How to copy files from Mac to USB

The main cause of this problem is that macOS can only read files formatted as NTFS, but cannot write files to NTFS drives. Therefore, if your USB drive is NTFS format, the copy and paste process cannot be performed. Therefore, the USB drive needs to be FAT or ExFAT format. However, ExFAT is more stable.

Steps to change USB drive format:

Open Finder in your system, then choose Applications> Utilities> Disk Utility

How to copy files from Mac to USB Picture 1

Select the USB drive on the left side.

How to copy files from Mac to USB Picture 2

Then click the Erase button in the top right corner of the screen. Select ExFAT in the format drop-down list and start reformatting the drive.

How to copy files from Mac to USB Picture 3

After the drive format is complete, you can copy files from macOS to USB normally.

How to copy files from macOS to a USB drive using the command line

Open a Terminal window and run the following command:

cp -R Documents /usb

-R will copy all the subfolders in the Documents folder to the USB external hard drive.

However the above command may give an error message like:

usb/Pics: No such file or directory.

This is because the USB external hard drive is mounted in the / Volumes folder, so you should add the / Volumes directory before the name of the USB disk when you run the cp command.

cp -R Documents /Volumes/usb-name
3.8 ★ | 14 Vote

May be interested

  • How to use Finder on Mac for beginnersPhoto of How to use Finder on Mac for beginners
    the finder in macos is the gateway to all mac apps, files, and downloads. everything from the folders in dropbox to the desktop background can be found in the finder.
  • Tricks for using Finder on Mac more effectivelyPhoto of Tricks for using Finder on Mac more effectively
    finder is the core of mac system, always present on the desktop, helping you find and organize documents, media, folders and other file types. it has a smiley face (the happy mac logo) in the dock and the finder menu is also present on the top menu bar.
  • How to completely remove Adobe Flash on a MacPhoto of How to completely remove Adobe Flash on a Mac
    with support officially over, adobe 'sincerely' recommends that users remove flash from their computers. in the article below, tipsmake will guide you how to completely remove adobe flash on a mac.
  • How to create Hackintosh USB with Clover BootloaderPhoto of How to create Hackintosh USB with Clover Bootloader
    how to create a hackintosh usb install with clover bootloader to install mcos on a windows pc and laptop. instructions for creating the most standard and easy to understand hackintosh installer
  • Should I turn off my Mac after each use?Photo of Should I turn off my Mac after each use?
    apple designed macos and mac to work very well in terms of performance and power usage. in this regard, users usually have three options after finishing a session on the computer: leave the device open, put the device in sleep mode or shut down the computer completely.
  • Instructions on how to check the configuration of a Macbook computerPhoto of Instructions on how to check the configuration of a Macbook computer
    the configuration of the computer, laptop provides useful information related to the device you are using. so if you are using a macbook but still do not know how to check the configuration of this computer, what to do?