Open disk management, the hard drive manager included with all versions of windows. Aug 25, 2016 today im going to show you how to format any hard drive so you can use it to back up your mac as well as answer a lot of questions my clients have asked me when going through this process. Just follow these steps to format and erase your hard drives on mac. I followed the instructions in the site macbook pro unibody mid 2012 hard drive replacement and managed to replace the hard disk correctly but the macbook does not recognize it. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. Cleanmydrive is absolutely free to use, so download it on the mac app store and enjoy. Some people may want to format a storage because they want to clean hard drive mac and others might want to install fresh os x. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Disk utility on mac supports several file system formats. How to format a hard drive for mac the below steps can be used to format mac internal hard drives, external hard drives or usb flash drives. File system formats available in disk utility on mac.
Ever run out of storage space and start wondering if it would be possible to take a crowbar to your new unibody macbook pro to pry it open and put another hard. 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. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Now in this interface, you will see a format option. How to format a hard drive for mac that would be sold to another person. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Each have the same purpose, but they function in completely different ways.
Compare apple hard drives and models for office or home and shop online. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple support. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. The reasons for wanting to format your mac storage drive may vary depending on immediate need. Wd my passport for mac best overall the western digital 2tb my passport for mac is the perfect 2tb portable external hard drive for mac users. Types of external hard drives for mac easily expand your storage capacity with a handy external drive for mac that allows you to quickly create a file backup solution or offload batches of files for simple transfer to another computer. The best models are ready formatted for use on mac. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple. 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. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Best format for an external hard disk apple community. A window will pop up where you can choose the format ntfs, fat32, or exfat. When i turn on the macbook with a new hard disk is showing a sign of a folder and a question mark, when i turn on the macbook with the old hard disk. 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.
On the flip side, they offer the most significant memory sizes, and are cheaper than the other two memory options. Wondering what the best format for your new external hard drive is. Its very easy to format a usb drive on a mac using disk utility. To this day, it remains the default file system for mechanical and hybrid hard drives, both while installing macos and while formatting external drives. Discover the world of hard drives and storage options for mac. In this video we look at the process of formatting a hard drive, flash drive, or ssd on an apple computer.
Rightclick on the external hard drive in the volume tab. But before you start cruisin the internet for a 1tb monster, though, here are two suggestions. Make sure the allocation unit size is set to default and type in a volume label. To format a new drive to a different file system, select it and click erase. This is a great thing to do when you first purchase a drive or when you are looking to.
Which mac file system is best for an external drive. How to choose the right hard disk for your mac the mac. Is there a way to completely format or erase the data from hard drive so it cannot be recovered by another user. Now open disk utility and format your new drive with a guid partition map and a mac os extended journaled partition. For example, folders named homework and homework are two different. It came in record time next day instead of the 5 days indicated on the phone, which yea. Choose the mac os x installer startup volume from the boot menu. Formatting can be done with the mac os x disk utility, found in the applicationsutilities folder. Os x, windows, and linux all use different hard drive formatting for normal system operations. How does external hard drives work on windowsmac os. Hello, i recently bought a new internal hard disk to my macbook. May 01, 2020 how to erase a disk for mac use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. For some mac models, the partition option would be greyed out in disk utility.
To find your best external hard drive for mac, youll want to decide how quickly you want to save and retrieve data. Choose one of the following mac os extended file system formats for compatibility with mac computers using macos 10. Mac os extended was the default file system used by every mac from 1998 until 2017, when apfs replaced it. Here are the steps to partition an external hard drive for mac and windows pc, which is a little tricky. Mar 03, 2020 go to this pc, under devices and drives, highlight the disk that represents your usb flash drive, rightclick and select properties. After youre done, dont forget to remove the external hard. Dec, 2019 you can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux.
Choosing disk format type while formatting external drive. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab. Opening disk management can be done a number of ways depending on your version of windows, but the easiest method is to type diskmgmt. Fortunately disk utility, built right into macos, can help. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive.
In the new properties window, check general file system and youll see what type of file system your flash drive is currently with. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. This post highlights the different types of hard drives for mac that you can use, and how to choose the best backup hardware for your needs. For pc and mac compatibility, select exfat format and master boot. Macs are currently sold with three types of storage devices. Asking whether you can upgrade your macbook hard drive is a trick question. The hard drive reads and writes data by changing the magnetic polarities on the drive. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. All the drives will be at hand in the menu bar, so you can get to see types of drives you have and manage them easily. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac.
Usb drives can be formatted on your mac using the disk utility application. The installation was a snap, literally, just as advertised. 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. It doesnt matter how the drive is formatted out of the box, since you can reformat any way you like. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. In short, file and folder names in this file system are casesensitive and will require a password and encryption. Most external hard drives and usb drives are compatible for use on mac computers as long as you format the devices for use with mac os x. For mac owners, one of the most annoyinginconvenient aspects of owning a mac is the external drive compatibility. This is a default file system for linux os including raspberry pi. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. 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. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. How to format an external drive for mac compatibility. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted.
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. Its 5 gbps data transfer rate enables fast copying of files, and its automatic backup software can be set to fit any schedule. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Lacie d2 professional 4tb external hard drive desktop hdd thunderbolt 3 usbc usb 3. However, to use it on windows you can hfs explorer read only. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. How to reformat my hard drive using my macbook air quora. Consider how youll be saving and transferring files, such as photos, videos, files from tablets, files from pc laptops, or photos from toprated cell phones. 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 with your mac and the original drive installed we need to connect via a sata to usb adapter your new drive so both are connected to the system. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. You can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines.
Mac hard drives typically spin at rates of 5,400 to 7,200 rpm. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Heres how to format a drive using a mac including how to format a drive for windows. The good news is the disk utility built into the os x comes in handy, like a visual assistant making the process easier. Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through. A hard drive format refers to how the operating system stores the data on the drive. Thunderbolt 3 and usb typec are the latest innovations in the external storage market, but before we get to them, we need to address a basic building block of hard drives that. Follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp.
Jan 15, 2019 all the drives will be at hand in the menu bar, so you can get to see types of drives you have and manage them easily. Of the three mac memory types, traditional hard disks run on the oldest memory technologies. Today im going to show you how to format any hard drive so you can use it to back up your mac as well as answer a lot of questions my clients. Some older flash drives may only have the options fat 16 or fat 32. Select your drive from the list and rightclick on it. Any external hard drive will work with pcs or macs, as long as the connectors are there firewire, usb, etc. Select disk utility and choose the hard drive you wish to format, click the erase tab, and then pull down the format menu and select mac os extended journaled as the type, name the drive if you wish. Need to replace a hard drive in a macbook ask different. Im usually change hard drives to a bigger capacity ones and sold the old ones to others. This western digital my book hard drive offers builtin 256bit hardware encryption and optional password protection for peace of mind. I recently purchased a mac pro and, since the store did not yet have additional internal hard drives in stock, i purchased a 2t drive for bay 2 directly from apple.
Uses the mac format journaled hfs plus to protect the integrity of the hierarchical file system. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. Best for mechanical drives, or drives used with older macos versions. So, we suggest that its better to use a pc to partition an external hard drive for macos and windows. Store files securely with this 4tb western digital my book hard drive. Everything you need to know about your macs hard drive. In many cases, we learn that the native format of external drives that work. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. Why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc.
Under file system, choose the file system you want to use. If you format your external hard drive to hfs, you can use it on mac and linux by removing journaling. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac. Even though mac computers are capable of reading hard drives that are formatted for windows, if you intend on using your external hdd as a bootable disk or want to use it to backup files with your macs time machine, you must format it to be entirely mac compatible. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Heres how to format a drive using a mac including how to format a drive for windows and mac so the contents can be read on both platforms, and what format to use for time machine. Jun 02, 2017 in this video we look at the process of formatting a hard drive, flash drive, or ssd on an apple computer. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Best for mechanical drives, or drives used with older macos versions mac os extended was the default file system used by every mac from 1998 until 2017, when apfs replaced it. When you see the volume format types listed, choose msdos fat.
Different types of hard drive file system format types. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. There are all kinds of external hard drives, from a number of brands. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Seagate branded external drives come preformatted, some for pcs, some for macs, and some of them have special utilities allowing them to work between both without. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex. They are also the most mechanized, with several moving parts. If you will be using multiple external hard drives on a project, youll want to make sure to keep them organized. They are great for backing up data, creating extra storage space on your computer and transferring large amounts of data between two or more computers. New macbook pro gets faster processors, more storage. Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin. There are all kinds of reasons why you might want to format a drive.
In disk utility on your mac, format disks or volumes using apple file system. There are three common filesystems that are used today. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Its ready formatted for use on mac, time machine ready and small enough to fit in your coat pocket. External usb hard drives are lightweight, portable and inexpensive. The standard way to back up a mac is to use a hard disk connected via usb or thunderbolt. There are a couple of things you should keep in mind, however. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. And you can buy external or internal drives of three types. The easiest way to do that is hit cmd and the spacebar at the same time and type in disk utility. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. Here then are the best external hard drives for mac of 2020 in order of ranking. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog.
You can format an external hard drive so that it works on both mac and pc or mac only. This mac propriety file system and is used in ios and mac. How to format a startup drive for a mac if you want to format a drive that will be used as your macs startup disk, the procedure is a little different from formatting it for use as a secondary. 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. Fat had been the standard format for floppy disks and hard drives all through the dos years, and versions of windows up to and including windows. However, you can easily format any external hard drive on your mac to work with both mac and pc or mac only.
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