For mac users, buying an external hdd already formatted for your system makes getting started much easier. So, we suggest that its better to use a pc to partition an external hard drive for macos and windows. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. In the format partition section, select the file system. Reformatting a hard drive is often done just to erase all of its contents.
Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. Formatting your drive will wipe out all the data in it. All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. First of all, as i said before, reformating will erase all your data that stored on the hard drive permanently. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. 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. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Whether you go the software or hardware route depends on your situation. Ive been using my 500gb wd my book for a couple years as storage for media. Before using an external hard drive on a mac, you should format it using disk utility.
How to format wd external drive for mac apple community. I hope you enjoyed my article on how to make an external hard drive compatible with mac and pc without reformatting. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Here are your macos file system options and how to pick the best one for you. 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. However, you need to make doubly sure that you complete a quick format. If it does not you will need to rightclick and delete the volume first.
How to format an external drive for mac compatibility. If the external hard drive is pre formatted for mac, disk management will list 3 partitions and you will not be able to delete the health efi system partition because its a protected partition. For most reasons to erase, including when reformatting a disk or selling, giving away, or trading in your mac, you should erase your entire disk. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Heres how to format a drive if you are planning to use it with a mac.
This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through. A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. How to reformat an external hard drive for a mac by christopher capelle updated february 9, 2017 most external hard drives are crossplatform, giving them the ability to work on a number of different operating systems. If they are important make sure you have them backed up safely and that they can be accessd on another drives, cds, dvds or memory sticks if they are very small. How to reformat an external hard drive for a mac techwalla. How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014. When your disk become unmountable on mac, you should not go straight to reformat this external hard drive, especially when you have important files on it. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive.
Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. External hard drive compatible with mac and pc without. 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. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Either way there is a solution to having an existing external hard drive for mac and pc. Enter the drive name in the utility window on the left side, and pick it. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. You can use lacie setup assistant to format your lacie hard drive when it is first connected to a computer mac or windows. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Take these measures to ensure that you have enough room to enjoy your data for years to come. For some mac models, the partition option would be greyed out in disk utility.
If you want to transfer files from a mac to windows pc and vice versa using an external portable hard drive then you have to have the external drive formatted in. The videos below demonstrate the complete process of formatting an external hard drive for full mac os x compatibility, this uses the. When formatting a hard drive with disk utility, make sure to select the. Dec 25, 2016 if you want to transfer files from a mac to windows pc and vice versa using an external portable hard drive then you have to have the external drive formatted in a file system both oss can read. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system part 3.
You can only read your elements external hard drive. How to format your hard drive seagate support asean. Please keep in mind that reformatting will result in the loss of. The tutorial and screenshots below are based on macos sierra. How to erase a disk for mac use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. You are ready to go in a few quick measures, so you can transfer your backup data to the hard disk, keep your documents safe so give you peace of mind. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Since formatting an external hard drive will erase all of its files if you wish to save them you must back them up copy. Lacie setup assistant helps you to quickly format the storage device according to your needs. Reformatting is a destructive process, so if you want the drive in a different format such as mac os extended you will need to copy the files off to another location temporarily and then bring them back once the drive is reformatted. You should then a see it mount on the desktop, and b automatically get a prompt to use the drive for time machine if not, you can go into the time machine menu top right of the screen, go to tm preferences, and select it. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. 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. How to reformat to mac without losing files external drives.
Below are some recommended internal hard drive and external hard drives that you might like. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. Also, if your current hard drive is more than 5 years old, it probably is nearing the end of its service life and needs to be replaced. How to fix external hard drive not mounting on mac computer. First, back up the data on the macformatted drive if you have anything important on it. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac.
Here are the steps to partition an external hard drive for mac and windows pc, which is a little tricky. Aborted lacie setup assistant while it was formatting. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Format external hard drive for mac reformat external hard. 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.
So the first step you must do is move all of your important data to your pcmac, or to cloud storage service. If youre erasing an external drive, make sure that its connected. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. This process wont actually convert the file system. Feb 21, 2012 the drive should automatically mount on your mac s desktop if the finder preferences are set to show external drives. Reformatting an external hard drive no, not unless you back them up to another location first. How to reformat an external hard drive without losing your. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it.
Hope this formatreformat a hard drive for mac guide helped. 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. Before you can use it though, you need to properly format or reformat a hard drive so that it will become compatible or readable with the operating system that you are using. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other. Reformatting an external hard drive dell community. Use the exfat file system and never format your external. The drive should automatically mount on your macs desktop if the finder preferences are set to show external drives. It is possible to reformat the drive and keep your files by formatting your drive and then using a data recovery tool to restore your information.
Which mac file system is best for an external drive. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Before you go further, there are some tips that deserve your attention. In such a case, its necessary to reformat wd hard drive to make it compatible with mac operating system. Oct 15, 2015 click on the erase tab, choose your external hard drive and select mac os extended journaled and then click erase then simply drag and drop your data onto your newly formatted disk. For most reasons to erase, including when reformatting a disk or. If the drive is not formatted, you may get a message saying that the drive.
Or if you wish to be able to transfer back and forth pc to mac or mac to pc, select the fat32 format. This stepbystep guide will show you how to format an external hard drive on a mac, and how to partition a drive on a mac. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc. How to format an external drive for mac from ntfs to mac os extended.
Reformatting an external hard drive macrumors forums. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Jan 23, 2020 i hope you enjoyed my article on how to make an external hard drive compatible with mac and pc without reformatting. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device.
How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. 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. Dec 07, 2009 the only limitation to fat32 is that you cant copy files onto your external hard drive that are above 4 gigs. Instead, well just be wiping the drive and starting over from scratch. Since the mac can read the old drive, an external drive formatted mac os extended could be attached as well. Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. This formatting is also known as mac os extended journaled file system. Its fast 540 mbs read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. Reformatting external hard drive without apple community. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. How to write to an external hard drive on mac os x wikihow.
How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10. Format external hard drive for mac reformat external. Please remember that all data will be deleted from the drive, so make sure you have made a backup. I just got a 1tb internal drive and now i want to use the external for my ps3. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. Click on the erase tab, choose your external hard drive and select mac os extended journaled and then click erase then simply drag and drop your data onto your newly formatted disk. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Seagate backup plus desktop user manual optional formatting. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed.
Jan 08, 2020 you can only read your elements external hard drive. Click erase button, the external hard drive will be formatted. Tips for fixing external hard drive not mounting issue. 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. Reformatting a drive on windows is a pretty straightforward process. How to reformat to mac without losing files external. I can find it under device manager and disk management but thats it. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive. So the first step you must do is move all of your important data to your pc mac, or to cloud storage service. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.
Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac. Now either because of time, corruption or because it may have been formatted for a mac when i plug it into my pc i cant access it. But dont forget to back up your important data in the drive into a safe place. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Need to reformat wd hard drive for mac if you connect your wd hard drive without reformatting, youll be unable to copy files to the disk as mac read only supports ntfs file system. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing. Its already in fat32 but would i gain anything performancewise from reformatting it.
How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. How to format an external hard drive on windows formatting a hard drive on windows is a simple affair, especially if you leave everything as default. If you have a mac lying around, you can plug the drive into a mac and back up the files. 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.