# How to Fix a Seagate External Hard Drive Read\-Only on Mac

## How to Fix a Seagate External Hard Drive Read\-Only on Mac?

**Quick answer:**

Case 1. The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted —[Use NTFS for Mac to restore write access without formatting.](#fix1)

Case 2. You don't have permission to access the Seagate external hard drive —[Change Sharing & Permissions settings on the drive](#fix2).

Case 3. The Seagate external hard drive has disk errors —[Run First Aid in Disk Utility](#fix3)or[reformat the drive if needed.](#fix4)

![Fix Seagate external hard drive that](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/summary-seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac.jpeg)

When you plug a Seagate[external hard drive](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/external-hard-drive.html)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](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/ntfs.html)\-formatted drive on Mac.

Generally, there are four common causes of the Seagate external hard drive read\-only issue on Mac:

1. The Seagate external hard drive is formatted with NTFS
2. You don't have permission to access the Seagate external hard drive
3. Seagate Secure or Toolkit settings lock the drive
4. 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 on to learn how to fix the Seagate read\-only on Mac issue in the following sections.

## Case 1. The Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted

Most Seagate external drives are[read\-only file systems on Mac](https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/read-only-file-system-mac.html)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](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/macos.html)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](https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/copy-files-to-ntfs-on-mac.html).

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.

![The read\-only Seagate external hard drive is NTFS formatted](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/ntfs-disk-utility-mac.png)

### 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:

1. Open [Finder](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/mac-finder.html) and click Go at the upper right of your desktop, then choose Utilities.
2. Locate [Disk Utility](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/disk-utility.html) and open it.
3. Select your Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar of the Disk Utility window.
4. Check the format information on the right. If it shows Windows NT File System, the drive is NTFS formatted.
5. You can click the Info icon at the upper right to check if this disk is writable.

### Solution: Use NTFS for Mac to Enable Seagate External Drive Full Read\-Write Access

If you still use the Seagate drive for Windows and macOS cross\-platform work, using[NTFS for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/free-ntfs-for-mac.html)is a better solution because it restores full read\-write access without reformatting.

[iBoysoft NTFS for Mac](https://iboysoft.com/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](https://iboysoft.com/ntfs-for-mac/read-write-ntfs-drive-mac.html)directly in Finder without erasing the drive.

This NTFS for Mac utility gets upgraded to the**latest version 9.0**, with a cutting\-edge Extension Mode**\(FSKit\)**added. Compared with the previous widely used Advanced Mode \(Kernel Extension\), this new FSKit mode allows the NTFS file system to run within a complete user\-space framework maintained by Apple, delivering**performance close to that of kernel\-level drivers while retaining the security benefits of user space**.

**How to use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to write to NTFS Seagate external hard drives on Mac?**

Step 1. I downloaded and installed the latest version of iBoysoft NTFS for Mac \(version 9.0\) on a Mac with a 4\-core 2.19 GHz processor and 16 GB of memory, running macOS Tahoe 26.2.

![Mac specifications](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/about-the-mac.jpg)

This Microsoft NTFS for Mac now supports the latest macOS 27 Golden Gate, and works well with both Intel\-based and Apple Silicon Macs.

Step 2. Connect my NTFS drive \(named "Test"\) to my Mac. Launch this NTFS for Mac software and it auto\-mounts my NTFS drive in read\-only state.

![Seagate NTFS drive mounted read only](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/read-only.jpg)

Step 3. Click Settings \> Advanced. This Windows NTFS for Mac auto selected**Extension mode \(FSKit\)**in "Default mount mode" option.

![mount modes](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/mount-modes.jpg)

For macOS Tahoe 26 and later versions, it will auto\-choose Extension mode for reading and writing to an NTFS drive. As for macOS 15 or earlier versions, Advanced mode is the default one.

Step 4. Enter my activation code to activate this software. Then, my NTFS drive "Test" is successfully mounted in read\-write mode. I can find it in the Permission section.

![Mount Seagate external drive in read\-write mode](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/read-write-mode.jpg)

Note:As you can see, the green**Install NTFS Driver**option appears on the home screen. In the Advanced mode, you need to install the NTFS driver component and enable System Extensions. With the new FSKit mode, however, no additional steps are required. Once the installation is complete, it auto\-mounts your NTFS drive in read\-write mode.

Step 5. I can rename, edit, copy files from/to, or delete files in my NTFS drive.

In addition, the latest version 9.0 introduces a new**Tools**section in the lower\-left corner of the interface. From there, you can access other iBoysoft utilities for tasks such as recovering data from external drives, cleaning macOS system junk, finding large files, and reading from and writing to BitLocker\-encrypted drives.

![More tools from iBoysoft](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/more-tools.jpg)

## 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](https://iboysoft.com/howto/change-permissions-mac.html)disk in Finder by following the steps below.

1. Select Seagate external hard drive on your desktop or in the Finder sidebar, and then press Command \+ I to get information about the drive.
2. Scroll to the bottom of this list and click on the triangle on the left side of the Sharing & Permissions tab.
3. Click the padlock icon and type in the admin account password to unlock this tab.
4. Check the box to **Ignore ownership on this volume** , or toggle it off and back on if it is already enabled.
5. 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.

![Fix read\-only Seagate external hard drive in Disk Utility](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-ntfs-for-mac/seagate-external-hard-drive-read-only-mac/first-aid-seagate-backup-plus.png)

If[Disk Utility can't repair the disk](https://iboysoft.com/mac-data-recovery/disk-utility-cant-repair-disk.html), 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

1. Open Disk Utility on your Mac.
2. Select the read\-only Seagate external hard drive in the left sidebar.
3. Click Erase.
4. Rename the drive and choose APFS, exFAT, or another suitable format.
5. Select GUID Partition Map as the scheme.
6. 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.

## FAQs

AYou 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.

AYour 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.

AIf 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.

AMost 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.

ANo. 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.