My external hard drives are read only and I cannot copy any new files on my new Mac. I tried changing permissions on the old computer but I still can’t add files to the hard drive on my new Mac
I have the same problem.
There’re four APFS options. Is one for read and write permission?
Apple Support over a call partitioned 1TB of 2TB on the EHD and now I’m able copy items over to that freed up space/memory.
Your external drives are read-only on your new Mac. Here’s why:
Possible Reasons:
- Windows format (NTFS): Macs can’t write to NTFS drives.
- Incorrect permissions: You might lack permission to write to the drives.
- Other issues: Drive corruption or software conflicts could be at play.
Solutions:
- Check format: In Disk Utility, see if the format is NTFS. If so, reformatting (erases data) to a Mac format is needed.
- Repair Permissions: If the format is Mac-compatible, repair disk permissions in Disk Utility.
- Advanced options: Consider resetting SMC/NVRAM, disabling conflicting software, or seeking professional help if needed.
Remember: Reformatting erases data. Back up crucial information before proceeding.
External hard drives formatted with NTFS are read-only on macOS by default. If your external drives are NTFS formatted, macOS can only read them, but not write to them. To fix this, you can either reformat the drives to a macOS-compatible format like APFS or exFAT, or you can use third-party software to make write support for NTFS drives.
If I reformat the drive to macOS-compatible format, will it erase all its currently held data? (the irony that I cannot move it to back it up anywhere else 
)
and if so, what is the third party option (in non-IT person speak)
Yes, reformatting a drive to macOS-compatible format will erase all its currently held data. Try getting a Mac Recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery or Recoverit. These tools works better on Mac and support all Mac devices.
These methods can provide you with solutions:
- Clear read-only with Diskpart
- Remove read-only with software
- Change read-only permission in Property
- Fix disk read-only in Registry
- Format read-only drive to a recognized file system
