Jun 22, 2018  This is due to the fact that NTFS, the file system utilized by Windows PCs, has limited support on Mac. While you can read files from these drives just fine, if you need to write to a PC-formatted hard drive, you'll need some third-party software to get the job done. Here are the tools you can use to work with NTFS-formatted drives on your Mac.

One of the most common issues that users face while using an external hard drive is the read only error. This could have occurred due to improper formatting, read-only permission on the drive or due to incompatible file systems. However, there are ways to the external hard drive read only error. This article gives you complete information on what to do when Mac external hard drive read only error occurs. Stick till the end of the article to know more.

Methods to Fix Mac external hard drive read only.

Follow two troubleshooting steps mentioned in the further section to fix external hard drive read only error

Method 1- Reset permission on the external hard drive.

By ignoring the owner permission, you can enable the drive to read and write the data. Follow the steps mentioned below to enable writing on the drive.

• Right-click the external hard drive, and from the context, click on opt Get Info
• Expand Sharing & Permissions and hit on the lock icon
• Provide the admin password
• Check the ‘Ignore ownership on this volume’ checkbox at the bottom

Method 2 – Repair the External hard drive.

Despite enabling the ownership if the external hard drive still shows read only error repair the drive with the help of Disk Utility

• Go to Finder and click on Applications
• Select the Utilities option and click on Disk Utility
• Select the external drive from the sidebar, click the First Aid tab and click on Run
• After the repair process is completed, the read only error on the disk will be fixed and you will be able to use the external hard drive.
• If the computer shows a message stating The underlying task reported failure, try to repair the external drive again

By ignoring the permission or repairing with Disk Utility the external hard drive, you may be able to fix the issue and access the data from it. However, these above-mentioned solutions have its drawbacks. The reason being, these troubleshooting steps might not help you fix read only error all the time.

If the above-mentioned methods do not help you in fixing the read only error, there are chances that the external hard drive might be corrupted severely. However, you cannot let go of the important information present in the drive. In such cases, the only other way to recover data, is by using Remo Mac hard drive recovery software.

Recovering Data from Write Protected Mac External Hard Drive using Remo Recover

It is quite difficult to access any information from a drive that is write protected. Hence, a recover tool has to be used to accomplish this task. Remo Mac Data Recovery software is the effective tool that makes it easy to retrieve the data. The software is equipped with deep scan algorithm that glides through the entire hard drive sector by sector to recover data.

You can use this software to retrieve files from various brands of external hard drive such as, Western Digital, LaCie, Buffalo, etc. It helps to restore photos from Mac external hard drive, also you can use this software for recovering video, audio, compressed files, etc.

This application is compatible with all versions of macOS including Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion, etc..

Complete Guide on Data Recovery from Read Only External Hard Drive on Mac without Formatting:

Download Remo Recover Mac your Mac system. Install by following on screen instructions. Then, attach your external hard drive to the computer on which you have installed recovery software. Now, launch your application for initializing recovery process.

Step 1: When home screen appears, click onVolume Recovery

Step 2: When it displays list of drives, select the external hard drive from which the data has to be recovered and click on Next button

Step 3: After completion of the scanning process, the recovered data will be showin in Data view and File Type View

Step 4: Select required files and click on Save to recover the recover the data from the external hard drive

Conclusion

External hard drive read only error can be fixed by repairing the drive using disk utility, or by reformatting the drive with APFS file system. However, these methods are not always reliable as you might lose data from the drive during the recovery process. Therefore, it is recommended to use Remo Mac hard drive recovery software and backup all the data before going forward with the troubleshooting steps.

Reading PC-formatted hard drives using your Mac is easy enough. Just plug in the drive, then access the files you need to use. But writing to that drive? Well, that's a little more complicated. This is due to the fact that NTFS, the file system utilized by Windows PCs, has limited support on Mac. While you can read files from these drives just fine, if you need to write to a PC-formatted hard drive, you'll need some third-party software to get the job done.

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Here are the tools you can use to work with NTFS-formatted drives on your Mac.

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Microsoft NTFS for Mac

What many consider to be the go-to for writing to NTFS drives on a Mac, Microsoft NTFS comes from developer Paragon Software. It gives you complete control over how your Mac interacts with NTFS-formatted drives, letting you edit, copy, and delete files from them as though your machine had native support. The app also lets you choose how NTFS drives mount when attached to your Mac. You can choose to mount in read-only mode if you don't want to accidentally modify files but you still need access to them, or you can even choose not to mount automatically.

Microsoft NTFS for Mac is available directly from Paragon Software for $19.95 after a 10-day free trial.

Tuxera NTFS for Mac

Like Microsoft NTFS, Tuxera's app lets you edit, copy, and delete files on NTFS drive on your Mac. Tuxera NTFS uses smart caching technology to speed up transfers, maintaining a sustained speed as files are moved between your external drive and your Mac. It also features failsafe technology designed to protect against unexpected power loss or an unexpected unplugging of your drive, both of which could cause data loss or even damage the drive. Tuxera also includes support for NTFS extended attributes and works with virtualization software like Parallels and VMware Fusion.

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Tuxera NTFS is available from Tuxera for $31 after a 15-day free trial.

Other tools

While Paragon and Tuxera provide paid tools that integrate themselves with your Mac and do all of the necessary setup during the installation process, there are free tools that you can install, but they take some work. Fuse for macOS, for instance, requires that you use the Terminal. You'll also need to install NTFS-3G, which allows you to manually mount and write to NTFS drives. The problem is that installing NTFS-3G is a major security risk by the project's own admission, as the mount tool runs with root permissions, leaving your system exposed to possible attack. This method can't really be recommended, but it is possible.

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Questions?

If you've got any questions about working with NTFS drives on your Mac, let us know in the comments.

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