How to Change Hard Drive Read Only Permission on Mac

Scenario: Personal Mac won't let me change permissions to read and write on a personal external hard drive

To confirm the status of your drive, right-click the external device and select Get Info. If the text at the bottom reads "You can only read," you are facing one of the most common external drive issues on macOS.

One of the most common frustrations for Mac users—especially those working in mixed environments with Windows PCs—is connecting an external storage device only to find they cannot modify the files within it. You can open documents and copy them to your desktop, but editing, deleting, or adding new files is forbidden. This "Read-Only" status brings productivity to a halt.

This guide is dedicated to resolving this specific bottleneck. We will explore the root causes of these restrictions and provide authoritative methods to change hard drive read only permission on Mac. Whether you are dealing with a simple settings toggle or a complex file system incompatibility, we have the solutions you need.

Why Is My External Drive Set to Read-Only?

Before applying fixes, it is crucial to diagnose why the operating system has restricted your access. Understanding the "why" is the first step in learning how to change permissions on read only files on Mac systems effectively.

There are generally three scenarios that trigger this issue:

# 1. The NTFS Barrier: This is the most frequent culprit. Most external hard drives come pre-formatted with NTFS (Windows New Technology File System). While mac OS allows you to read files from NTFS drives, it natively blocks write access.

# 2. Permission Settings: If the drive is formatted for Mac (APFS or HFS+), the "Sharing & Permissions" settings might be configured to deny access to your specific user account.

# 3. Drive Corruption: If a drive was not ejected properly, mac OS may mount it in "Read-Only" mode to prevent further data corruption.

Native Methods to Adjust Permissions (For Mac-Formatted Drives)

If your drive is formatted with a Mac-native file system like APFS or HFS+, the issue usually lies in user privilege settings. In this section, we will show you how to change read only permissions on Mac using built-in system tools.

Method 1: Using the "Get Info" Window

For drives that are compatible with Mac but locked due to user settings, you can override the permissions easily.

Step 1. Ensure the drive icon appears on your desktop or in Finder.

Step 2. Right-click (or Control-click) the drive icon and select Get Info (or press Command + I).

Step 3. Scroll to the bottom to find the Sharing & Permissions section. If the lock icon is closed, click it and enter your administrator password.

Step 4. Look for a checkbox labeled "Ignore ownership on this volume." Checking this box treats all files on the drive as owned by the current user, instantly granting you Read/Write access.

Method 2: Disk Utility First Aid

If the permissions are locked due to logical errors or corruption, Disk Utility can often repair the mount status.

Step 1. Open Disk Utility (Cmd + Space, type "Disk Utility"). Select your external drive from the sidebar.

Step 2. Click First Aid and then Run. If successful, the drive will remount with the correct permissions restored.

Step 3. And you can format your disk from “Erase” tab.

Professional Alternative Fix for NTFS Drives – PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac

If you check the "Get Info" window and see "You can only read" but find no option to change it, your drive is almost certainly formatted as NTFS. In this case, no amount of tinkering with Mac settings will help. To change hard drive read only permission on Mac for NTFS drives without formatting (and losing data), you need professional software.

PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac is the authoritative solution for this scenario. It acts as a bridge, seamlessly enabling full Read-Write capabilities for Windows-formatted drives on macOS.

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Step 1. Run PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac and connect the hard drive; the connected, removable, and external drives will be mounted and listed.

Step 2. Click the 3 dots of the read-only drive, you can set the state.

Now you've changed the hard drive read-only permission on Mac.

Ending

The inability to modify files on an external drive is a major hindrance to productivity. While knowing how to change read-only permissions on Mac via the "Get Info" window works for Apple-formatted drives, it fails to address the common NTFS incompatibility issue.

For a comprehensive solution that handles any drive format, PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac is the superior choice. By allowing you to change hard drive read-only permission on Mac instantly for Windows drives, it ensures seamless cross-platform workflow on the latest M1/M2 hardware. Whether you are dealing with permissions settings or file system conflicts, having the right tool ensures your data remains accessible and editable.

FAQs

Q1: Why is the "Ignore ownership on this volume" checkbox missing?
A: If this checkbox is missing in the "Get Info" window, it usually indicates that the drive is formatted with a file system that macOS does not fully control, such as NTFS or exFAT. In this case, you cannot change hard drive read only permission on mac using native settings; you need third-party software like PartitionAssistant.

Q2: Can I use Terminal to change permissions on an NTFS drive?
A: Generally, no. While chmod commands work for local files, they cannot override the read-only mount status of an NTFS drive on macOS. You must use an NTFS driver to mount the drive in "Read-Write" mode first.

Q3: Will PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac work on macOS Sonoma?
A: Yes. PartitionAssistant NTFS for Mac is updated to support macOS 12 and later, including the latest updates like Ventura and Sonoma. It is also native to Apple Silicon (M1/M2) chips.

Q4: Is it safe to force change permissions on a drive?
A: For external data drives, yes. However, using software like PartitionAssistant is safer than using command-line hacks because it ensures data integrity during the transfer process and prevents file system corruption.

Q5: Does reformatting the drive fix read-only permissions?
A: Yes, reformatting to APFS or exFAT will fix the permissions issue, but it will erase all your data. If you have data on the drive you want to keep, use PartitionAssistant to access it without formatting.