It is the reliable disk formatting tool for windows mac. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. While the program loads, it will scan the disks attached to the system and present a list. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. How to format new hard drive on windows 10 windows central. In this article, we will introduce 5 disk formatting tools for windows and mac to help you securely format hard drive usb flash drive or memory card on a pc or a mac. 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 wipe a hard drive in windows 10 and macos techradar. How to format a hard drive on windows or mac avast. The below steps for formatting external drive is for windows 10 and also works the same with an old version of windows. With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.
Therefore, it is necessary to present a tutorial guide here to format or partition a hard drive within mac. 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. If you already have a drive thats formatted in fat, you can still convert it without losing data. 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. 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. The best format for external hard drives if you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. Apr 29, 2020 follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both mac and windows pc. The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. Give your settings a final lookover and click apply. 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.
Open disk utility go to the applications folder and then to another folder, known as utilities. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. Now you will need to select the disk you wish to format. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdos is the formatting option for pc. Now, click on the top partition, name it windows, and change its format to msdos. Before starting the formatting hard drive in mac, you have to connect your mac system to external hard drive. The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as fat32. To format your external drive hard drive in windows which works with both platforms, first plugin your drive with windows machine. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. Plug in the external hard drive into the system and open windows explorer by clicking on the computer section in the side bar, you will see your external hard drive get attached to your system. Apple mac machines support a different file system. How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux.
This means its the format of choice for system drives on windows computers. How to format new or second hard drive on windows 10mac. To format the primary drive the hard disk where the operating system resides you need to boot into the setup program on windows 7 or windows 10 and use it to format your drive. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc.
Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. The process for wiping a drive in macos is no harder than windows, though it will be slightly different depending on the type of drive you plan to. Both mac os x and windows also support the fat32 file. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. But to get a hard drive to be compatible with both mac and pc. Then your hard drivemac computerdevice is able to reuse, resold, recycled or can be safely donated or lent to other people. Rather than use a mac formatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. Therefore, it is necessary to present a tutorial guide here to format or partition a hard drive within mac os. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two environments. Make sure your external hard drive is attached and mounted to. Feb 08, 2020 so, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. Formatting a hard drive can change the file system to make it compatible with your computers operating system, as well as fix any nonphysical errors on the drive itself. Both operating systems use different formats for reading and writing to a hard drive.
How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. Format is the process of preparing a partition for data storage by deleting all the data on it and set up a file system for the drive. However, if you need to use the drive beyond the confines of the modern windows ecosystem, its better to go with exfat instead. So if your external hard drive already has important files on it, make sure to back them up before proceeding.
Either way there is a solution to having an existing external hard drive for mac and pc. While you have bought this drive, you will find the drive already formatted for your mac or windows system. Thats all because its been initialized with windows nt file system ntfs, which is primarily for pcs. How to use toshiba external hard drive on mac solved. Video editors will often find they need to share files between a pc and a mac. 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. Disk utility is a smart hard drive format tool built in mac. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Now that we know the good and bad about every file system, let see how to format a drive in windows, mac, and linux. Sep 26, 2018 windows pc and mac use different filesystems. Formatting your drive will erase all the existing files on it. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac.
How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. Alternatively, you can install an application like paragon paid or the opensource tuxera free on your mac to enable ntfs. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. However, to use it on windows you can hfs explorer read only. However, you have to reformat the drive to make it functional with your mac computer. How to format a new or second hard drive on mac mac is obviously a very much different operating system from windows, let alone their features and steps to format a hard drive. Jan 23, 2020 i hope you enjoyed my article on how to make an external hard drive compatible with mac and pc without reformatting. How to format your hard drive seagate support canada. Jan 17, 2019 rightclick the new hard drive and select the format option. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. Use the file system dropdown menu, and select ntfs recommended.
The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Partition a hard drive for macos time machine and windows. Buying an external hard drive is one of the best options for adding the storage space to the mac computer system. Mar 31, 2020 how to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Of course, if you have a backup already, ignore this step.
If your external hard drive is working, your computer will. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Paragon disk wipe allows you to create a bootable usbflash drive or external hard drive that will help you to completely erase a whole hard disk, a separate partition or just clean free space. Open disk management, the hard drive manager included with all versions of windows.
Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on. To format a hard drive means to erase any information on the drive and to set up a file system so your operating system can read data from, and write data to, the drive. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. How to format hard drive for mac and pc on windows. Typically, an external hard drive that works on a windows pc uses an ntfs file system. Therefore, if youre like most of us and you want to get the most out of your external hard drive.
Because fat32 supports only up to 4 gb large files, it should be used only with flash drives. This works with any hard drive, flash drive, ssd, usb drive, or just about any other. Open file explorer and locate your drive in the sidebar. Format external hard drive with windows builtin tool. This will open a dedicated window for various disks on your system. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. If it does not you will need to rightclick and delete the volume first. But to get a hard drive to be compatible with both mac and pc, you have to choose the.
Oct 16, 2019 the best format for external hard drives. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted. In the disk management, youll see your external hard drive. Hard drive format software for mac mac disk format software. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat.
Meanwhile, the ntfs system used by windows 10 supports large files, but this format cant be read natively by macos. Mac os x uses the hfs plus file system, while windows uses the ntfs file system. Looking to share an external hard drive between a mac and pc. If youre going to be using the drive with a version of windows prior to windows vista, youre going to want to go with mbr. Windows formatted hard drives have either ntfs file system of an fat32 file system. Its the most secure, robust file system that a windows user could wish for. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. There are a number of tools that can help you in this regard.
The faster ssd drives on a mac may well use an apfs file system. Ntfs has quite a lot of strong advantages, which may actually make it a good format choice for certain external hard drives, depending on the circumstances. It just securely formats your mac hard drivedevice and permanently erases all the data. Whether you go the software or hardware route depends on your situation. 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. External hard drive compatible with mac and pc without. Dec 22, 2019 how to format external hard drive mac.
How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. How to erase a disk for mac use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Usually, to format the external hard drive as fat32 or exfat, you are advised to do this on a mac computer via disk utility. You may also set a direct connection to your computer. The windows system uses a hard drive with a different file system than the mac systems. One hurdle youll face is that, by default, these platforms use different filesystems.
All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. Use these steps to format external hard drives for both operating. At this point, you can proceed to the next section to format your mac backup partition. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. How to format external hard drive to use on 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. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. Using it, you can erase a hard drive, create new partitions, and even repair your disk as well. If you see the drive is ntfs then youll either need to reformat the drive or use a ntfs driver. If you want to format a hard drive or usb flash drive on your computer, disk formatting tool is the best choice. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Right click on your toshiba external hard drive icon and pick get info from the menu. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. People might need to format a hard drive or an external hard drive in windows 10 for various reasons. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it.
Then click the second partition, name it mac, and change its format to mac os extended journaled. Your first step to using your toshiba external drive on your mac is to plug your toshiba drive in. How to format an external hard drive for windows 10. You cant format the hard disk on which windows is stored while windows is running, for the same reasons that you cant work on a cars engine while you.
How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. Open the disk management tool by rightclicking this pc manage disk management. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. As complicated as that might sound, its not really difficult to format a hard drive in any version of windows. Connect your external hard drive to a windows computer. As the formatting wizard will open, select the kind of file system that you wish to convert it to. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. It just securely formats your mac hard drive device and permanently erases all the data. Save any files you need to another volume before formatting. 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. Nov 19, 2015 if you format your external hard drive to hfs, you can use it on mac and linux by removing journaling.
How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. 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. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below.
How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Download paragon partition manager free if you have not already, then install the software. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Then your hard drive mac computerdevice is able to reuse, resold, recycled or can be safely donated or lent to other people. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc. To format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. Connect your external hard drive to your windows 10 pc. Opening disk management can be done a number of ways depending on your version of windows, but the easiest method is to type diskmgmt. Just like windows, macos also gives us a seamless option to format hard drive for mac and pc. Plug your drive into the computer and, if necessary, into a wall outlet. First, you need to access the disk management tool on your 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.
May 29, 2018 to format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. 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. Oct 18, 2019 this wikihow teaches you how to change an external usb hard drive s format on windows and mac computers. But its a good idea to also create a third partition on your disk that both macos and windows 10 can use. Both mac os x and windows also support the fat32 file system, but we dont recommend it for hard drives. Thats how you partition a hard drive for use on both windows and mac. Aug 30, 2019 plug in the external hard drive into the system and open windows explorer by clicking on the computer section in the side bar, you will see your external hard drive get attached to your system. Aug 22, 2019 just like windows, macos also gives us a seamless option to format hard drive for mac and pc. This is a default file system for linux os including raspberry pi. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows.
Rightclick the new hard drive and select the format option. The operating system has an inbuilt tool, which is known as disk utility. Now in this interface, you will see a format option. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system.
The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. Thus in order to make the hard drive windows formatted, you have to convert the file system to ntfs or fat32. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. The easiest way to do that is hit cmd and the spacebar at the same time and type in disk utility to find the program. Just transfer all useful files out from the external hard drive to other devices on mac. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. But compared with formatting, an ntfs for mac driver like iboysoft ntfs for mac is a better and feasible solution. Disk utility is a smart hard drive format tool built in mac system. 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. With that being said, mbr is only compatible with disks up to 2tb in capacity. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. In the value label field, type a descriptive name for the drive. Convert formatted drive from mac to windows info remo.
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