Temporarily disable your third-party antivirus (e.g., Avast, McAfee, Bitdefender).
Windows and macOS use different file systems (NTFS/FAT32 vs. APFS/HFS+). When you plug a Mac-formatted drive into Windows, the OS gets confused. It may try to "fix" the drive or repeatedly prompt you to format it, which keeps the drive "busy" and prevents TransMac from gaining exclusive access. If these steps didn't work, tell me: What are you using? Are you using a USB 2.0 or 3.0 drive? Did you get a specific error code ?
If these issues become a persistent headache, you might want to try different software for accessing Mac drives on Windows. Several excellent alternatives are available: Transmac Drive Has Been Locked By Another Program
: Alternatively, add TransMac.exe to the Windows Security Exclusions list to allow it to operate without disabling global protection. 3. Clear the Drive with Diskpart
A1: Many applications run background processes that you might not see. For example, your antivirus might be scanning the drive, Windows Search might be indexing it, or a program like Adobe Creative Cloud may have a background process using it. The "Clean Boot" method is perfect for identifying these hidden processes. Temporarily disable your third-party antivirus (e
Right-click the on your desktop or start menu. Select Run as administrator . Try to format or write to your drive again. 2. Close All File Explorer Windows
| Software | Key Features | | :--- | :--- | | | Provides full read/write access to HFS+ volumes directly in Windows Explorer. It integrates at a driver level, making it very seamless. | | MacDrive | A long-standing alternative that allows Windows to read, write, and manage Mac disks (HFS+, APFS) and provides access in File Explorer. | | HFSExplorer | A completely free, open-source tool for reading (and some writing) HFS+ drives. It's a good lightweight option. | | Win32DiskImager | A lightweight tool specifically for writing images (like DMG files) to USB drives. It's often used as a simpler alternative for creating bootable drives. | | Rufus | A very popular Windows tool for creating bootable USB drives. While it doesn't support DMG files natively, it's excellent for working with ISO images. | When you plug a Mac-formatted drive into Windows,
In the bottom-right corner of the taskbar, click "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media".
Note: After TransMac is done, go back to Disk Management and set the drive back to . 4. Clean the Disk via Diskpart (Command Prompt)