While it may sound like a weightloss product from a latenight infomercial, exfat is a hard drive format that feels like the child of ntfs and fat32. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two environments. A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. The duration of the process is based on the external drives total storage and rpm. In the format partition section, select the file system.
However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. Select your drive in the lefthand sidebar and go to the erase tab. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. This means it doesnt have the ability to keep a record of file changes. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system answer id 291 a western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Locate your external drive from the list of devices and drives. How to format external ssd for mac time machine mashtips. Choose this format if the size of the disk is over 32 gb.
Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. Disk management not only allows you the opportunity to change the format of the hard drive to ntfs, but it also assists in assigning a new letter of the usb, helps create multiple partitions, and keeps a thorough check on the health of the hard drive in focus. Jul 05, 2017 macs support a variety of file systems.
In that case, aomei partition assistant is of great help. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc. To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both mac and windows pc. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. After upgrading to mojave on my macbook pro, my external hard drive is now readonly. By default, they format disks with the mac only os x extended file system. The exfat file system eliminates the two major deficiencies of fat32. After plug in hard drive into the system, you will get option to open windows explorer and by clicking on the computer section in the side bar, you will see your hard drive get attached to your system. One of the consequences of this is that exfat drives are a little more vulnerable to data corruption from sudden power losses. Exfat external hard drive opens readonly apple community. The best format choice of external drive on mac using the external drive on mac is a good idea as it provides additional storage.
By default, they format disks with the maconly os x extended file system. How to format hard drive to exfat in windows 7810 three. If you have an external hard drive or usb flash drive that youd like to use on both. Under file system box, select exfat for this drive. Heres how to correctly format the drive to work on both. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. Dec 25, 2016 so if you want your external hard drive to be backward compatible with both oss then you need to reformat it with fat32 or exfat. In order to get started and partition your external hard drive, follow the simple instructions below. 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. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below.
If it does not you will need to rightclick and delete the volume first. The only real downside of exfat for external hard drives is its lack of journaling ability. The ssd will work for both windows and mac out of the box. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. I got my hands on a new adata hd710, 1tb external hard drive. Wondering what the best format for your new external hard drive is.
How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing data. Use the exfat file system and never format your external. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. It formats partition to exfat no matter the partition is on external drive, usb stick, sd card, pen drive, or internal hard drive system drive is an exception in windows 10 as well as windows 8. Exfat should basically only be used on drives that need to work with both windows and macos computers. Select your thumb drive in the disk utility window then click the erase tab. But compared with formatting, an ntfs for mac driver like iboysoft ntfs for mac is a better and feasible solution. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on.
Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. Aomei partition assistant standard is a free exfat formatting utility you wont want to miss in windows. Macyourself blog archive how to format a drive for mac and pc. A drive can be formatted with exfat using either a windows or a mac computer. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto. How to format an external hard drive on windows formatting a hard drive on windows is a simple affair, especially if you leave everything as default. Oct 16, 2019 the best format for external hard drives. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. How to format an external hard drive and remove errors. Format external hard drive to ntfs from fat32 using disk management. But, if you plan on using an external drive with both macs and pcs, you should format the disk with the exfat file system instead. 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. By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data.
But it is hard to pick the suitable format as it depends on your usage. Apart from formatting partition, aomei partition assistant standard is capable of wiping external hard drive in windows 10 and securely erasing ssd to restore performance. Also, if your current hard drive is more than 5 years old, it probably is nearing the end of its service life and needs to be replaced. If you insist to move the file to the hard drive, you need to format it to ntfs or exfat. 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. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods.
Lacie mobile drive 2tb external hard drive hdd moon silver usbc usb 3. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. So, it is better that you know your options and understand which format is right for you. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Best for external drives shared with windows computers. How to erase a disk for mac use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. Format external hdd for mac and windows exfat youtube. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac.
This is very easy to carry out, and only requires a few moments of your time. All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. If you need to make the external hard drive be compatible with window and mac, you need to format hard drive to exfat or fat32. Fat32 has several limitations, including a 4 gb perfile limit. See the above section for more details on which one to pick. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. Im be using this hard drive for both my mac and windows rigs. You may also set a direct connection to your computer. Like yourself, the same external hard drive can be readwritten on a different imac also mojave. How do i format my external hard drive to exfat on mac. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive. Select your drive from the list and rightclick on it.
The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. How to format internal andor external drive to work properly on mac and windows computers. This is enough to work the ssd as a backup drive for mac. Click the done button to finish formatting the external hard drive for mac and pc to exfat. How to format a hard drive for both windows and 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. Sep 12, 2019 for instance, you may find windows 10 no exfat option or not possible to format hard drive to exfat. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. For instance, you may find windows 10 no exfat option or not possible to format hard drive to exfat. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. Open disk utility go to the applications folder and then to another folder, known as utilities.
In the file system list box, choose exfat, type in a volume label if you want, and then click start. Ive reformatted it to apfs on the macbook pro, set ignore ownership permission on the drive, but its still readonly as far as finder is concerned. Lacie mobile drive 5tb external hard drive portable hdd moon silver usbc usb 3. Sep 20, 2019 apfs also doesnt work with time machine, so you should format any drive you want to use for backing up your mac using mac os extended. Before starting the formatting hard drive in mac, you have to connect your mac system to external hard drive. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. 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. Make sure the allocation unit size is set to default and type in a volume label. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Should i reformat this drive to exfat or just keep it as ntfs and install a program like tuxera or. The maximum individual file size for exfat is 16 eb. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows.
From what i understand, windows doesnt always like the way mac s 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. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac. For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac computer, it must be formatted to exfat or fat32 file format. A window will pop up where you can choose the format ntfs, fat32, or exfat. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. That said, if you are using smaller file sizes fat32 can suffice. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. Exfat is an upgraded version for the fat32 file system that limits the maximum file size to 4gb. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac.
Under the format menu, choose the file system you want to use. How to format or partition an external hard drive on mac. If it is not ticked, you will lose all of your data. The samsung ssd comes with exfat format by default. The disk utility will automatically begin to format the external hard drive for mac and pc. You should create multiple partitions on your external hard drive, in order to have enhanced file organization. Jun, 2012 i got my hands on a new adata hd710, 1tb external hard drive.
For pc and mac compatibility, select exfat format and master boot record scheme. 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. Please remember that all data will be deleted from the drive, so make sure you have made a backup. Apr 15, 2020 if you need to make the external hard drive be compatible with window and mac, you need to format hard drive to exfat or fat32. Format your external drive with exfat for both mac and. Now, im in limbo as to the format i should have on this drive.
With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab. 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. Although it is possible to format a drive as exfat from disk utility on the mac, that drive will not work with windows pcs, and thats not what.
Rightclick on the drive you want to format, click on format. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Dec 31, 2019 partition external hard drive on mac os x. Please like, sub, share if you find this video helpful. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly with macs. Format external driveusb exfat in windows 10 in simple steps. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. 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.
Now in this interface, you will see a format option. To format an external hard drive, plug in the device into system or a wall outlet. Open up windows explorer and rightclick on your drive in the sidebar. The hard drive with fat32 file system is unable to store large file beyond 4gb. In the file system dropdown, choose exfat instead of ntfs. So if you want your external hard drive to be backward compatible with both oss then you need to reformat it with fat32 or exfat. After several minutes of waiting, the process will finish. 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. How to reformat an external hard drive without losing your. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Apfs also doesnt work with time machine, so you should format any drive you want to use for backing up your mac using mac os extended.
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