How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Trouble formatting external hard drive macrumors forums. I am formatting an external hdd, and it asks me for the scheme. Most external hard drives are formatted to the fat32 file system by the manufacturer. Mar 31, 2020 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. If youre erasing an external drive, make sure that its connected directly to your mac using a. Aug 14, 2011 how to partition, format external hard drive on mac for mac and windows, how to set up time machine duration.
If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other. Click erase to begin erasing your disk and every container and volume within it. If you purchase an external hard drive as an addition to expand the storage space of your computer, most likely you would need to format it. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Accessing mac formatted wd hard drive from pc external.
Sep 19, 2014 not 100% sure but i think the issue relates to os x handling of attached storage, be it hdd or thumb drive. When trying to save large files in final cut pro, the hard drive would save numerous files with none over 2gb in size. Step 2 on the left side of the utilities screen, find the name of the external hard drive you want to format and select it. To format an external storage device, connect it to one of the ports on your mac. Thus, we have presented you with a number of options to format external hard drive in mac computer. How can i format an external hard drive to be used with time.
What formats should i choose in disk utility to make this disc compatible with both mac and windows. How to format your external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac. I know to get an external drive to work with formatting on a mac i had to change it from guid to master boot record. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. If the drive is internal, it should already show up in. The previous defunct hd was also fat32, which i did not realize upon receiving and using. Dec 29, 2015 the instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. If the drive still needs formatting disk management will show it as unallocated, in which case you right click on the external drive to format it.
Now connect the external hard drive to windows 8 computer and format it in fat32 file system. The instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. Best mac external hard drive in 2020 mac external hard. Regardless of brand or model, the very first thing that you must do when you buy a brand new external hard drive is to format it properly for your system.
When you connect a new drive to your mac, you may need to format it. Likewise, the mac os x operating system can read from, but cannot write to, an external drive that has been formatted for a pc using the ntfs file system without additional software. If your machine is still useable and can boot to mac os, you can create a bootable usb drive out of the image using the links from below and then proceed with the install from the drive. Master boot record may only work for partition under 2. Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. Now have a look at formatting an external hard drive for mac. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. For some mac models, the partition option would be greyed out in disk utility. In many cases, we learn that the native format of external drives that work. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac.
Choosing disk format type while formatting external drive. External hard drive format for mac and windows macrumors forums. For pc and mac compatibility, select exfat format and master boot record scheme. Of course, if you have a backup already, ignore this step. Select external hard drive, click on erase to format the external hard drive. How to format an external hard drive focus photo school. External hard drives are handy tools in storing files, data and documents.
How to format an external hard drive for mac youtube. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. I rarely have files over 2gb and my mac is running on snow leopard. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. In case you cant boot to mac you can still take help from a friend who has a mac with the procedure.
Enter a name, select the format and scheme, and click erase. How to manage disks and volumes with os xs disk utility the. Erasing a disk and choosing a scheme in disk utility. Unformat mac hard drive recover formatted hard drive on mac. I have a back up of all my data i know it erases data when reformatting. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Turn the drive on, and make sure it appears in the finder. Step 1 connect the external hard drive you want to format to your mac, then start the disk utility app that you can find under applications utilities. Oct 15, 2015 hi, i am trying to access my wd hard drive which i have been using on my mac from my pc. Best format for an external hard disk apple community. Here are the steps to partition an external hard drive for mac and windows pc, which is a little tricky.
Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Securely format external hard drive on windows and mac with super eraser. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. If you want to use a different file system on your usb drive, youll need to format it. The higher a disks rpm, the faster its working speed. Sep 03, 2011 i need to reformated my wd 1tb external hard drive and was wondering what is the best file format to use ms dos fat32, mac os extended journalled etc all i store on it are all my videos, tv shows, and backups of all my work, documents etc, but i dont use it with time machine. It is a quick way to format external hard drive on mac. Mac hard drives typically spin at rates of 5,400 to 7,200 rpm. You can also open a finder window, select applications in the sidebar, and head to utilities disk utility. Nov 25, 2015 however, if you want to use this hard drive on both mac and windows or any other operating system, then there are other workarounds. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives.
How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014. You can choose whatever name you want, and you should choose guid partition map for the. You need to eject a disk from the mac it is being used on before attaching it to another mac or pc it is not at all like how windows handles external storage ie youre not supposed to just unplug a usb drive but pretty much everyone does so without suffering any grief. Apr 04, 2015 or you just want to use an external hard drive on your mac exclusively this is how youll format it so that the mac can read it. Connect the external hard drive to your mac and copy the important data to the mac pc. You probably have to use disk utility and the partition tab to do so, but it should work.
How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. This small compact ssd drive from samsung comes with both a usbc to usbc cable and a usbc to usba, meaning its perfect to use with your macbook or mac. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Whether youre selling your computer, trying a new operating system, or setting up an external drive for backups, sometimes you need to completely erase and format a hard drive. Now you would be able to use the external hard disk on both the computers. Go to open disk utility, which is located under applications in the finder menu. Disk utility showing guid option for drive format click erase to wipe all the data thats currently on the drive and reformat it for your macos install. Jan 09, 2020 if you need to format external hard drive mac or windows, you may also consider the exfat files system. Yes, connecting an external hard drive or usb flash key to a mac will generally read and work fine as is because the mac can easily read other filesystem formats, including windows msdos, fat, fat32, exfat, and ntfs formats, but unless you intend on using the drive between a windows and mac machine, formatting it to be entirely mac compatible filesystem is highly recommended, and necessary for time machine and to make disks bootable.
The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. Hi, i am using an imac with the latest version of operating system. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Choose 1 partition from the volume scheme and then click on options. The quickest way to do this is a simple spotlight search. To format a driveon a mac, youll need the builtin disk utility application.
This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the mac you plug the drive into. You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. Traditional hard disks are the most common options of external drives for mac, but you can also use them as laptop internal hard drives. Click the erase button when youre done and disk utility will format your disk with the. Just transfer all useful files out from the external hard drive to other devices on mac. Go to finder application utilities double click for disk utility select the external hard disk you wish to format at the left column click on the erase tab at the volume format select msdos file system if you confirm to format your hard disk for mac and windows, click on erase button. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. 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. Its fast 540 mbs read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can. There are various reasons why you might need to format external hard drives. Again, formatting a drive will erase it completely, so make sure you have everything backed up that you want to keep.
Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin. I want to convert the hard drive s format so that its compatible with mac. Best mac external hard drive we spent over 30 hours researching and testing 20 different external hard drives and found that hdd capacity, warranty, and backup speed were most important. I usually use a firewire that connects into the hard drive in two places. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. I dont want to download any 3rd party side to run it. If you have a usb flash drive inserted in your mac, you can see it under the external in the disk utility. Te lights are on on the wd and i can unmount it, but cannot find it anywhere where i can access and copy files over. The western digital external hard drive scored high marks in every category and is our top pick. Format you can prefer mac os extended or apfs file system scheme find guid partition map and hit the button erase.
How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Scheme when erasing or formatting a hdd on mac osx. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac. Easily format external hard drive on windows or mac. Jul, 20 for mac owners, one of the most annoyinginconvenient aspects of owning a mac is the external drive compatibility. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. Format your external hard drive for mac and use any drive in 2019.
In that case, choose master boot record for the scheme. Now, you may check the hard drive to know whether the process has formatted it. I received a replacement 750gb external hard drive from western digital. I have bought an external hard drive for my mac and plan to copy dvd on mac with dvd ripper for mac and then save the dvd copies to my mac external hard drive for easier dvd movies access and playback. So, we suggest that its better to use a pc to partition an external hard drive for macos and windows. Trying to access from pc via usb cable with only one access point in wd hard drive, but it doesnt show up on the pc. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. Open the disk utility and select the external drive. Choice of scheme when formatting usb flash drive in macos ask. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. How to format an external drive to work with mac from ntfs to mac os extended. To use your external hard drive to backup your mac. May 08, 2010 i bought a new 1tb external hard drive.
How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. Format external drive for backup of ps4 data, from a mac. So the first thing you want to do is connect the external hard. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. To format a drive on a mac, youll need the builtin disk utility application. The formatted files erased by disk utility also can be recovered by free mac data recovery software. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. How can i reformat the internal drive and install mountain.
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