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How do I change permissions on my SD Card?

I have a Sandisk micro sd with the adapter. I use this SD for my GoPro, and I have for a while. Today, though, when I wanted to delete some pictures from the card, it didn't let me. I checked and the permissions said that I can read only. This has never happened before, and I didn't change anything to provoke it. It's formated to FAT32, so it should be writable by mac. I tried to reformat it, and erase it using disk utility by all the options are greyed out. In this state, it is still readable and writable by my GoPro, though. I have tried inserting it many times, and once, it did let me write. I formated it to Mac OS Extended, and it worked. When I put it into my GoPro, it didn't read the card though, and it displayed an error message. I used the camera to format the card, and it worked. When I put it back into my mac, it didn't let me write again, and it turns out to be reformated to FAT32. I really don't know what else to do at this point, so I am welcoming any suggestions.

Thanks.

OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Mar 13, 2014 5:22 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 14, 2014 6:29 AM

Ensure that the physical lock is open. Some of the SD cards have a physical tang or tab that can be chaned from lock/unlock. Yours may have been inadvertently moved. Can the camera read/write to it?

8 replies

Mar 14, 2014 8:12 AM in response to mmdt123

If the card is not write-locked and is working with other devices, see below.


The card reader is apparently stuck in write-locked mode. I don't generally advise do-it-yourself hardware repair, but one ASC member managed to fix this problem. I haven't tried the fix myself and I can't offer any guidance beyond what's in that discussion. If you cause damage, don't expect your warranty to cover it. I suggest you instead make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store.

Mar 13, 2014 7:17 PM in response to mmdt123

Drag and drop to trash can. if this doesn't work right click the file to select it and then choose file get info. At the bottom is an option for permissions. click the privilege and make sure it says read & write. If you can't do that, click the little lock on the bottom right, enter your password and try to change your permission to read/write. Once it says read and write, then it should delete.

Oct 31, 2016 5:44 PM in response to Linc Davis

This advice helped big time. If you do go to "fix this problem" it is going to tell you about a mechanical switch that senses whether or not the SD card is in the lock position. Basically, that switch sometimes gets stuck. Before taking your imac apart, try wiggling the card...I did and after a full afternoon of frustration, voila, my card with "read" and "write".

Hope this helps.

How do I change permissions on my SD Card?

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