Having difficulty deleting files from an external hard drive on Mac can be incredibly frustrating. It is important to understand the potential causes and determine which steps you can take in order to resolve the issue. Here are some tips for troubleshooting:
1) Make sure you have proper permissions – check that you have given yourself access to delete the file or folder by clicking Get Info in Finder.
2) Check if your storage device is formatted correctly – make sure it’s using a Mac supported format, such as APFS, HFS+, or FAT32.
3) Update your Mac OS – updating your operating system might help with compatibility issues between your computer and the external drive.
4) Try using Disk Utility – open Disk Utility and select your external hard drive, then click Erase and choose a new format that works with Mac.
5) Reboot both devices – restarting both devices (your computer and the external hard drive) might help fix any software-related problems that could be causing issues with deleting files.
6) Contact Apple Support – if all else fails, contact Apple Support for additional assistance.
Why can’t I delete files from external hard drive Mac?
Why can’t I delete a file from my external hard drive?
Trying to delete a file from an external hard drive can often be a frustrating experience. This issue can occur for a variety of reasons, including problems with the operating system, corrupted files, or even issues with the external hard drive itself. To help you understand why this is happening and how to potentially fix it, here are some steps to try.
1. Make sure that the file is not currently in use by another program: If another program is using the file you won’t be able to delete it until you close that program first. Check your task manager for any programs that could be using the file and then close them before trying again.
2. Check if you have permission to delete files on your external hard drive: Depending on who set up your computer and/or user account there may be restrictions on deleting certain types of files or folders from your hard drive. Try right clicking on the folder or file you’re trying to delete and selecting “Properties” – if there is a security tab present in this window then check what permissions are enabled for each user type (e.g., administrator) and make sure they have write access enabled for deletion purposes (this may require admin privileges).
3. Run virus scan software: It’s possible that malicious software has infected one or more of your files, making it impossible to delete them without special tools such as anti-virus software – so try running a full scan on all of your drives just in case something has slipped through undetected by other measures like firewalls etc..
4. Use command line prompts: If all else fails then you can always resort to command line prompts in order to manually force deletion of stubborn files – however this should only be done as a last resort since incorrectly entered commands could cause irreversible damage!
How do I delete files from my external hard drive on my Mac?
Deleting files from an external hard drive on a Mac is a simple process that requires just a few steps. To begin, connect the external hard drive to your Mac computer using the appropriate cable. Once connected, open Finder and locate the hard drive in the list of available storage devices. Next, select the file or files you would like to delete and right-click on them with your mouse or trackpad. Then select “Move to Trash” from the menu that appears. Finally, empty your trash bin by selecting it in Finder and clicking “Empty Trash”. After these steps have been completed, your selected files will be deleted from your external hard drive.
How do I delete an Undeletable folder on my external hard drive?
If you have an undeletable folder on your external hard drive, there are several methods you can use to try and delete it. The first step is to open the File Explorer window and navigate to where the undeletable folder is located. Right-click on the folder and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. In the Security tab, click Advanced > Change Permissions > Edit. If you can change permissions, uncheck Inherit From Parent The Permission Entries That Apply To Child Objects checkbox and select Replace All Existing Inheritable Permissions On All Descendant Objects With Entries Shown Here That Apply To Child Objects. Once done, apply the changes and attempt to delete the folder again.
If this method fails, open a command prompt as administrator (right-click Start > Command Prompt (Admin)) then enter in “RD /S ” followed by a space then drag in your undeletable folder into terminal window which should populate its location path in quotes after RD /S . Press Enter for the command prompt to run and see if that deletes it successfully.
Finally if those two steps don’t work, download Unlocker from its official website at https://ccollomb.free.fr/unlocker/. Install Unlocker then right-click on your undeletable folder again then select “Unlocker” from the drop down menu: it will display any locks that may be stopping you from deleting it so you can remove them before trying again to delete it normally via File Explorer or Command Prompt as Admin above.
How do I force delete files on my external hard drive?
Deleting files on an external hard drive is similar to deleting them on any other device, but there are a few extra steps that you may need to take in order to make sure the files are successfully deleted. Here are three methods for forcing deletion of files from your external hard drive:
1. Use File Explorer: Open File Explorer and select the file or folder you want to delete. Click ‘Delete’ in the top menu and then click ‘Yes’ when prompted to confirm the deletion. This will move the file into the Recycle Bin, where it can be permanently deleted if desired.
2. Use Command Prompt: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type “del [file path]”. Replace “[file path]” with the full path of the file you want to delete (e.g., “C:\Users\UserName\Desktop\FileName”). Press Enter or Return after typing this command in order to force-delete it from your external hard drive.
3. Use Third-Party Software: There are several third-party software programs available that allow users to easily delete files from their external hard drives without having to manually do so through File Explorer or Command Prompt. These programs often provide additional features such as secure wiping of data, making them useful for those who need a more comprehensive approach when it comes time to delete their data securely and completely from an external hard drive.
Why is my external hard drive read-only on Mac?
Understanding why an external hard drive is read-only on Mac can be a difficult task. The cause of this issue may be due to various factors such as the type of file system used, improper settings, or corrupted drivers. To troubleshoot this issue and restore write access to your external hard drive, you should follow these steps:
1. Check File System Type – It is important to check the file system type for your hard drive in order to determine if it is compatible with Mac OS. If the external hard drive uses NTFS or FAT32 as its file system, then it will not be writable on Mac OS without additional software installed.
2. Set Permissions – You can also check if there are any permission related issues causing the read-only status on a Mac by going into Finder > Get Info > Sharing & Permissions and checking if your user has been granted Read & Write access.
3. Update Drivers – Outdated or corrupted drivers may also be preventing write access from being granted to your device on Mac OSX so updating them could help resolve this issue. To update drivers, go into System Preferences > Software Update and install all available updates for macOS Mojave or later versions you have installed on your machine.
4 Format Hard Drive – If none of these steps work, then reformatting the drive might fix the issue since formatting erases all existing data including incompatible file systems that are preventing write access from occurring in the first place so make sure that you back up any important files before formatting in case they get erased during process too!
How do I delete files on my Mac that won’t delete?
If you’re having trouble deleting files on your Mac, there are a few techniques that can help. It may be an issue with file permissions, or the file might be locked. Here are some steps to try in order to delete stubborn files:
1. Restart your Mac and try again – Sometimes restarting your computer can resolve the issue. After rebooting, try deleting the file again.
2. Unlock the file – If the file is locked, you won’t be able to delete it until it’s unlocked. To unlock it, select it and press Command-I (or right click and select Get Info). In the window that appears, look for a checkbox labelled Locked in General section of the Info window and uncheck it if necessary.
3. Use Terminal – If you’re still unable to delete a file using Finder or File Explorer, you can use Apple’s Terminal application instead. Open Terminal (in Applications/Utilities) and enter this command: rm /path/to/file replacing “path/to/file” with actual path to desired file (you can drag & drop a folder containing that particular file into Terminal). This will force deletion of unwanted files even if they are otherwise protected from being deleted normally via user interface tools such as Finder or File Explorer..
How do I force Delete files on my external hard drive?
It is not recommended to force delete files from an external hard drive as this can cause permanent data loss. However, if the need arises, there are a few steps you can take to try and force delete files from your external hard drive.
First, check that the file(s) you want to delete are not currently in use by any other program or application on your computer. If they are being used, close the programs using them before attempting to proceed with forcing deletion.
Then, open up the command prompt with administrator privileges and run chkdsk /f on the external hard drive letter (e.g., “chkdsk f:”). This will attempt to fix any errors on the disk that may be preventing file deletion.
If that doesn’t work, try running a disk cleanup utility such as CCleaner or Disk Cleanup for Windows 10 which can help identify and remove any unnecessary files from your system including those which cannot be deleted normally due to permissions or locking issues.
Finally, if all else fails you may have to resort to using third-party software like Unlocker or File Assassin which allow users to forcibly delete locked files by overriding their security settings. This should only be done as a last resort however as it could potentially cause data corruption on your external hard drive if used incorrectly.