I can’t edit files on my PNY USB flash drive nor add files to it on my Mac.
When I went to Get Info,
I found that it doesn’t allow me to change the permissions to this USB. Can anyone tell me how to enable the PNY USB drive to be writable?
I’ve already tried resetting SMC, no luck.
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When you access the Get Info window, have you checked the file system (format) of the PNY USB drive?
Usually, if you have the admin account and password, you are allowed to change the permissions of external hard drives on a Mac.
If you can’t do that, check the General section on the PNY USB drive’s Get Info and see if its format is Windows NT File System (NTFS).
If it is, that’s the reason why you can’t change the permissions to Read & Write and write to the USB flash drive.
NTFS drives are read-only in macOS by default, as Apple doesn’t have the privilege to write to the file system developed by its competitor - Microsoft.
To make it writable,
you need to use an NTFS for Mac software like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.
This tool enables you to read and write to Windows NTFS drives on Mac (both Intel and Apple Silicon based ones).
- Simply download iBoysoft NTFS for Mac, install and open it on your Mac.
- Click the Enable Writable button on its interface.
From then on, every time you connect your NTFS drives to your Mac, your NTFS drives will be automatically mounted in full read-write mode. You can use NTFS drives on your Mac like working with local drives on Mac.
This tool is an assistant to help us seamlessly use NTFS drives across platforms.
Resetting SMC does nothing to fix an unwritable USB drive on a Mac. As mentioned above, check if your drive is NTFS-formatted. If so, use an NTFS for Mac tool or reformat it to a macOS-compatible format, such as APFS or exFAT.
If the drive is compatible with your Mac, it is likely corrupted, so you can’t change its permissions or write to it.
Just reformat it. Remember to back up data on it to your Mac, as reformatting a drive will erase all data on it.