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. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives. As the default file system in windows, it can only read by mac os, writing to it is not available. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Typically, an external hard drive that works on a windows pc uses an ntfs file system.
Connect the empty external hd to your mac and launch disk utility. Select the drive from the left sidebar, then click the partition tab. 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. People might need to format a hard drive or an external hard drive in windows 10 for various reasons.
This is one of the most widely recognized file system formats. How to convert mac only external hdd to windows compatible. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on. Open the start menu and search for disk management. How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac.
Usb drives and external hard drives use the windows fat32 to format for compatibility. Easily format external hard drive on windows or mac. However, it is not possible to format hard drive to exfat, the only option under the window of format file system is ntfs default. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format.
How to format internal and or external drive to work properly on mac and windows computers. A drive can be formatted with exfat using either a windows or a mac computer. Now that we know the good and bad about every file system, let see how to format a drive in windows, mac, and linux. However, fat32 has a maximum 4gb file size limit whereas exfat can work with. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. The below steps for formatting external drive is for windows 10 and also works the same with an old version of windows. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac.
Whether you are trying to backup mac to an external hard drive, wipe out any personal information and sell the computer, or even use a new operating system, you need to format the hard drive on your mac or pc. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. Format external hard drive with windows builtin tool. To format your ps4s external hard disk to a different file system, all you need to do is plug your drive into your computer windows pc, mac and perform the formatting through the operating systems disk utility.
Connect the external hard drive to your mac and copy the important data to the mac pc. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Mac can read all the file system formats including windows msdos, fat, fat32. How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux. Mar 15, 2018 rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Once you have done with formatting, your external hard drive will be able to write and read files from both a pc and mac. You can format external hard drive or other external drives with exfat or fat32 file system for mac and windows, so that both mac and windows computer can read and write it. Luckily, there are thirdparty tools to help you do so. The resulting fat32 file system will be compatible with all versions of mac os x, and windows including windows 10 back to 95. So if your external hard drive already has important files on it, make sure to back them up before proceeding. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive.
Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc. Though the default hard disk file system also known as format of windows and mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external drive for both mac and pc. Jan 17, 2019 starting clean how to format new hard drive on windows 10 formatting is an essential task before starting to use a new drive, and in this guide, well show you how to do it on windows 10. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x doesnt allow us to write files to the drive neither edit files, though it can read. Sometimes, you may want to try format directly to format your external hard drive partition to exfat for mac and windows. How to format a hard drive for mac internal, external or flash. Starting clean how to format new hard drive on windows 10 formatting is an essential task before starting to use a new drive, and in this guide, well show you how to do it on windows 10. How to use toshiba external hard drive on mac solved. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. From all above, you can have a general idea of fat32 and exfat file system. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc.
For instance, users want to write data to and read data from, to do a clean installation of the windows system, to get rid of a virus or malware, to erase the data before giving the drive to someone else or throwing it away, or some other reasons. Make sure your external hard drive is attached and mounted to. How to convert mac hard drive to windows without losing data. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex. External data storage devices such as usb flash drives, external hard disk drives hdds, and solid state drives ssds provide one of the easiest ways to transfer files between separate computers without accessing the internet. How to format an external hard drive on windows 10. Now connect the external hard drive to windows 8 computer and format it in fat32 file system. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. Whether it is a hard drive or usb or internal drive, mac uses different format support. You can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it.
So, you cant simply use the same drive with both windows and mac. Seagate backup plus slim, especially for largecapacity removable storage devices. Apr 14, 2020 why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. Before digging in, select a primary format youll use the most. The faster ssd drives on a mac may well use an apfs file system. Connect your external hard drive to a windows computer. To put it simply, if you want to share external hard drive between mac and pc, you need to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. 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. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Rightclick on it and select the format option from the context menu. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and.
How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. Jun 30, 2018 you will learn how to format the external hard disk which has deafult ntfs format, to make it compatible with mac os. Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side.
How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it.
How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Format external hard disk drive for mac os and windows. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. To format your external drive hard drive in windows which works with both platforms, first plugin your drive with windows machine. May 09, 2019 the best external hard drives for mac in 2020. I have purchased a 1tb portable external seagate hard drive and i would like to use it with both my mac and windows computer.
The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Buying and using an external hd is one thing, getting the most out of it is quite another. If you see the drive is ntfs then youll either need to reformat the drive or use a ntfs driver. Rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x doesnt allow us to write files to the drive neither edit files, though it can read a ntfs drive.
Macos extended if you primarily use mac with a secondary exfat partition, or. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. How to format external hard drive on windows or mac. 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. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive.
Partitioning your external hard drive will enable you to perform tasks in one section without affecting the rest of the drive. In order to regain the full storage of external hard drive or wipe all sensitive data before sellingdonatingthrowing giveaway old external hard drive, we should format the external hard drive to clean up all data. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Some hard drives may also include drivers, firmware, or format wizards so be sure to check the user manual before formatting the hard drive. To access the disk management tool, click the windows icon and type disk management. Continue below to format an external hard drive or learn more about disk management. The maximum individual file size for exfat is 16 eb. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. 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.
The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. Why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. Sep 26, 2018 sometimes, you may want to try format directly to format your external hard drive partition to exfat for mac and windows.
The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. Jan 23, 2020 typically, an external hard drive that works on a windows pc uses an ntfs file system. After reading this post, youll know what is the best file system for your cameras sd card and what is the best format for your mac and pc. In this video i help you guys convert your mac only external hdd into a windows compatible one. To format external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. Now you would be able to use the external hard disk on both the computers. Give the drive a descriptive name and leave the default settings. How to format an external hard drive for windows 10. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. How to format a hard drive for mac internal, external or. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Oct 16, 2019 the best format for external hard drives.
How to convert mac hard drive to windows without losing. How to format an external hard drive on windows 10 sweetwater. External hard drive compatible with mac and pc without. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. To start, your first step will be to find disk utility. Both operating systems use different formats for reading and writing to a. Feb 08, 2020 so, you just bought a new external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. So, you just bought a new external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. I know mac operating system doesnt fully supports ntfs formatted drive. With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. How to format seagate drive for mac and pc quickly and. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac.
How to format new hard drive on windows 10 windows central. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. Mac os x uses the hfs plus file system, while windows uses the ntfs file. Plug in the external hard drive into the system and open windows explorer by clicking on the computer section in.
Format your external drive with exfat for both mac and. With disk utility open, locate the hard drive you want to partition and select partition. But to get a hard drive to be compatible for both mac and pc, you have to choose the. We can format external hard drive as fat32, exfat or ntfs. Some people are asking for a way to format a hard drive for mac. The easiest way to do that is hit cmd and the spacebar at. How to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc. If your external hard drive is working, your computer will. Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start.
Right click on your toshiba external hard drive icon and pick get info from the menu. Mar 22, 2012 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. Lacie rugged mini 4tb external hard drive portable hdd usb 3. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Thats all because its been initialized with windows nt file system ntfs, which is primarily for pcs. In the disk management, youll see your external hard drive as partition or.
As a result, you will need to format the hard drive for mac. If you want to know how to format a hard drive for. Next, under the partition layout column, specify the number of partitions you want. From what i understand, windows doesnt always like the way macs do the formatting on some larger drives, though, so give it a try and if your windows machines dont like it, just format the drive with windows. Keep in mind that you can only format storage devices that are currently not in use. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b.
If you have both windows and mac computers in your office, its important to understand their different storage requirements before buying an external hard drive. It is time to learn how to format your external hard drive or other external drives to a common file system for mac and windows. New apple devices will be formatted with apfs while old mac drives can use the hfs file system. Two methods to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc. If the hard drive you want to format is connected to your pc, it should be there. Formatting your drive will erase all the existing files on it. Please keep in mind that reformatting will result in the loss of all the data on the hard drive so make sure you back up your data elsewhere before starting. First and foremost, you need to decide which file system to use. Buying an external hard drive is one of the best options for adding the storage space to the mac computer system. Dec 22, 2019 how to format external hard drive mac. While you have bought this drive, you will find the drive already formatted for your mac or windows system. Your first step to using your toshiba external drive on your mac is to plug your toshiba drive in.
Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Connect your external hard drive to your windows 10 pc. If you need to expand your storage space with an external hard drive and you use both mac and pc, youll likely run into a few obstacles. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac.
Dec 02, 2019 usb drives and external hard drives use the windows fat32 to format for compatibility. Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdoc is the formatting option for pc. That said, if you are using smaller file sizes fat32 can suffice. 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. Using the mac preferred file system is important otherwise the files will be of no use to you. To format a hard drive for windows, open the file explorer and click on this pc. The best news is that most devices included mac computers can read and write from fat32 devices.
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