When I plug my 1TB passport (ExFat) into my mac, I am unable to add new files to the drive. I am also unable to delete files off of it. I am able to look at the content as well as copy and paste it into my mac.
I am able to delete or add content if I plug it into windows.
It was previously converted to ExFAT so that I could store files from mac or windows on it. In mac, I opened the “get info” and I see its “you can only read” under sharing and permissions. Any ideas how to be able to write to it from mac?
Did you unplug the 1TB external hard drive from your Windows computer without clicking “Eject”? If yes, Windows leaves a hidden “dirty bit” flag on the drive, or a minor file system error occurs. Windows can ignore this minor error, but Mac locks the drive to protect your data.
Here is how you can easily fix this.
1): Clear the error on Windows
Plug the drive back into your Windows PC.
Right-click the drive icon in This PC or File Explorer.
Choose Properties, then click the Tools tab.
Click the Check button under Error checking.
Let Windows scan and repair the drive.
When finished, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon near your Windows clock and properly Eject the drive. Then plug it back into your Mac, and you should now be able to add and delete files.
2): Use First Aid in Disk Utility on your Mac
Open Disk Utility on your Mac (press Command + Space, type “Disk Utility”, and hit Enter).
Select your 1TB Passport drive from the sidebar on the left.
Click the First Aid button at the top of the window.
Click Run to let Mac repair the drive’s permission flags.
