Trying to format USB, getting Error: -69877: Couldn't open device


My MacBook is a 2019 13 inch running macOS Sequoia 15.1.1


I have a USB I've been using daily to send files between my phone/MacBook and my work PC, totally forgot to format it. After about a few months, I was unable to open it on all 3 devices--something about it not being recognized.


My PC recognized it at first and said there were some corrupted files which I deleted. Still didn't fix the issue, I couldn't add files into the USB.


I tried to reformat it on the PC (didn't work), and my MacBook (also didn't work). I've tried to erase it through DiskUtility and terminal, neither worked. I've reset the SMC as well. I've literally tried everything I could find online, short of taking it to an Apple Store (not accessible in the country I'm in at the moment)


Each time I try to erase the USB, I get this error message: Error: -69877: Couldn't open device

I also never named the USB, it shows up as "NO NAME" but on terminal the name is just a blank space. After trying to format the USB on my PC, the name in DiskUtility changed to VendorCo ProductCode Media.



When trying to erase the USB in DiskUtility, I get this error message again:



MacBook Pro 13″

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 1:13 AM

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Trying to format USB, getting Error: -69877: Couldn't open device

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