I Can't Erase My 1TB Passport for MAC

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for macOS
1

I have purchased a new MacBook Pro, and wanted to use my WD My Passport External Drive for Back up. It is chock full of back ups from the old MacBook Pro. When attempting to erase the old files, I first received a “Failed” message stating some files are locked, read only, unsharable. I was instructed to get those files, and unlock them. Have no idea which, or how. How do I scrub this external drive? Any advice would be very much appreciated! Thanks, Philmb.

2

I tried it again, and it worked. “Operation Successful”.

3

The easiest way to erase any storage drive on Mac is by using Disk Utility feature. But sometimes, Mac Disk Utility can’t erase the hard drive due to various reasons. However, the issue can be fixed using below DIY methods:

  1. Erase Mac Hard Drive by Enabling ‘Show All Devices’
  2. Use First Aid to Repair Drive before Erasing
  3. Use Recovery Mode to Erase Mac Hard Drive
  4. Erase Data using BitRaser File Eraser

Further, you can also check the below link for detailed steps to be followed in each method above:

Hope it will help!

4

I was able to find the fix on the apple community and it did work for me:

This should work;

1 Turn off the Mac

2 Turn it on, and immediately press and hold Command + R until you see the Apple logo.

3 Once in macOS Recovery, choose to Disk Utility.

4 Select “View” > “Show All Devices”

5 IMPORTANT: Select the LaCie in External Section, NOT Internal.

6 Click Erase, and use APFS and GUID

7 Click Erase again.

8 Once done, click the Apple Menu (top left) > Restart. This will put you back into macOS.

5

Did you try restarting your Mac, then erase the external hard drive again in Disk Utility? If Disk Utility still fails to ease it, try these steps:

1. Go to the Apple menu > Force Quit, and close any apps that might be using the external drive.

2. Manually unmount the external drive by selecting it in Disk Utility and clicking Eject. Then attempt to erase it again.

3. Restart your MacBook Pro and hold Command + R during startup to enter macOS Recovery Mode. Open Disk Utility from the macOS Utilities menu and try erasing the 1TB external drive there.

4. Updating your Mac is another method. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update to check for updates. Also read: How to Wipe/Erase Everything off External Hard Drive on Mac