Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdoc is the. No worry, actually it is not impossible to realize it no matter you use an external or internal drive of your windows system. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Apr 15, 2020 how to perform ps4 external hard drive format. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex. Proceed based on whether youre erasing your startup disk or some other disk. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive step 1 back up your files. Rightclick in the unallocated space on the initialized disk and select new simple volume.
If i do this, wont i lose my networkability, and therefore lose access to time machine backups. Aug 30, 2016 this is an article for mac, it is erasing a hard drive from a mac command line, it is not a windows tutorial. Jan 15, 2020 learn how to use macos recovery to reinstall the mac operating system on your builtin drive or an external drive. Power down your mac and attach your external hard drive to it. 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. The drive will now be formatted for use by windows systems. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Formatting a drive on macos is reasonably accessible as compared to other operating systems due to. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your backup files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind. Most external hard drives are designed to work for windows computers.
How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Format external hard drive for mac reformat external hard. This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through. So if you re trying to connect an external hard drive to a mac, you might.
Plug in the external hard drive into the system and open. How to format an external drive for mac compatibility. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep. You can, however, format a windows hard drive from a mac if you connect the windows hard drive to the mac and format it through disk utility, or. Make sure that the sidebar in disk utility shows the name of your startup disk. But you occasionally might need to format one yourself. All your job, all your files and all your pictures went poof. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. These steps can be used for both internal and external drives. 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. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. An external hard drive is a data storage device that connects to a computer with a cable, typically usb or firewire.
Note that using a drive frequently between windows and mac could increase the chances of file corruption, so make. Feb 27, 2018 before using an external hard drive on a mac, you should format it using disk utility. Most external hard drives are crossplatform, giving them the ability to work on a number of different operating systems. Once disk utility is open youll see the list of available drives on the left. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. With aomei partition assistant, you can reformat to fat32 or reformat to ntfs file system as well. How to fixrepair corrupted external hard drives on mac. The reason is perhaps that seagate external hard drive has been well known for a long time as one of the most reliable drives for storing data. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Fortunately disk utility, built right into macos, can help. Want to format a hard drive for mac and pc compatibility.
If a wireless network is available, you can choose it from the wi. Formatting a hard drive or ssd is the same as buying a new hard drive since the process erases all the data in one fell swoop. Read our roundup of the best storage devices available now. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. An external hard drive for ps4 provides a handy option to store games with ample storage space. How to format hard drive and fix disk format errors on mac. Note that using a drive frequently between windows and mac could increase the.
Therefore, if you want to use a macintoshformatted disk with a windows computer, you would need to reformat it using a windowscompatible file system. Have you ever wondered how to reformat, partition and readytouse an external mac hard drive. Launch disk utility and then click to select the external hard drive listed on the left. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. This insures that you will have a compatible hard drive with. 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 instance, is the hard drive internal or external. Use the wizard to create a partition with the ntfs or fat32 file system.
How to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. So if you are formatting a drive that has already been used, be sure to copy any files you will ever want to see again onto a computer or backup drive. Download doyourdata super eraser for mac, securely formatwipe fusion drive on mac by 1 click. This wikihow teaches you how to format a seagate hard drive on a mac computer. How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. Feb 03, 2020 use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. How to format an external drive for mac launch disk utility. The videos below demonstrate the complete process of formatting an external hard drive for full mac os x compatibility, this uses the. This insures that you will have a compatible hard drive with your computer. There will be no space wasted by protected mac partitions. For example, formatting typically removes most of the data on a drive, making it a quicker way to erase a large drive than simply deleting everything on it. How to format hard drive and fix disk format errors on your mac errors can damage your hard disk and prevent it from functioning properly.
Here ill show you how you can erase and format a disk using the comma. 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. How to format a hard drive using the command prompt toms. However, it just wont recognize it, even though the hard drive is showing up on your computer. Click the erase tab, choose a volume format from the dropdown menu and then type a. There may be occasions, however, when you want to reformat your mac s hard drive. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. Fortunately, there is a tool called iboysoft mac data recovery that can recover your data firstly before you reformat this corrupted external hard drive. Instructions for how to format your external drive so that it will be fully usable in macos. 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. To do that, the only thing you need is a bit of precise syntax to make sure that you are erasing the proper disk. To start up from macos recovery, turn on your mac and immediately press and hold one of the following.
Dec 29, 2015 your exfatformatted drive or partition can now be used for both 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. How hard is it to reformat the hard drive on a mac. 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. Make sure your external hard drive is attached and mounted to. Well, after some analysis it seems your best option is some recover for mac. The process is the same for both mac desktop and laptop computers. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. We here will show you the full guides on how to format fat32 and ntfs drives on mac as an example.
You can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. Its a riskfree way to fix the corrupted external hard drive and you dont have to worry about data loss any more. Mar 10, 2020 how to format hard drive and fix disk format errors on your mac errors can damage your hard disk and prevent it from functioning properly. Aug 30, 2019 today this video will show you how to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. Reboot the computer and, once its fully booted up, power on the external. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pcmac hard drive. Many people think it is hard to format the windows drive on macintosh. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. In this video we look at the process of formatting a hard drive, flash drive, or ssd on an apple computer. Should i select erase, mac os extended journaled, erase.
This wikihow teaches you how to format your computers builtin hard drive. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. The following is based on the latest version of macos. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided. In fact, aomei partition assistant has more powerful features, such as migrate os to ssd, resizemove partition, command line partition etc. It is not as complicated to reformat an external hard drive for use with mac os x as it may look. Follow these easy steps, format the fusion drive on mac as format one simple hard drive. You cannot format the whole hard drivedoing so would erase your operating systembut you can format a portion of the hard drive after creating a partition.
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 properly formatreformat a hard drive for mac os. The disk utility application is located in the utilities subfolder. When you get a new hard drive, it may already be formatted for windows or mac. No need to worry or try to claim warranty because your new external hard drive is fine. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Simply put, your ps4 isnt recognizing the file system of your drive, which is most probably. The volume representing your startup disk is macintosh hd, unless.
Format external hard drive for mac reformat external. Learn how to use macos recovery to reinstall the mac operating system on your builtin drive or an external drive. You should already be in the utilities window after erasing your mac. After you erase your hard drive it will be ready for a clean installation of the operating system. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both mac and windows by using the exfat file system. When you format your hard drive, you can clean internal as well as. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted. As complicated as that might sound, its not really difficult to format a hard drive in any version of windows. You have to set it up correctly before getting starting.
Reformatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. It is essential to know which file system ps4 supports and the method to do ps4 external hard drive form. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive. How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014. Keep in mind that a mac can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance. How to reinstall macos from macos recovery apple support.
There is only one rule that you need to keep in mind when reformatting a drive. How to reformat an external hard drive for a mac techwalla. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Click on the erase option from the four options available in the main window. 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. You cannot reformat a volume when you are currently booted to an operating system on. Before using an external hard drive on a mac, you should format it using disk utility. You just need to know how to format external hard drive for ps4. Backup files, reformat disk and restore backed up files. 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. Mar 29, 2019 how to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. You can select the exfat format when using the disk. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. This is an article for mac, it is erasing a hard drive from a mac command line, it is not a windows tutorial.
You can get to know how to reformat wd hard drive for mac and pc from this post, if you need to use a western digital external hard drive, like wd elements both under mac and pc. How to format a hard drive using the command prompt tom. Lets take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. Now, im trying to format it so that i can use it on pc instead of mac. Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. Select the drive you want to reformat in the lefthand sidebar and go to the erase tab. This post will teach you how to format your macs hard disk and fix common errors.
How to format wd external drive for mac apple community. Create a bootable install usb drive of mac os x 10. After you connect an external drive to your mac, open the applications folder from the finder window. You can, however, format a windows hard drive from a mac if you connect the windows hard drive to the mac and format it through disk utility, or the command line as described above. Most hard drives come preformatted and ready to use these days. 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. Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. In this tutorial, i will show you how to reformat the hard drive in your mac and reinstall os x for that factory fresh finish. But some mac users might need to erase them from the command line on mac os.
If not, restart your computer and hold down command and r at the same time until you see the apple logo. Select disk utility from the utilities window in macos recovery. Your exfatformatted drive or partition can now be used for both windows and mac. 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. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with mac osx is not as difficult as it might seem. Before formatting any hard drive, its a good idea to backup. How hard is it to reformat the hard drive on a mac computer. Sep 12, 2019 easy and fast, the question, how to reformat a hard drive, has been solved completely. You can format a drive using the disk utility in mac. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Run mac os x on an appletv with an external hard drive how to. If it were you, would you go ahead and replace the hard drive. I was a windows user and i dont know to how to format a hard drive under macos 10.