Home > Questions

16GB USB Stick (FAT32) is Read-only on Mac, What to Do?

I have a 16GB USB stick for my Mac. Today, I wanted to put some files onto it, only to find it didn't work. I have checked the info, and under Sharing & Permissions, it shows that you can only read. No options to change the permissions. Then, I tried fixing the issue with Disk Utility but it is coming up with an error that says: Could not change the partition type for /dev/disk0s2 - Resource busy. I also failed to erase the USB with an error hint: Unable to write to the last block of the device. When I run First Aid again, another error: This disk needs to be repaired. Then, I found the buttons in Disk Utility are greyed out, including Verify Disk Permissions, Repair Disk Permissions, Verify Disk, and Repair Disk. The USB only stores one unnecessary file but I want to continue using it.

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Connie Yang

Connie Yang

Answered on Wednesday, April 24, 2024

There's little chance that you can fix the USB drive with Disk Utility as you say almost all the buttons to fix the drive are greyed out and error messages come out one by one when you try fixing the USB stick with Disk Utility.

But there are still some tips for you to fix the USB drive that is read-only on your Mac, though the help may be very small.

  • Disconnect your USB stick and reconnect it to your Mac slowly.
  • Restart your Mac.
  • Reformat the USB stick to FAT32 on a Windows machine and check if it can work on your PC.

If no luck, go to a local repair center to ask for help.

 

People Also Ask

Cannot Write on External Hard Drive Format Mac OS Extended

This post explains why you cannot write to external hard drive with Mac OS Extended format and how to troubleshoot it.

iBoysoft author Connie YangConnie Yang

What Is the Best Alternative for Paragon NTFS for Mac?

Paragon NTFS for Mac not working to mount NTFS drive on Mac, what is the best alternative for Paragon NTFS for Mac?

iBoysoft author Vain RoweVain Rowe

How to read and write NTFS drive on macOS Monterey?

Wondering about the tools that you can use to read and write to NTFS drives on macOS Monterey? This post introduces a great NTFS for Mac driver.

iBoysoft author Jenny ZengJenny Zeng

My FAT32 USB stick is read only on Mac! Help!

Seeing 'You can only read.' when checking the permissions of your FAT32 drive? Read this thread to know the reasons behind it and how to fix the read-only problem of FAT32 USB on Mac.

iBoysoft author Jenny ZengJenny Zeng

What is the best solution for NTFS on M3 MacBook?

Read this thread to know the best solution for NTFS on M3 MacBook.

iBoysoft author Amanda WongAmanda Wong

Read More Questions

Read More Advice From iBoysoft's Computer Experts

não é possível gravar no drive USB no Mac

Não consigo Escrever em uma Unidade USB no Mac? Corrigido!

Se você descobrir que não consegue escrever em uma unidade USB no Mac, aqui estão soluções comprovadas, além de explicar por que você não consegue escrever em uma unidade USB no Mac.

Mac向けのNTFSとは

NTFS for Macとは何ですか？必要ですか？

この投稿は、NTFS for Macに関する質問に答えます。NTFS for Macとは何か、NTFS for Macが安全かどうか、NTFS for Macが必要かどうかなどについて説明します。

Ler e escrever em NTFS no High Sierra

Como Ler e Escrever em NTFS no macOS High Sierra?

Aprenda como ler e escrever em NTFS no Mac High Sierra e como formatar unidades para NTFS no High Sierra. Você também pode obter o download gratuito do NTFS para Mac High Sierra aqui.