I need to format an SD card, but when I try, I get a "The calling process or user lacks the proper privileges to perform this operation" message. When I click on permissions, I get a "you have custom access" message with no option to change it. Any clues how to reformat it?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 15.2
Does the SD Card have a physical switch to lock it to read only mode?
Otherwise, you need to erase the whole physical drive by using the directions in the following Apple article:
Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
How do you use this SD Card?
Do you use it with any other devices? If so, which ones.
What is the exact make & model of this SD card and the current partition type & file system used on it?
What is the exact model of your Mac and version of macOS being used? You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".
Edit: Thinking about it a bit more, I think you should run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.
How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community
Are you using an admin account when attempting to erase the SD Card? Make sure to confirm it is still an admin user account by checking the "Users & Groups" System Settings.
Does the SD Card have a physical switch to lock it to read only mode?
Otherwise, you need to erase the whole physical drive by using the directions in the following Apple article:
Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
How do you use this SD Card?
Do you use it with any other devices? If so, which ones.
What is the exact make & model of this SD card and the current partition type & file system used on it?
What is the exact model of your Mac and version of macOS being used? You can get this information by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac".
Edit: Thinking about it a bit more, I think you should run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues.
How to use the Add Text Feature When Posting an EtreCheck Report - Apple Community
Are you using an admin account when attempting to erase the SD Card? Make sure to confirm it is still an admin user account by checking the "Users & Groups" System Settings.
I ran into this and finally figured it out. I had to go into System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files & Folders and add the Disk Utility application. I also had to quit and reopen Disk Utility. This gave the app permission to read external volumes.
For anyone struggling with this, adding Disk Utility to the "System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access" list seems to solve this permissions issue.
I had this problem too, and this is how I fixed it. Besides what the other have said about granting the Disk Utility application Full Disk Access, I also had to grant the Finder application Full Disk Access. This fixed the problem of not being able to re-format my SD card directly from the Finder app > Right click menu.
I also had trouble doing this, so I added Disk Utility & Finder apps to the Full Disk Access list instead.
How did you add Disk Utility to the "Files & Folders" list?
On macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, I don't see any way to add new apps, only remove existing apps.
Incorrect permissions to format an SD card
