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imac 2022 update - external harddrive read only

updated to MacOS Ventura version13.0

Denied permission to write to external hard drive -says read only

HD = Seagate - 2TB

iMac 3.4 GHz Quad - Core Intel Core i5

how to fix this?

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 12.6

Posted on Oct 26, 2022 6:20 PM

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Posted on Oct 26, 2022 9:28 PM

Different things can cause this. How is the external drive formatted? For instance, if it is NTFS for use on Windows machines, you may need to update an NTFS driver or software for it to be compatible. Or ... if your external drive is your Time Machine drive, those are made read-only to the user by the MacOS. There are other reasons for this as well, but not knowing more details about your external drive, it's hard to say.

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Oct 26, 2022 9:28 PM in response to carrwolf25

Different things can cause this. How is the external drive formatted? For instance, if it is NTFS for use on Windows machines, you may need to update an NTFS driver or software for it to be compatible. Or ... if your external drive is your Time Machine drive, those are made read-only to the user by the MacOS. There are other reasons for this as well, but not knowing more details about your external drive, it's hard to say.

Oct 28, 2022 10:32 AM in response to steve626

Before the MacOSVentura13.0 update I had no problem using my external hard drives. I could drag documents and folders or edit changes. After the update it says that the hard drives are read only, that I do not have permission.

It says under general Format: Windows NT File systems (NTFS) on my external hard drive info - with all the countless updates before I have had never had an issue with my iMac -why would it suddenly switch to read only without my permission? I did have permission before to read and write -both my Seagate external hard drives -any chance I can fix the issue without having to try to put possibly 2-4TB of info on to my iMac or risk erasing everything on my hard drives?

Oct 28, 2022 11:08 AM in response to carrwolf25

Either the Security & Privacy System Preferences are no longer configured to allow the manufacturer's third party software/NTFS driver to load or access to the external drive, or the manufacturer's proprietary software is not compatible with Ventura. If the latter, then you will need to contact the drive manufacturer for assistance.


FYI, this is not the first time a macOS update/upgrade has broken the third party proprietary NTFS drivers. Experienced contributors here never recommend using the manufacturer's software for this very reason and others. It is best to configure the external drives to allow macOS to manage the drives instead by using one of the following file systems (which one depends on how the drive is to be used) HFS+, APFS, or exFAT. You can do this now if you are willing to temporarily transfer the data on the drive to other media so you can properly erase the drive.


imac 2022 update - external harddrive read only

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