When you plug a Seagate external hard drive into your Mac, one of the worst things is that you find your Seagate external hard drive is read-only on Mac. All of the write actions fail when you use your Seagate NTFS-formatted drive on Mac.
This issue commonly happens with Seagate Backup Plus, Portable, Slim, and Ultra Touch drives that were previously used on Windows computers. In some cases, the drive may also become locked after a macOS update disables an older NTFS driver or when Seagate Secure encryption is enabled.
For example, you cannot rename external drives on Mac, cannot transfer files to your Seagate drive, delete files, or create new files. Your photos, videos, audio, and other files that you saved to the Seagate drive from a Windows PC could be locked. Or your Seagate external drive could be write-protected.
Don't be upset, you are not the only one suffering from this Seagate read-only on Mac issue.
"I'm having a problem using my Seagate external hard drive. I only have permission to read files on my external hard drive, but I am not allowed to write or edit files on the drive when using Mac OS. Why does this happen and how to fix Seagate external hard drive read-only on Mac?"
Generally, there are four common causes of the Seagate external hard drive read-only issue on Mac:
- The Seagate external hard drive is formatted with NTFS
- You don't have permission to access the Seagate external hard drive
- Seagate Secure or Toolkit settings lock the drive
- The Seagate external hard drive has disk errors
Why is your Seagate external hard drive read-only on Mac?
You may be wondering why your Seagate external hard drive is read-only on Mac. In fact, the issue can happen for different reasons depending on the drive format and settings.
| Cause | Description | Recommended Fix |
|---|---|---|
| NTFS file system | Most Seagate drives are factory-formatted as NTFS for Windows compatibility. macOS can read NTFS drives but cannot write to them by default. | Use an NTFS for Mac driver |
| Permission issue | Finder permissions may restrict write access on APFS or HFS+ drives. | Change Sharing & Permissions settings |
| Seagate Secure or Toolkit lock | Some Seagate drives support password protection or encryption that can prevent modifications until unlocked. | Unlock the drive with Seagate Toolkit or Seagate Secure |
| Disk errors | File system corruption may force macOS to mount the drive as read-only. | Back up data first, then run First Aid |
As every scenario is distinct, corresponding fixes are indispensable. Read further to know how to fix the Seagate read-only on Mac issue in the following part.
Case 1: The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted
Most Seagate external drives are read-only file systems on Mac because they are pre-formatted with the Windows NT file system (NTFS) by the manufacturer. This commonly affects Seagate Backup Plus, Ultra Touch, Portable, and Slim drives used between Windows PCs and Macs.
However, macOS only supports read access to NTFS drives by default. If you connect an NTFS-formatted Seagate drive to your Mac, you can open files but cannot delete, rename, save, create, or copy files to NTFS drives on Mac.
In some cases, users may also find their Seagate NTFS drive becomes read-only after upgrading macOS because an older NTFS driver no longer works with the new system.
How to check if your Seagate hard drive is NTFS formatted on Mac?
You can check if your Seagate external hard drive is formatted as NTFS with the following steps:
- Open Finder and click Go at the upper right of your desktop, then choose Utilities.
- Locate Disk Utility and open it.
- Select your Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar of the Disk Utility window.
- Check the format information on the right. If it shows Windows NT File System, the drive is NTFS formatted.
- You can click the Info icon at the upper right to check if this disk is writable.
Solution: Use NTFS for Mac to write to Seagate external hard drives on Mac
Many users think they must erase or reformat the drive to NTFS on a Mac to make it writable. However, formatting will remove all existing files on the drive.
If you still use the Seagate drive on both Windows and macOS, using an NTFS for macOS Tahoe or other vision is a better solution because it restores full read-write access without reformatting.
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac: Read and write NTFS drives on Mac without formatting
If you are thinking about free NTFS for Mac tools, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac automatically mounts NTFS-formatted Seagate drives in read-write mode on Mac. After installation, you can copy, delete, rename, edit, save, and write to NTFS on Mac directly in Finder without erasing the drive.
It supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and works with macOS Tahoe, Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, and earlier supported versions.
How to use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to write to NTFS Seagate external hard drives on Mac?
- Download and install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your Mac.
- Launch the software and connect your Seagate external hard drive to your Mac.
- Once the drive is mounted in read-write mode, you can freely copy, move, delete, rename, and save files on the Seagate NTFS drive in Finder.
Note: If the NTFS drive still does not allow writing after installation, the software may ask you to enable System Extensions and install the NTFS driver component. After that, the NTFS volume should mount normally in read-write mode.
Case 2: You don't have permission to access the Seagate external hard drive
If your Seagate hard drive denies write access even though it is not NTFS formatted, there may be a permissions issue. This usually applies to APFS or HFS+ formatted drives, not NTFS drives.
Facing this, you can change permission on Seagate external hard drive on Mac manually.
Solution: Change permissions on Seagate's external hard drive
To fix the read-only Seagate external hard drive issue, you need to regain full access. You can ignore the ownership or change the sharing and permissions on the Mac disk in Finder by following the steps below.
- Select Seagate external hard drive on your desktop or in the Finder sidebar, and then press Command + I to get information about the drive.
- Scroll to the bottom of this list and click on the triangle on the left side of the Sharing & Permissions tab.
- Click the padlock icon and type in the admin account password to unlock this tab.
- Check the box to Ignore ownership on this volume, or toggle it off and back on if it is already enabled.
- Click the gear button and choose Apply to enclosed items.
Or, you can change Read only to Read & Write in the Sharing & Permissions section directly.
If the Seagate drive is still locked, especially on Seagate Ultra Touch or Backup Plus models, the drive may be protected by Seagate Secure or Toolkit encryption. In this case, you need to unlock the drive with the correct password in Seagate Toolkit or Seagate Secure before modifying files.
Case 3: The Seagate external hard drive has some disk errors
If your Seagate external hard drive becomes read-only for reasons other than NTFS or permissions, the drive may contain file system errors or corruption.
Before running First Aid, reformatting the drive, or performing other repair operations, make sure you back up or recover important files first. Repair operations may fail or cause additional data loss if the drive condition worsens.
Solution 1: Fix read-only Seagate external hard drive in Disk Utility
Fortunately, macOS includes a built-in repair tool called First Aid that can detect and repair some logical disk errors.
Here is how to repair a read-only Seagate external hard drive with First Aid:
1. Open Disk Utility via Spotlight Search or Utilities.
2. Select the read-only Seagate external hard drive from the left sidebar.
3. Click First Aid and choose Run.
If Disk Utility can't repair the disk, you should recover or back up important files first, then consider reformatting the drive.
Solution 2: Reformat Seagate external hard drive
If First Aid cannot fix the Seagate external hard drive, reformatting may be the final solution. Reformatting removes the existing file system and creates a new one.
However, formatting will erase all files on the Seagate drive. Make sure you have a backup or recover important data before proceeding.
When choosing a format, select the file system based on how you use the drive:
- APFS: Best for Mac-only use
- exFAT: Best for sharing files between Mac and Windows
- NTFS: Best for Windows-focused use with an NTFS for Mac driver installed on Mac
- Open Disk Utility on your Mac.
- Select the read-only Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar.
- Click Erase.
- Rename the drive and choose APFS, exFAT, or another suitable format.
- Select GUID Partition Map as the scheme.
- Click Erase to confirm.
A final note
In most cases, a Seagate external hard drive becomes read-only on Mac because it is formatted with NTFS. Using an NTFS for Mac driver allows you to restore write access without formatting the drive or losing files.
If the issue is related to permissions, Seagate Secure encryption, or disk errors, the corresponding fixes above should help you regain access safely.
FAQ about Seagate read-only Mac
- QHow do I remove read-only from Seagate external hard drive on Mac?
-
A
You can install a third-party NTFS for Mac driver on your Mac, change permissions on Seagate external drive on Mac, or format your Seagate drive to the APFS file system to remove the read-only from your Seagate external hard drive on Mac.
- QWhy does my Seagate external hard drive show up as read-only on Mac?
-
A
Your Seagate external hard drive shows up as read-only on Mac for the following 3 reasons: 1. Your Seagate external hard drive is NTFS-formatted. 2. Your Seagate hard drive is limited in read-only permission. 3. Your Seagate hard drive has some tiny disk errors.
- QHow to unlock Seagate hard drive on Mac?
-
A
If you encounter the notification saying that you cannot open the application Unlock Drive for Mac because it may be damaged or incomplete, don't be upset, it is nothing wrong with your Seagate drive. You can download Toolkit and open it > Click Seagate Secure on the main menu > Click Unlock > Enter your password > Click Continue to unlock the Seagate hard drive on Mac. If you experience issues unlocking using Toolkit, physically disconnect and reconnect the drive then try those steps again.
- QWhy is my Seagate drive read-only after using it on Windows?
-
A
Most Seagate drives used on Windows are formatted as NTFS. macOS can read NTFS drives but cannot write to them by default, so the drive appears read-only on Mac.
- QCan permissions fix NTFS read-only on Mac?
-
A
No. Finder permissions only apply to APFS or HFS+ drives. If the Seagate drive is NTFS formatted, changing permissions will not restore write access. You need an NTFS for Mac driver or must reformat the drive.