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Time Machine backup on external drive is Read-Only...

Hi-I am using an 2020 M1 MBP running Monterey (12.1). I bought a 6T SanDisk external drive for Time Machine backups.


I would like the ability to access Time Machine to recover things that I delete and then realize I shouldn't have deleted them just like I used to do with my dead Time Capsule.


It appears that the disk is Read-Only and I don't see a way to change it-Command+Option doesn't have the option to change it.


The drive is formatted in APFS.


Can someone tell me how to make this drive accessible? Thanks ever so much, Judy

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 2, 2022 11:17 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 4, 2022 11:57 AM

NO! You want to go into your Documents folder or wherever the file would be located on your boot drive before going into Time Machine. You don't want to go into the TM drive itself before enter TM.

14 replies

Jan 2, 2022 12:50 PM in response to mrstee

mrstee wrote:

I have a couple of screenshots to show what I am seeing when I try to use the drive.... This is what I see.
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/7aa3ea90-502e-4769-a447-d0331c79795e

In the upper right corner of the Finder screen is Enter Time Machine...

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/9bf5299d-033b-4fba-9f1c-b6a8966d097e
I click on that and get into Time Machine BUT Time Machine in the Finder sidebar is grayed out! Therefore I can't access it. Sorry, couldn't do a screenshot of that... That's where I am stuck.

One you "enter Time Machine" you are already in the Time Machine backup. To the right is where you select a date where you want to go in the Backup. You click on the folder/file you want to restore on the date you select. It opens to the last backup

Jan 2, 2022 11:32 AM in response to Old Toad

I have a couple of screenshots to show what I am seeing when I try to use the drive.... This is what I see.


In the upper right corner of the Finder screen is Enter Time Machine...

I click on that and get into Time Machine BUT Time Machine in the Finder sidebar is grayed out! Therefore I can't access it. Sorry, couldn't do a screenshot of that... That's where I am stuck.

Jan 4, 2022 7:05 AM in response to Old Toad

I have tried that and nothing looks like it did before when using Time Machine. I appreciate your help, I really do, Old Toad but I think I will give Apple a call and have them walk me through what I need to do. And thank you, lllaass, for your suggestion. I have done a Restore from Time Machine in the past that was easy-peasy but the backups on this external drive don't look anything like they did before. Stay safe! Judy

Time Machine backup on external drive is Read-Only...

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