Fix Samsung Portable SSD X5 Is Read Only on Mac

Quick Navigation:

• How to Understand the Samsung X5 SSD Read-Only on Mac Problem?
• How to Fix Samsung SSD X5 Read-Only ON Mac Problems?
• Use NTFS Samsung Portable SSD X5 on Mac Without Formatting
• Conclusion
• Fix Samsung Portable SSD X5 Read-only on Mac FAQs

“Hi, I don’t know why my Samsung portable SSD X5 is not working on my Mac. It is mounting, but I can’t move anything from the Mac to it. How to solve this issue?” - Jerry

Do you find it frustrating that your Samsung X5 SSD has turned into a digital brick on your Mac, preventing you from editing or saving anything? Do not worry; you have found the help that will turn your digital despair into relief! Let's say you're ready to get creative, but suddenly, your Samsung X5 SSD thinks it wants to take a read-only vacation. Not yet, though. Don't let your anger set in.

This easy-to-understand guide will help you figure out why your SSD is acting up and give you simple ways to get it to read and write normally again. Let’s see how to fix Samsung portable SSD X5 read-only or not working on Mac.

How to Understand the Samsung X5 SSD Read-Only on Mac Problem?

Before you look at the answers, you should know why your Samsung X5 SSD might be giving you a read-only error on your Mac. This issue might be caused by several things, such as problems with the file system, mistakes with permissions, or even hardware problems. Finding the root reason is very important for implementing a good solution.

Check the Physical Connection:

Check for a physical link between your Samsung X5 SSD and your Mac to start troubleshooting. Make sure that both the SSD and the Mac are safely connected to the USB-C or Thunderbolt cable. Try connecting with a different cable or port to ensure no connectivity problems.

Verify Drive Compatibility:

Make sure that your Mac and your Samsung X5 SSD can work together. Check out the information that Samsung gives you about system needs and compatibility. SSDs may need special drivers or firmware updates to work properly on macOS.

Examine File System Compatibility:

macOS and external drives may not work well together using different file systems. The Samsung X5 SSD may be set up with the NTFS file system, which works with Windows and is not compatible with macOS. Check the file system and ensure your Mac can handle it.

How to Fix Samsung SSD X5 Read-Only ON Mac Problems?

Here are the steps you need to take to fix the read-only issue on your Samsung X5 SSD.

Solution 1: Check and Repair Disk Permissions

1. Go to your Mac and open Disk Utility. You can use Spotlight to look for it or go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

2. From the list on the left, pick out your Samsung X5 SSD.

3. Pick up the "First Aid" tab.

4. Click "Run" to check and fix the rights on the Disk.

It will check the Samsung X5 SSD for permission problems and fix them if it finds any. Check to see if the read-only problem is still there after the process.

Solution 2: Reset NVRAM/PRAM

Some system problems, like those with external drives, can be fixed by resetting the Non-Volatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) or Parameter RAM (PRAM).

• Restart your Mac.
• Hold down the Command, Option, P, and R keys simultaneously during the starting process.
• Hold the keys for another second until you hear the starting sound again.
• After this process, NVRAM and PRAM will be restarted, and your Mac should start with new system settings. Make sure the Samsung X5 SSD is still set to read-only.

Solution 3: Repair Disk using Disk Utility

• Open Disk Utility.
• From the list on the left, pick out your Samsung X5 SSD.
• Pick up the "First Aid" tab.
• Press "Run" to check the Disk and fix it if needed.
• If the Samsung X5 SSD has any file system problems, Disk Utility will look for them and try to fix them. Once the job is done, check whether the read-only issue remains.

Solution 4: Check for Firmware Updates

Samsung might release software updates to fix bugs or improve things with other devices. Go to the Samsung website for firmware changes just for the X5 SSD. If there are directions, follow them to update the firmware.

Solution 5: Reformat the Samsung X5 SSD

• Open Disk Utility.
• From the list on the left, pick out your Samsung X5 SSD.
• Pick up the "Erase" button.
• Select a file system that works with your device (exFAT is recommended for OS X and Windows) and click "Erase."
• Move the backups back to the Samsung X5 SSD after cleaning it, and then check to see if the read-only issue is still there.

If you’ve lost data due to erasing the Samsung portable SSD X5 or running First Aid on the SSD, you can use data recovery app to get lost data back.

Use NTFS Samsung Portable SSD X5 on Mac Without Formatting

As we know that NTFS for Mac tool can enable users to read-write NTFS drive on Mac without any limitation, you can use the NTFS Samsung portable SSD X5 on Mac without formatting.

Step 1. Download and install the best Samsung NTFS driver for Mac - DoYourData NTFS for Mac. It can help Mac users to read-write NTFS drive within 1 click.

Step 2. Connect Samsung portable SSD X5 to your Mac and open DoYourData NTFS for Mac. Then select the Samsung portable SSD X5, click on Enable Writable button. Follow the wizard to add NTFS read-write support on your Mac.

Conclusion:

It can be annoying when your Samsung X5 SSD on Mac has a read-only problem, but if you follow the right steps to fix it, you can regain full access to your external storage. You can get around the read-only problem and make sure your Samsung X5 SSD and Mac work well together by checking the hardware connections, making sure they are compatible, and fixing disk permissions or reformatting as needed. If the problem still happens after these steps, you might want to contact Samsung's customer service for more help.

Don’t want to reformat your Samsung portable SSD X5 because you don’t want to lose data on the SSD? Don’t worry, you can try NTFS for Mac tool to help you mount Samsung portable SSD X5 on Mac and add NTFS read-write support on your Mac. Then you can read-write data to the Samsung portable SSD X5 without any limitation.

Fix Samsung Portable SSD X5 Read-only on Mac FAQs

1. How to fix Samsung portable SSD X5 read-only on Mac?

Two effective solutions to fix Samsung portable SSD X5 read-only on Mac:

• Solution 1. Open Disk Utility, select the Samsung portable SSD X5, click on Erase button to erase it to Mac-compatible file system. If the Erase button is not available, just click on First Aid button to repair it.
• Solution 2. If the Samsung portable SSD X5 is a NTFS drive, install a NTFS for Mac tool - DoYourData NTFS for Mac on the Mac. Run the NTFS for Mac tool, select the Samsung portable SSD X5, click on Enable Writable button.

2. How to fix Samsung portable SSD X5 not mounting on Mac?

Connect the Samsung portable SSD X5 to your Mac, find it in Disk Utility.

Select the Samsung portable SSD X5, click on Mount button. If Mount button is grayed out, click on First Aid button.

3. Samsung portable SSD X5 is recognized by Disk Utility, not showing up on Mac, how to fix it?

• Open a Finder on Mac, then click Finder on Apple menu.
• Choose Settings, open Finder Settings.
• Make sure External disks is selected under General and Sidebar.

4. How to recover lost data from an erased Samsung portable SSD X5 on Mac?

Fixing Samsung portable SSD X5 read-only on Mac may delete all data stored on the SSD, follow the steps below to get all lost data back.

Step 1. Download and install Do Your Data Recovery for Mac, connect the Samsung portable SSD X5 to your Mac.

Step 2. Open Do Your Data Recovery for Mac from Launchpad, then select the Samsung portable SSD X5 to start data recovery.

Step 3. Click on Scan button to deeply scan the Samsung portable SSD X5.

Step 4. Once the scan is completed, preview and recover lost files.