Apr 14, 2020 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. Im able to physically swap out the drive, but i have no idea how mac software works. In this tutorial we look at formatting disks via the gui app called disk utility and its equivalent command line tool diskutil. Jan 27, 2019 external drives allow you to quickly moves large files between computers. Master boot record is appropriate for external drives used with a pc or boot. 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. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. Buy toshiba hdtb330xk3cb canvio basics 3tb portable external hard drive usb 3. How to format mac volume using stellar partition manager. All options, including format, is greyed out except to delete volume. While dban is free to use, theres no guarantee your data is completely sanitized across the entire drive. Toshiba hdtb330xk3cb canvio basics 3tb portable external. In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with. Nov 29, 2016 people using windows 87 can format external hard drive to fat 32 with disk management, or using diskpart to format usb and any other external hard drive.
Fortunately, there are some mac hard drive format software or smart disk formatting applications can help you securely and easily format, reformat, or erase hard drive under mac os. However, to use it on windows you can hfs explorer read only. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x doesnt allow us to write. This hard disk was setup and formatted by friend under windows xp ntfs partition. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. For example, if you install macos on an internal or external drive, your mac can recognize that drive as a startup disk. For pc and mac compatibility, select exfat format and master boot record scheme. Aug 30, 2016 how to erase a disk from command line in mac os x aug 30, 2016 47 comments some mac users may require the ability to erase a disk or erase a hard drive from the command line on mac os, a task which is typically performed through the disk utility application from the gui. May 06, 2018 format external hard drive mac instructions i had a recent customer that was running out of hard drive space on their macintosh computer. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Now i want to format and use one partition continue reading linux format external usb hard disk partition.
Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10. Here is how you can format your hard drives and flash drives on windows, mac and linux. Theres also the option of macos extended journaled, encrypted which is a good choice if you are likely to be carrying your laptop or external. How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux. Fortunately, here will introduce you two ways to format external hard drive to fat 32 on windows 10. File system formats available in disk utility on mac. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc.
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. Some mac users may require the ability to erase a disk or erase a hard drive from the command line on mac os. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Buying and using an external hd is one thing, getting the most out of it is quite another. The problem is that by default windows uses nfts, and macs use hfs.
Jan 02, 2016 formatting a drive on your mac is quite easy. Make sure that the sidebar in disk utility shows the name of your startup disk. When you buy a mac, do they give you a copy of the os on disc like buying a windows pc. So if youre trying to connect an external hard drive to a mac, you might. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Before using an external hard drive on a mac, you should format it using disk utility. Need to replace a hard drive in a macbook ask different. Format mac drive partition formatting external hard drive. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. I have an external new hard drive connected using usb port under red hat fedora core linux.
In the disk utility app on your mac, choose view show all devices. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Open the disk management tool by rightclicking this pc manage disk management. Before you go messing around in the disk utility application, make sure you know what the drive is going to be used for. Three weeks ago, i bought a brand new 2tb seagate expansion to backup my macbook pro before i updated it to the latest macos. What you need to note down is the specific disk identifier for the external disk youll be formatting. While drives are sold as plugandplay, formatting prior to use will give you optimal performance and compatibility with your mac. This will work in all modern versions of apple mac osx including 10. If you have an external drive you only use with windows computers, you may wonder how to format an external hard drive to ntfs effortlessly. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac.
Delete information stored on hard disk drives hdds in pc laptops, desktops or servers. Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. Sadan formaterer du en harddisk internekstern pa en mac. You can format an external drive in os x using disk utility and terminal. How to format hard drives on windows, mac, linux and android by mrinal saha november 19, 2015. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. You will learn how to format external hard drives on a mac running os high sierra 10.
Plus, remove virusesspyware from microsoft windows installations. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Disques durs externes ou cles usb sous mac os, os x et macos. Out of the box, windows can not read or write hfs drives. If i put in a new hard drive, will i have to reinstall an operating system. Mac osx disk file format closed ask question asked 6 years. This is a default file system for linux os including raspberry pi. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Any external hard drive will work with pcs or macs, as long as the connectors are there firewire, usb, etc. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Heres how to format a drive using a mac including how to format a drive for. Save any files you need to another volume before formatting.
Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. By default, your mac starts up from its builtin hard disk, but a startup disk can be any storage device that contains an operating system compatible with your mac. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. This insures that you will have a compatible hard drive with. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly.
How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Mar, 2020 follow the windows 10 fat32 format tutorial to format hdd to fat32 or format external hard drive to fat32 in windows 10. How to format a usb external disk for mac osx using disk. You can apply the thirdparty solution to format fat32 in windows 10 even when there is no fat32 option in. Linux format external usb hard disk partition nixcraft. I need to format an external hard disk on a macbook pro usb connection. So if you re trying to connect an external hard drive to a mac, you might. Find it quickly with spotlight, click on magnifying glass and start typing disk utility. Step 1 connect the external hard drive you want to format to your mac, then start the disk utility app that you can find under applications utilities. You can apply the thirdparty solution to format fat32 in windows 10 even when there is no fat32 option in windows 10 explorer or disk management. In the disk utility, erase tab, i can only choose between these formats. They wanted to hook up an external hard drive, so that they could transfer files and free up disk space.
Formatting a hard drive can change the file system to. If you want yours to seamlessly work with both macs and pcs, your external drive needs to use a filesystem that is supported by both platforms. How to format your hard drive seagate support asean. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. Buy toshiba hdtb440xk3ca canvio basics 4tb portable external hard drive usb 3. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated apple friendly drives. You can then follow the steps in this article to start up. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. Mac os x and testing applications on case sensitive file systems. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. How to format external hard drive to ntfs in window1087. Formatting can be done with the mac os x disk utility, found in the applicationsutilities folder. It doesnt matter how the drive is formatted out of the box, since you can re format any way you like.
Hard drive format software for mac mac disk format software. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly with macs and pcs without third party software. However, you will find that windows 10s format command only offers ntfs and exfat. All external usb disks can be formatted to work on mac osx, but not always straight out of the box. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. Since my mac pro only has a 256 gb hdd, i would like to install ubuntu on an external disk, so i went ahead and bought a usb3.
Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. Most external hard drives are designed to work for windows computers. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Most external hard drives hd are sold in a format called ntfs, which is designed to work with windows.
To format external hard drive on mac, all you have to do is plugin your hard drive and launch disk utility. The problem i have is how to install ubuntu in a very tricky environment. Aug 27, 20 using external drives to save space on your mac. You may wonder how to reformat an external hard drive on mac. If i want to send a flash driveflashstick to someone who has a macbook with video files from a msbased laptop already on the drive, will that. With highly interactive graphical user interfaces, this mac formatting software is very useful for all mac users, who face difficulty in formatting volumes with disk utility. This wikihow teaches you how to change an external usb hard drives format on windows and mac computers.
Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. The volume representing your startup disk is macintosh hd, unless. If you format your external hard drive to hfs, you can use it on mac and linux by removing journaling. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.
How to select a different startup disk apple support. In the disk management, youll see your external hard drive as partition or. I originally thought of using fat 32 as its compatible with both and windows but it has a 4 gig file size limit. Follow the windows 10 fat32 format tutorial to format hdd to fat32 or format external hard drive to fat32 in windows 10. Select disk utility from the utilities window in macos recovery. Step 2 on the left side of the utilities screen, find the name of the external hard drive you want to format and select it. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. In this post, youll learn how to format an external drive to a mac compatible. People using windows 87 can format external hard drive to fat 32 with disk management, or using diskpart to format usb and any other external hard drive. All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. Disk management and a thirdparty format external hard drive software. Formatting a hard drive can change the file system to make it compatible with your computers.
This mac propriety file system and is used in ios and mac. It cannot detect or erase ssds and does not provide a certificate of data removal. External hard drives free delivery possible on eligible purchases. Stellar partition manager is a powerful as yet easyto use utility for formatting mac hard drivevolume. Toshiba hdtb330xk3cb canvio basics 3tb portable external hard. How to format external hard drives on macs running os. Format external hard drive with windows builtin tool. Here are two outstanding mac hard drive format software tools you can rely on.
Usually, when you want to connect an external hard drive to your computer, you just plug it in and thats it. It doesnt matter how the drive is formatted out of the box, since you can reformat any way you like. Picture a book that can have either a contentspc or an indexmac. Format mac drive partition formatting external hard. Or perhaps you are setting up an external drive for backups. Connect your external hard drive to your windows 10 pc.
However, if you are using a macbook pro or any mac computer, the hard drive. Still with the external disk selected in disk utility go to the erase tab, select mac os extended journaled from the format dropdown, choose to name the disk and then click erase. But unfortunately it bit the dust and i decided to get a pc. I have been asked to replace a hard drive in a macbook. Apr 19, 2012 any external hard drive will work with pcs or macs, as long as the connectors are there firewire, usb, etc. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. Unformat mac hard drive recover formatted hard drive on mac. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive. And there you have it one read and writable disk ready for osx.
How to format external hard drive to fat 32 on windows 1087. 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. 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. How can i format this drive in windows 7 home premium.
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