{"id":"troubleshooting.destination-is-read-only","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/destination-is-read-only","category":{"id":"troubleshooting","title":"Troubleshooting & messages"},"subcategory":{"id":"moves-and-copies","title":"Moves and copies that didn't finish"},"question":"What does \"The destination is read-only\" mean?","alt_questions":["the destination is read-only storage studio","can't copy to external drive read only","ntfs drive read only mac storage studio","drive won't accept files mac"],"short_answer":"The drive can be read but not written — usually because it's formatted NTFS. Use an APFS or exFAT drive (reformatting erases it), or run First Aid in Disk Utility.","answer_markdown":"The drive you chose can be read but not written to, so nothing could be copied there. Your original is safe and untouched.\n\nThe usual cause is a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS), which macOS can only read. Less often, the drive's write-protect switch is on, or macOS mounted it read-only after finding a problem.\n\n### What to do\n- Use a drive formatted as **APFS** (best for a Mac-only drive) or **exFAT**.\n- If the drive should be writable, run **First Aid** on it in Disk Utility.\n- Reformatting erases a drive — copy anything you need off it first.\n\nSee [choosing a drive format](/faq/external-drives/).","answer_html":"

The drive you chose can be read but not written to, so nothing could be copied there. Your original is safe and untouched.

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The usual cause is a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS), which macOS can only read. Less often, the drive's write-protect switch is on, or macOS mounted it read-only after finding a problem.

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### What to do - Use a drive formatted as APFS (best for a Mac-only drive) or exFAT. - If the drive should be writable, run First Aid on it in Disk Utility. - Reformatting erases a drive — copy anything you need off it first.

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See choosing a drive format.

","answer_text":"The drive you chose can be read but not written to, so nothing could be copied there. Your original is safe and untouched.\n\nThe usual cause is a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS), which macOS can only read. Less often, the drive's write-protect switch is on, or macOS mounted it read-only after finding a problem.\n\nWhat to do\n- Use a drive formatted as APFS (best for a Mac-only drive) or exFAT.\n- If the drive should be writable, run First Aid on it in Disk Utility.\n- Reformatting erases a drive — copy anything you need off it first.\n\nSee choosing a drive format.","tags":["read-only","ntfs","drive format"],"related":[{"id":"troubleshooting.wasnt-allowed-to-read-or-write-some-files","question":"Why wasn't Storage Studio allowed to read or write some files in a folder?","url":"/faq/troubleshooting/wasnt-allowed-to-read-or-write-some-files"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does \"The destination is read-only\" mean? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"The drive can be read but not written — usually because it's formatted NTFS. Use an APFS or exFAT drive (reformatting erases it), or run First Aid in Disk Utility.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Troubleshooting & messages","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/"},{"name":"What does \"The destination is read-only\" mean?","path":"/faq/troubleshooting/destination-is-read-only"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/destination-is-read-only","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does \"The destination is read-only\" mean?","alternateName":["the destination is read-only storage studio","can't copy to external drive read only","ntfs drive read only mac storage studio","drive won't accept files mac"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The drive you chose can be read but not written to, so nothing could be copied there. Your original is safe and untouched.\n\nThe usual cause is a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS), which macOS can only read. Less often, the drive's write-protect switch is on, or macOS mounted it read-only after finding a problem.\n\nWhat to do\n- Use a drive formatted as APFS (best for a Mac-only drive) or exFAT.\n- If the drive should be writable, run First Aid on it in Disk Utility.\n- Reformatting erases a drive — copy anything you need off it first.\n\nSee choosing a drive format.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/troubleshooting/destination-is-read-only"}}]},"fragment":"
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Troubleshooting & messages · Moves and copies that didn't finish

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What does "The destination is read-only" mean?

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Short answer: The drive can be read but not written — usually because it's formatted NTFS. Use an APFS or exFAT drive (reformatting erases it), or run First Aid in Disk Utility.

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The drive you chose can be read but not written to, so nothing could be copied there. Your original is safe and untouched.

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The usual cause is a drive formatted for Windows (NTFS), which macOS can only read. Less often, the drive's write-protect switch is on, or macOS mounted it read-only after finding a problem.

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### What to do - Use a drive formatted as APFS (best for a Mac-only drive) or exFAT. - If the drive should be writable, run First Aid on it in Disk Utility. - Reformatting erases a drive — copy anything you need off it first.

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See choosing a drive format.

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Last reviewed

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