External hard drive refuses files

Hello,

"

...Windows NT File System

": it's a classic problem.
Your hard drive is formatted with NTFS, which is a proprietary format of Microsoft Windows. The Mac can only access it in read mode but not in write mode (Apple would then have to pay royalties to its buddy Microsoft).

Free solution 1: from the Mac, format the external drive to "MSDOS FAT".
Advantage: it will be usable on MacOS and Windows.
Disadvantage 1: you have to reformat, which will erase all data present on the drive.
Disadvantage 2: the maximum file size is limited to 4GB.

Free solution 2: from the Mac or a PC, format the external drive to "exFAT".
Advantage: no maximum file size limit.
Disadvantage 1: you have to reformat, which will erase all data present on the drive.

Paid solution: Install the NTFS for Mac OS X utility from Paragon on your Mac.
Advantage 1: It will allow you full access to all your Windows NTFS formatted drives.
Advantage 2: No need to reformat the drive, so no loss of data present on the drive.
Disadvantage: it’s not free, but it’s not very expensive.

Ritchi

Hello

When you launch "Disk Utility" and select your external drive and click on info, what format is detected? Mac OS Extended? NTFS? ...

Ritchi

Good evening Richie
In the info there is no "format". I read elsewhere Windows NT file system.

THANK YOU RICHIE
I will follow your advice "Install the NTFS utility for Mac OS X from Paragon on your Mac."
Can you simply clarify why my hard drive has been functioning until now, for over a year, both in storing my various files from the Mac and in various transfers to my Mac?
This problem is new and your suggestion seems to imply that my external hard drive now needs this installation.
What is your opinion? Sorry to bother you again, but I admit I'm not used to these procedures.
Best regards
Hervé

Hello,
Reading the history you provided on your external hard drive, I am also surprised. Therefore, I will be more specific about how to determine the format of your external drive.

You need to proceed in one of the following ways:
- Select the volume in the sidebar of Disk Utility, then check the information that appears on the right. To learn more, select File > Get Info from the menu bar of Disk Utility.

- Open System Information, then select Storage in the sidebar. The File System column on the right displays the format of each volume.

- Select the volume in Finder, then click on File > Get Info in the menu bar. The Get Info window shows the format of the selected volume.

If any of the three methods indicates that your drive is formatted as Windows NTFS, then "NTFS for MacOS by Paragon" is the right solution. You just need to ask yourself: could someone have borrowed this drive to connect it to a Windows PC and formatted it for their use?

If the format is not NTFS, but Mac OS Extended, then we will think about another solution.

Ritchi