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Bob Hawkins Author

Level 1

99 points

Cannot Read Other Computer's External Drive

I have just purchase the MBA M1 laptop after using an Intel one for years. I also have an Intel iMac.

My problem is that neither computer will read the other's external drives when on the same WiFi network. I can see the drives in Finder but clicking on them returns an error message "The operation can't be completed because the original item for "name of drive" can't be found.

Sharing and permissions are set that access is allowed and the drives are seen but cannot be accessed.

I reverted to Big Sur on the MCB M1 to see if it were a Monterey issue but the same error is returned.

This issue did not exist on my previous Intel MBA laptop so seems to follow upgrading to the M1 computer.

Posted on Nov 6, 2021 9:08 PM

Top-ranking reply

Jeff_W.

Community Specialist

Posted on Nov 7, 2021 2:16 PM

Hi Bob!

It sounds like you're unable to access shared external drives, and we're happy to help.

Here are some suggestions:

Verify both Macs are still set up for File Sharing: Set up file sharing on Mac
Back up then update both computers to the latest OS update available: How to update the software on your Mac

If you're still have issues:

On the computer where the file is located, open System Preferences then go to Sharing.
Turn off File Sharing.
Restart the Mac from the Apple () menu then Restart.
Turn File Sharing back on.

If you're still having trouble, you should contact Apple Support using this link:

Contact Apple Support

Cheers!

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Cannot Read Other Computer's External Drive

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