Other formats, such as NTFS, are not directly supported by Mac.

External hard drive contains an unsupported file system, like NTFS.įor managing and storing files, Mac supports the HFS (Hierarchical File System) format. The problem will continue if permissions are not granted.Ģ. Permission issues could be another reason you can't delete files and folders from your external hard drive. The permission settings on your Mac define who has access to your files. To help you identify the cause of your error, below is the compiled list of reasons that prevents you from deleting files or folders from an external hard drive. When you cannot delete files or folders from an external hard drive on Mac, you should always focus on why the error occurs. Why Can't I Delete a File or Folder from External Hard Drive on Mac Because there are specific causes of this error, once the cause is identified, you can use a solution relevant to that cause. The best practice is to find out the actual cause of why the can’t delete files error is triggered in the first place. Unless the cause is identified, you must avoid formatting the drive as solutions can fix it without formatting. Full stepsīut, before you jump on to try our methods, there are certain dos and dont's that you must hold to when facing this error.Ī common mistake that Mac users make when they can’t delete files/folders from an external hard drive is they format their drive. Right-click to delete or drag files to Trash.

Full stepsĭelete or Remove Files/Folders from External Drives on Mac Reconnect external hard drive to Mac >Change USB port. Learn more about reinstalling m acOS.Enable Mac to Delete or Remove Files/Folder from External Hard Drive

If you want your Mac to start up again from the volume you just you erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions.

When done, quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window.

Optional: If you previously used Disk Utility to add internal volumes other than Macintosh HD, you can erase them individually using the same process.

If this button isn't shown, click Erase instead.

Format: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), as recommended by Disk Utility.

Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then enter the requested details:.

Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility.

From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.

If asked, select a user you know the password for, then enter their administrator password.

Start up from macOS Recovery: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R.

Purge mac hard drive