Home > Questions

How Can I Copy Files From MacBook to External Hard Drive?

I cannot copy files from my MacBook Pro to an external hard drive. How can I access NTFS?

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Eudora Liu

Eudora Liu

Answered on Tuesday, December 3, 2024

In most cases, the reason why you can't copy files from your MacBook to an external hard drive is the incompatible file system.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do is to check the file system of your external hard drive. Go to Disk Utility and the file system will show under the name of your drive in the right panel.

If your drive is NTFS formatted, Mac will prevent you from copying, writing, deleting, or renaming files on it but only read it. So, what you need is a professional NTFS reader to help you mount the drive in read-write mode.

iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is the best NTFS reader to mount your Windows NTFS volumes in read-write mode. Delete, copy, edit, rename, and write files on NTFS drives in macOS & Mac OS X freely without formatting.

Step 1: Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft NTFS for Mac.

Step 2: Insert your drive into your Mac and wait for it to mount successfully.

After that, you can copy files from your MacBook to an external hard drive. You will be asked to enable System Extensions to gain full disk access if necessary.

Another way to access your NTFS drive is to format your external hard drive with a Mac-supported file system, like FAT32, exFAT, etc.

  1. Connect your drive to your MacBook and launch Disk Utility.
  2. Select your drive and click Erase in the top toolbar.
  3. Type in a name for your drive and choose a compatible file system.
  4. Click Erase to start the process.

Don't forget to back up your data before you format your drive.

People Also Ask

Read More Questions

Read More Advice From iBoysoft's Computer Experts

デバイスのパスワードを確認

iCloudの使用を続けるために、MacBook Pro/デバイスのパスワードを確認しますか?

iCloudの使用を続けるため、MacBook Proのパスワードの確認が頻繁に表示されるのを停止するための5つの証明済みの方法をご紹介します。

como encontrar disco rígido externo no Mac

Como encontrar e acessar discos rígidos externos no Mac/MacBook

Sobre como encontrar discos rígidos externos no seu Mac. Descubra as razões pelas quais você não consegue encontrar discos rígidos externos no seu Mac e como corrigir.

restart Mac

How to Restart Or Force Restart Your Mac Quickly?

A full guide to quickly restart a Mac when it runs slow or overheats and force restart a Mac when it freezes or even won't boot

How to Tips