How to access files on old MacBook Air hard drive in USB enclosure.

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Level 1

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How to access files on old MacBook Air hard drive in USB enclosure.

My old MacBook Air recently failed and I have a new replacement. I purchased a USB hard drive enclosure for the old hard drive. It loads fine and I can see everything that was on my old laptop, but when I try to access my desktop files that were created with me as the logged in user, I get this message:

The folder “Desktop” can’t be opened because you don’t have permission to see its contents.

How do I get around this permissions problem? Is there a way to log in to the old hard drive.

Thank to any and all who can help, Steve

Posted on Jan 27, 2020 5:47 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

68,516 points

Jan 27, 2020 8:20 PM in response to SteveAussie

You can either copy the whole "Desktop" folder to the new laptop which will prompt you for the admin password.

Another option is to use an app such as Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) to copy the files from the old drive. CCC will allow you to select just the files you want to transfer.

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Answer 2

SteveAussie Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 27, 2020 9:46 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks HWTech,

That worked like a charm. I was trying to access the folder/files directly from the old hard drive and couldn't figure out how/where to enter the Admin PW. As soon as I dragged the whole folder across to the new laptop I was prompted for the PW, as you said. From there it was no worries.

Cheers, Steve

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How to access files on old MacBook Air hard drive in USB enclosure.

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