BitLocker off.
- Finally, you can manage data on your partition without BitLocker write protection and save new files to it
Conclusion
Due to the write protection issues with hard drives, the user is not able to transfer his/her data. Moreover, the is also not allowed to perform various the operation such as write, paste new files. Therefore, to resolve this write-protection error, we have explained different methods in the above section. You reached at the bottom of write-up means you have gone through all steps listed above. I am sure that now your concern for how to remove write protection from external hard drive has been resolved. Having any issue feel free to contact!
FAQ’S
How Do I Remove Write Protection from Seagate external hard drive?You can remove write protection from Seagate external hard drive by using the above-mentioned blog.
Is it possible to remove write protection from the hard drive command prompt?Yes, the above-mentioned blog to remove write protection from hard drive command prompt.
how do I remove write protection from a hard drive from the command prompt?![Mac Write To External Hard Drive Mac Write To External Hard Drive](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wiT67.png)
Users can remove write protection from a hard drive from the command prompt by using the above application.
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There are plenty of annoying things that can happen while using your Macbook, one of which is plugging in a USB hard drive and finding out that you cannot write to it, or copy to and from the external drive.
There isn’t a single solution to all these woes, but here’s a quick guide to addressing these bugbears that involve external hard drive performance and connection to Mac.
File systems: An overview
A file system is a handy tool that allows an OS to read data on any USB drive or hard drive. There are quite a few file systems out there, and the reality is that not every operating system works fine with each one of those systems.
Apple computers use HFS+ file system by default. Windows, on the other hand, uses New Technology File System (NTFS).
External Hard Drive For Mac
Mac users are likely to find FAT32 and exFAT as their best options, and for a good reason. If you’ve ever tried to format a hard drive as NTFS, you have probably come across a handful of trouble in getting it to work with your Mac or Linux. macOS is able to recognize as well as read NTFS drives, but it cannot write to them. NTFS works flawlessly with Windows, but leaves much to be desired with everything else.
Meanwhile, FAT32 and exFAT work with all operating systems just fine. File Allocation Table (FAT) is the oldest of the file systems, hence it can be recognized by every OS out there. Personal computers have seen its evolution from FAT12 to FAT16 to the current FAT32, and then the arrival of exFAT, created with USB drives and external drives in mind.
Your operating system’s primary hard drive should be the best match for that OS, while USB drives and external hard drives should use either FAT32 or exFAT.
FAT32 vs. exFAT
Here are some points of comparison to help you decide on which one to go with:
- Devices supported – FAT32 is the most widely compatible file system, working on any OS as well as media players, devices, and video game consoles. exFAT, in contrast, will work fine on 99 percent of devices, but may encounter an issue on certain media players. Xbox One, for instance, usually runs into issues with exFAT USB drives formatted on a Mac.
- Sizes supported – FAT32 can support files with up to 4 GB in size and can be used as the file system on hard drives that are 8 TB at a maximum. exFAT, however, has no limitations on file sizes as well as hard drive sizes, making it the better option for those who are using a portable drive that stores massive files, such as 3D projects.
- Speed – Generally, exFAT drives are quicker at writing and reading data compared to FAT32 drives. As a rule of thumb, format your drive as exFAT if you are fairly sure that you won’t have a file smaller than 4 GB.
Mac Can't Write To External Hard Drive
You can easily format a USB drive or external hard drive as exFAT instead of FAT32. macOS users can follow these steps:
- Open Spotlight (Command + Space). Run Disk Utility.
- Select the USB drive in the menu found on the left.
- Click Erase, and then choose exFAT in Format.
External hard drive ‘read only’ issue? Here’s a quick fix
Once you plug in your drive and open Disk Utility, highlight your drive in the sidebar and click Erase, as shown in the instructions above. Your next step, however, can vary depending on what you want to do with the blank drive:
- Portable drive – Are you keen on making a portable drive to use with your Mac and Mac computers alone? Format your drive to HFS with the Mac OS Extended option.
- Time Machine backup – Are you using the drive to back up your Mac with Time Machine? Then format the drive to HFS+, which shows up as Mac OS Extended in the Disk Utility GIU.
- For older devices – In the off chance that you’re using the disk with another device that doesn’t support for exFAT, then select the older FAT option. Usually you should veer away from this option because it limits drive sizes to less than 32 GB.
Now, let’s get to a one-time fix of enabling macOS built in experimental NTFS support. Take note: this method can have serious consequences and result in loss of data on target drive, so skip this fix if you’re writing to important volumes or eyeing a long-term solution.
This fix is based on the fact that sometimes we need to write some files to a drive once, in which case nothing needs to be installed. Mac has built-in support for reading NTFS by default, with the write capability hiding behind a Terminal hack.
Follow these steps:
- Open Terminal. In your editor of choice, open /etc/fstab. If you have no preference, use Nano and type:
nano etc/fstab
- Copy this line into the file:
LABEL=DRIVENAME none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse
- Replace DRIVENAME with the name of the drive you’d like to access. Save the file by hitting control+o, and then control+x to quit Nano.
- Disconnect and reconnect your drive in order to remount it. Now it’s available in /Volumes. Get here via Finder: in the menu bar, click Go and choose Go to Folder. Enter /Volumes and then click Go.
fstab is a hidden file setting preferences for disks, and can be useful for preventing disk partitions from mounting. In this particular case, it allows you to read-write on a disk that is not writable on default.
If you’re hardly comfortable with Terminal, you can choose a paid option for a pain-free way of working with files. A paid option likely entails less work and, as we mentioned earlier, experimental support isn’t reliable in the long term.
Conclusion
To summarize, a Mac can read from an NTFS disk, but it cannot write to it without a little work and help from third-party NTFS software. You need to format the drive for use on a Mac.
exFat outperforms Fat32 in most aspects. NTFS is better in nearly all aspects compared to exFAT, but only if you are using a USB drive on Windows computers. If you’re a Mac user, NTFS isn’t good news for you.
Once you’ve solved “read only” external hard drive problems on your Mac, get into the habit of cleaning and optimizing your Mac for top performance using a reliable tool such as Outbyte MacRepair.
Mac users, tell us about your own experience!
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
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See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.