Copy files from Mac to external WD HD

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for macOS
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Hi. I have a MacBook Pro and a WD external HD, but not for Mac especificaly. I wanna do a backup from Mac to HD external, but not from Time Machine. I’d like to pick my archives from Mac and drag to folder in WD HD, but this is not working. The WD HD prohibits this operation. Somebody can help me?

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@CLAUDIO_BARBALHO Do you know which WD Device you have? Using this link, My Cloud , look and see if you have one of these devices.

If you have one of the devices then pick the correct subforum in the Community to post your question.

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@cat0w thanks for your reply. My device is My Passport Essential ([Deleted])

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I see several Essentials listed under My Passport, Legacy Products , you may want to check out the User Manual for the one you have.

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My Passport Essentials are formatted as NTFS by default.
macOS can READ NTFS but not WRITE to NTFS.
If you’re going to use the drive for READ/WRITE on both macOS and Windows, reformat as exFAT.
If you;re only going to use the drive for READ/WRITE on macOS only, format as HSF+.

1 Like
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Yes man, i think that´s exactly it. Thanks for your help.

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The reason you cannot drag and drop files to your WD external hard drive is that it is formatted in NTFS. By default, macOS can read files from NTFS drives, but it cannot write to them. This means you can open files from the drive and copy them to your Mac, but you cannot save or drag new files onto it.

There are two ways to fix this:

Method 1: Use a Third-Party NTFS Driver

If you want to keep the current format, you can install a third-party NTFS driver (such as Paragon NTFS or Tuxera NTFS). This enables macOS to read and write to the WD hard drive seamlessly, just like your Mac’s internal storage. [ Related guide - How to copy files to read-only NTFS drives on Mac? How to Copy Files to NTFS Drives on Mac [Ways for Your Case] ]

Method 2: Reformat the Drive

Alternatively, you can reformat the drive so it is natively supported by Mac.

:warning: Warning: Reformatting will erase everything currently on the external drive. Make sure to back up any existing files to a Windows PC or your Mac’s internal storage first.

Step 1: Choose Your Format

  • exFAT: Choose this if you want to use the drive on both Mac and Windows PCs.

  • APFS or Mac OS Extended: Choose this if you will only use the drive on Mac computers.

Step 2: Format the Drive on Your Mac

  1. Connect your WD drive to your Mac.

  2. Open Disk Utility (Press Command + Space, type “Disk Utility”, and press Enter).

  3. In the left sidebar, select your main WD External Hard Drive.

  4. Click the Erase button at the top of the window.

  5. In the pop-up window, select:

    • Name: Give your drive a name.

    • Format: Choose exFAT or APFS based on your needs.

    • Scheme: Choose GUID Partition Map.

  6. Click Erase to format the drive.

Once completed, your WD drive will fully support write operations, allowing you to freely drag and drop folders and archives into it without using Time Machine.