Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. When i first bought the external hard disk, a guy at the shop formatted the hard disk as msdos file system using the disk utility. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. As a video editor or digital imaging technician, you will often need to share files with others. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. It also allows the users to remain extra cautious so that the issue is never faced in any case. Buying an external hard drive is one of the best options for adding the storage space to the mac computer system. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. How to format a usb external disk for mac osx using disk. Wd 4tb my passport for mac portable external hard drive.
Wd hdd my passport for mac 20181110 macos mojave 10. I have seen many references to using the disk utitilty and creating a partition in msdos format, but my computer does not have that option. Oct 15, 2015 i just recently bought my 6tb my book studio edittion ii wd hard drive. Oct 12, 2019 easiest way to format 500gb external hdd to fat32 in windows 78 10. Most external hard drives are designed to work for windows computers. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. By default, your mac starts up from its builtin hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains an operating system compatible with your mac. Format your external drive with exfat for both mac and. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Instructions for how to format your external drive so that it will be fully usable in macos. First we will check the basics, and from there we make sure that macos is set up to display external drives, can mount the drive, and that the drive has no errors on either the disk itself or its file structure.
Format my 6tb my book studio edition ii to fat32 external. How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux. You can use lacie setup assistant to format your lacie hard drive when it is first connected to a computer windows or mac. Please guide which format of external hard disk fat32 or ntfs is compatible with my mac. Sep 26, 2018 windows pc and mac use different filesystems. Format external hard drive to ext4 in command line ask ubuntu. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Easiest way to format 500gb external hdd to fat32 in windows 78 10. So i upgraded two of my computers on the day high sierra was released. While drives are sold as plugandplay, formatting prior to use will give you optimal performance and compatibility with your mac.
Lacie setup assistant helps you to quickly format the storage device according to your needs. I am wanting to format all 6tb to fat32 so i am able to use it on my playstation 3, along with my mac and pc. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. If you buy a new external hard drive, you may notice that working between mac and pc is an often difficult but it doesnt need to be. Especially for the new mac users, it seems difficult to find a solution to format local hard drive or external hard drive under mac os. If you want to make use of your mac s thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. For mac users, buying an external hdd already formatted for your system makes getting started much easier. To format external hard drive on mac, all you have to do is plugin your hard drive and launch disk utility. Wd 4tb my passport for mac portable external hard drive, usbcusba wdbp6a0040bbkwese. When youre reformatting a hard drive, windows will ask you what format to use. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. However, with apfs, you shouldnt partition your disk in most cases.
Buying and using an external hd is one thing, getting the most out of it is quite another. Macclean360 is one of the best disk cleaning and management software for mac os. How to format external hard drive on mac wondershare. Best external hard drives for macs in 2020 techradar. Select exfat when formatting an external drive in mac os x sierra. How to format an external hard drive for mac youtube. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. I was able to use the hard disk with both mac and windows. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac.
However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. How to format an external hard drive for mac tech talk america. Set a password for external hard disk without format it. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. To format external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both mac and windows by using the exfat file system.
You can only read your elements external hard drive. But when you want to put documents on the drive, or update any files on the drive your mac says no. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Nov 19, 2015 now that we know the good and bad about every file system, let see how to format a drive in windows, mac, and linux. Plug in your external hdd to the usb port of your computer then go to my computer find your external drive rightclick it and select format. So if you re trying to connect an external hard drive to a mac, you might. It offers more than 9 tools to help you optimize and manage your mac computer. To use my old external hard drive without formatting it, on my new mac. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your mac s usb port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. How to select a different startup disk apple support. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the finder in the lefthand column under devices, since mac s treat them the same way as. This post may contain affiliate links that i earn a small commission from at no cost to you. Feb 02, 2018 how to reformat a disk to fat32 on a mac.
Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Fat32 and ntfs are the most common formats, but whats the difference. Initially external disks may be formatted for windows and after you connect it to your mac it appears in the device list in the finder, but is a read only disk meaning that you cant write to it in its current format. Because mac os x mountain lion does not natively support writing to an external ntfs drive, you must erase your hard disk and format it. Partition a physical disk in disk utility on mac apple. Jan 18, 2020 a common and easy way to format a usb drive to fat32 is to make use of the file explorer. I didnt have enough space on the mac mini, so i copied some of my movies to a fat32 formatted external hard drive to free up some space. Your mac can see and read your ntfs elements drive. Get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. You can select the exfat format when using the disk.
Easeus partition software is a popular disk partition management tool that is available for all hard disk related jobs such as format disk partition, extend system partition, settle low disk space problem, convert mbr to gpt without data loss and vice versa. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Seagate portable 2tb external hard drive portable hdd usb 3. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. No worry, actually it is not impossible to realize it no matter you use an external or internal drive of your windows system. Wdeasystore external hard drive set up guide for mac 2019. Nov, 2019 format hard drive in windows 10 with easeus management software. A few weeks ago, i formatted my 60gb startup disk and reinstalled my mac os. Instead, create multiple apfs volumes within a single partition. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex. In this article, we will introduce some mac disk formatting software tools to help mac users easily and securely format hard drive, usb flash drive, memory card or other device under mac os. Follow the windows 10 fat32 format tutorial to format hdd to fat32 or format external hard drive to fat32 in windows 10.
Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. In this post, youll learn how to format an external drive to a mac compatible file system and recover files from a reformatted hard drive. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Mac os x and windows can both read and write to disks in the fat or exfat format. As the internal storage is not much, i am thinking if buying an external hard disk. Initially external disks may be formatted for windows and after you connect it to your mac it appears in the device list in the finder, but is a read only. The following is based on the latest version of macos.
Typically youll get more capacity for the price with desktop external hard drives for mac, which you can store on computer desks. Eventually you will find out that you may not be working. Gebruik schijfhulpprogramma om een harde schijf, ssd, usbstick of ander opslagapparaat te wissen formatteren. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. This will work in all modern versions of apple mac osx including 10. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Since formatting an external hard drive will erase all of its files if you wish to save them you must back them up copy. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. For instance, is the hard drive internal or external. It is the fastest way to format an external hard drivedevice under mac os. This article illustrates the easiest way on how to format 500gb seagatewd passport external usb hard drive or internal hdd to fat32 in windows 1087. I am trying to reformat a 500 gb usb hdd to one fat32 partition so that i can use it on a mac and a pc.
While its convenient to purchase the hard drive that will work with your computer right out of the box, most external hard drives can also be reformatted so youre not limited to your initial choice. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Use these steps to format external hard drives for both operating systems. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. A vast majority of video production will be done on a mac or windows operating system, so we arent going to cover linux. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. I have tried formating the drive with wd drive manager on my mac. So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both windows and mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with windows pc and mac. Wd 3tb elements portable external hard drive usb 3. External hard drive not showing up on mac what to do. Using an external hard drive on mac without formatting. These steps can be used for both internal and external drives. The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as fat32.
Any hard drive can be formatted for mac and here is how you do it. Mar 10, 2020 1 why to format external hard drive for mac as it has been discussed there are numerous issues that are associated with the formatting of an external hard drive. I backed up all my files into the external hard disk. Format wd elements hard drive without additional software on mac. For example, if you install macos on an internal or external drive, your mac can recognise that drive as a startup disk. Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Format external hard drive to ext4 in command line duplicate. You can apply the thirdparty solution to format fat32 in windows 10 even when there is no fat32 option in windows 10 explorer or disk management. The disk manager tool is able to list all hard drives and external devices on your mac. How to format usb drive external hard drive on macos catalina. Once you have an otg supported device along with an otg cable, you are almost ready to connect your external hard disk to your phone or tablet.
Apr 23, 2014 its a good idea to backup your data for your mac using time machine. Many people think it is hard to format the windows drive on macintosh. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac. Format usb drive, external hard drive on macos catalina. A portable drive draws power from your computer, so you wont need a power outlet, plus. Mar, 2020 follow the windows 10 fat32 format tutorial to format hdd to fat32 or format external hard drive to fat32 in windows 10. How to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. Formatting a disk using windows maxes out the partition at 32gb, but not if the formatting is done using mac os x. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. Usb drives and external hard drives on macos catalina are used for storing and backing up important data such as photos, videos, audios, images, notes, messages, music.
Jul 28, 20 this will work in all modern versions of apple mac osx including 10. Then, today, i upgrade a third computer to high sierra. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. How to format a hard drive using the command prompt toms. Format your external drive with exfat for both mac and windows use. This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through. How to format an external drive for mac compatibility. Launch the file explorer and from it find the usb drive. Oct 05, 2008 i am trying to reformat a 500 gb usb hdd to one fat32 partition so that i can use it on a mac and a pc. Partitioning a disk divides it into individual sections, each of which acts as a separate volume. Is there any powerful program in mac to check the health status mainly bad sectors of an external usb hard disk, and to recover them. Youll find desktop and portable external hard drives. Aborted lacie setup assistant while it was formatting. Reformatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting.
Heres how to format a drive if you are planning to use it with a mac. Download disk formatting software for mac doyourdata. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives. Connect the usb drive or the desired external hard drive to the windows 10 computer. Video editors will often find that they need to share files between a pc and a mac.
Looking to share an external hard drive between a mac and pc. Access external hard drive on android using usb otg. Easiest way to format 500gb external hdd to fat32 in windows. However when i format it to fat32 using wd drive manager on my mac it only formats about 2tb. Dec 10, 2018 if that doesnt work, we have a couple of simple troubleshooting tips to fix an external hard drive not showing up on mac. You can then follow the steps in this article to start up. We here will show you the full guides on how to format fat32 and ntfs drives on mac as an example. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. This section of the tutorial deals with each and every one of them in great detail. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc.
If you need to format external hard drive mac or windows, you may also consider the exfat files system. Transferring data from a mac to pc via an external hard drive. Developed by microsoft, this modern file system is optimized for situations where the ntfs file system is not a feasible solution, and the file size limit of the standard fat32 file system is unacceptable. Which external hard disk format fat32 or apple community. That said, if you are using both a pc and mac in the workflow, youll need to use a different format. By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. For users who have otg support on their devices, the following section will guide you to mount and access external hard drive on android devices. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. While you have bought this drive, you will find the drive already formatted for your mac or windows system. This is because when you initially connect an external hdd made for mac to a mac computer, you wont be required to format it before you begin transferring files.
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