How to Fix Toshiba Read Only on Mac Error in 2024

Toshiba read-only error on Mac is easily fixable. This post will walk through the top 5 methods to quickly make Toshiba hard drives writable on Mac, even the one formatted in NTFS file format.

Toshiba is one of the fastest and secure USB brands, but it still sometimes shows read-only errors on Mac. It might happen due to faulty permission settings, incompatible file systems, or other formatting errors. 

However, there is no need to worry. There are many solutions available to fix Toshiba read-only errors on Mac. This page includes 5 reliable solutions that can help to remove read-only errors from Mac external hard drives. 

Why Toshiba USB 3.0 Hard Drive Says Read Only on Mac

Many times Toshiba USB flash drives will show read-only errors on Mac. It happens due to several reasons, such as: 

Permission error

Mac allows users to modify the Sharing and Permissions to determine who can delete or edit data on the external hard disk. Thus, if you have set permission to read-only Toshiba, you can't write or modify it on Mac. To fix this, you need to change the permission settings on Mac to get read-write Toshiba USB access. 

Toshiba is locked or write-protected

It is also a permission error. If you have intentionally or unintentionally locked a Toshiba USB drive, it won't open USB in write mode. To check whether Toshiba is locked or write-protected, right-click on the disk icon and select the Get Info to check the disk information. If it says ‘read this Toshiba hard drive’ even though it is formatted in the right file system, you can't write to the drive. 

Toshiba contains an internal error

Sometimes formatting issues on external hard drives won't allow Mac to write or modify Toshiba USB. To fix the internal errors, use Disk Utility or, in the worst case, get a new Toshiba hard drive. 

Toshiba drive is in NTFS format

The NTFS file format is one of the common reasons behind Toshiba read-only errors on Mac. If the Toshiba drive is formatted in NTFS file format, it will only open in read-only mode on Mac. By default, Apple only reads NTFS formats as it is a Windows file system. Thus, convert NTFS files to Mac compatible format or use a third-party tool to mount NTFS drives. 

How Do I Change Toshiba from Read-only on Mac (5 Incredible Methods)

It might seem like a daunting task to remove the Toshiba read-only error from Mac, but it is not. There are several systematic solutions available to fix read-only external drive issues on Mac, such as: 

Method 1. Ignore Permission for Toshiba Drive

If changed permission setting is a problem for Toshiba read-only errors on a computer, simply change the disk permission settings from the Finder, as follows: 

Step 1. First of all, choose the external hard drive icon located on your desktop in the Finder sidebar. Then, press the Command + I keys to get information about the drive. 

Step 2. Next, click on the arrow next to the Sharing & Permissions tab near the bottom of the window. 

Step 3. Check the box that says Ignore ownership on this volume or toggle it off. It might ask to add the password of your Mac to enable the write mode.

Method 2. Unlock Toshiba

If files on the Toshiba external drive show the read-only or locked message, this is also a permission error. It means that the Toshiba drive is password-protected or encrypted, and it needs to be decrypted for access. Here's how to unlock a drive on Mac:

Step 1. Connect the Toshiba volume to the Mac. 

Step 2. Select the external drive from the Finder and right-click on the drive icon, select the 'Decrypt DriveName' from the list. 

Step 3. Enter the password used to encrypt the drive. 

Step 4. Decrypting the Toshiba drive will take some time, depending upon its size. However, once the process is done, you will be able to access the drive's content on Mac. 

Method 3. Format Toshiba Drive

If the Toshiba hard drive is formatted to the NTFS file system, Mac will open it in the read-only mode by default as it is a Windows file format. The most compatible Mac file systems are FAT, exFAT, HFS+, and others. So, the only solution here is to format a Toshiba to the Mac compatible file format. 

If your external hard drive doesn't contain any important files, go to Disk Utility and erase it. From there, one can select the several Mac suitable formats for Toshiba hard disk. The process works this way:

Step 1. Connect the drive to a Mac computer and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 2. Select the Toshiba drive from the list of all the available storage devices.

Step 3. Click on the Erase button located in the Erase tab. Before erasing the disk, make sure to select the file system in which you would like to use it.

Step 4. Wait for a few minutes to complete the process.

Method 4. Use First Aid 

If there's a formatting problem with the external hard drive, use Disk Utility to highlight and repair those errors using the First Ais option. To do so: 

Step 1. Press the Command + Space keys and then type Disk Utility. 

Step 2. Select the Toshiba hard drive, click on the First Aid, and then click on the Run to find and repair the errors. 

Method 5. Enable Toshiba Writable with EaseUS NTFS for Mac

If you don't want to lose the high-quality NTFS file format, use EaseUS NTFS for Mac to mount Toshiba writable. This incredible software can mount and unmount Toshiba formatted in NTFS from Mac's status bar. 

Without losing data, EaseUS NTFS for Mac can eliminate Toshiba read-only errors on Mac. The software works with Windows 11/10/8/7 and even M1-based Mac devices. 

List of EaseUS NTFS for Mac Features:

• Fast and seamless user experience.  
• The program supports multiple file systems, including NTFS, APFS, FAT, exFAT, and many more.  
• It works with all external devices such as hard drives, SSD, USB drives, Thunderbolt drives, etc. 
• A 7-day free trial. 
• One-click NTFS drive access. 

Here's how can remove the read-only error from NTFS Toshiba disk on Mac using EaseUS NTFS for Mac:

Step 1. Launch and activate EaseUS NTFS for Mac. Click "I already have a license" to unlock this software.

Step 2. Connect an NTFS drive to Mac, EaseUS NTFS for Mac will automatically detect the device. Select your drive and you'll see it's now marked as 'Read-only". Click "Enable Writable" to add read and write rights to the drive.

Step 3. When the state of NTFS drives turns into "Writable".

Step 4. EaseUS NTFS for Mac will pops up a window to help Mac get access to the NTFS drive:

1. 1. Select "Full Disk Access", click the Lock icon and enter admin password to unlock it.
2. 2. Select the two icons of NTFS for Mac.
3. 3. Drag them to the "Full Disk Access" list.
4. 4. Click " Quit & Restore" to re-launch EaseUS NTFS for Mac.

Step 5. When EaseUS NTFS for Mac restarts, you can then open to check, read, write, and even modify saved data on the NTFS device.

Conclusion 

Toshiba read-only error on Mac is 100% fixable. If the problem is with the permission settings, one can simply change them from the Finder sidebar. 

But if the Toshiba hard drive is NTFS formatted, making it writable on Mac will be complicated. However, thankfully, EaseUS NTFS for Mac has made it easy to run NTFS hard disks in read-write mode. 

Besides the read-only error, EaseUS can help with other hard disk mount and unmount errors on Mac. Therefore, if you want to smoothly mount Toshiba hard drives to Mac, try EaseUS NTFS for Mac's free trial today.