Click the erase tab, choose a volume format from the dropdown menu and then type a name for the drive. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. Best external hard drives for macs in 2020 techradar. I have a back up of all my data i know it erases data when reformatting. If you want to permanently erase data on the hard drive, you can try the solution 3.
In order to get started and partition your external hard drive, follow the simple instructions below. How to convert external hard drive to fat32 on mac os x for free using disk utility. Exfat should basically only be used on drives that need to work with both windows and macos computers. Mac os extended journaled will be the best format to choose for the external drive. Install, boot, and run mac os x from an external hard drive.
Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. The simplest way to install macos or os x on a new hard drive is by using internet recovery mode. It should only take a minute or two for the drive to be erased and reformatted. Select the nonindented entry for your seagate drive.
I want to convert the hard drive s format so that its compatible with mac. If you need to format external hard drive mac or windows, you may also consider the exfat files system. Partition a hard drive for macos time machine and windows. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive. Because fat32 supports only up to 4 gb large files, it should be used only with flash drives. You have to format the usb drive and insert the proper operating system, which is os x. Apr 14, 2020 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. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. Yet when you connect a macformatted drive to windows, youll be informed that you need to format the disk in drive x. The problem is that on macos, you cant work with files saved on an ntfs drive unless you use a paid app like paragon ntfs for mac. You should create multiple partitions on your external hard drive, in order to have enhanced file organization.
While os x is installing, your computer will restart a couple of times. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. Force an external mac drive to mount via command line terminal commands in mac os x. The easiest way to add storage to your mac is to buy an external hard drive. To format external hard drive on mac, all you have to do is plugin your hard drive and launch disk utility. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. 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.
The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. You can use this format if you share the drive between mac os x and windows computers and have no files larger than 4gb. Whether youre selling your computer, trying a new operating system, or setting up an external drive for backups, sometimes you need to completely erase and format a hard drive. Note that when it finally boots into os x, that is the version running off your external drive. How to erase a disk for mac use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. The previous defunct hd was also fat32, which i did not realize upon receiving and using.
The usb drivers come with the fat format by default. Set the format to mac os extended journaled and the scheme to guid partition map. How to format external ssd for mac time machine mashtips. Jan 02, 2016 msdos fat is the most popular format amongst external hard disks, as its both readable and writable by nearly all operating systems, windows and os x included.
Reformatting an external hard drive for use with mac osx is not as. To change the volume format, click on the chosen format and select another. The format is good for handling the files between both os under 4gb size. Where, i am seeing instruction links, for mac operating system, for as far back as mac os x 10. Nowadays, external hard drives are a common solution for storing and transferring large amounts of data from one computer to another. Reformatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. One of the major limitations of this format is that its not able to write files larger than 4gb, which can be quite a setback. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac. It can format your hard drive and erase all the data on your hard drive, beyond the scope of data recovery. Best format for an external hard disk apple community.
How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Ill also be using a time machine backup drive to backup this external ssd, so im not sure if using the apfs system on the new ssd would interfere with the backup drive. Which mac file system is best for an external drive. Enter a name for the external hard drive in the name field. For more advice about installing macos or mac os x read how to update the mac operating system and how to install old versions of os x on a mac. If youre erasing an external drive, make sure that its connected. For apple mac users, the easier way to format usb flash drive to fat32 is using the disk utility.
The mac os x extended volume format is optimal for macs. I received a replacement 750gb external hard drive from western digital. Now in this interface, you will see a format option. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x. Jan 31, 2016 this will demonstrate how to format a hard disk to be completely mac os x compatible, the entire process is handled through disk utility as demonstrated with an external hard drive attached to a. Select the drive you want to format and click erase button. Dont click the format disk button or windows will erase the contents of the drive click cancel. Launch disk utility and then click to select the external hard drive listed on the left. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. For instructions on how to format a dr ive in mac os 10. Nov 02, 2012 how to format an external hard drive for mac duration.
Both mac os x and windows also support the fat32 file system, but we dont recommend it for hard drives. Readwrite fat32 from both native windows and native mac os x. Macs can only read but not write to a ntfs file system. The format apple support for mac owners for time machine is mac os extended journaled. Connect the usb fash drive to the mac os x computer. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. For instructions on how to format a drive in mac os 10. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. That said, if you are using smaller file sizes fat32 can suffice. Go to applications utilities double click and open disk utility. How to install and run mac os x from an external hard drive.
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. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. Or perhaps you are setting up an external drive for backups. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup.
This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through. Where and with working to reformat my new hd, i have been directed to base support and then knowledge base answer id 3865. If your mac is from before 2009 or never had os x lion, click here to jump to the next section. How to convert external hard drive to fat32 on mac os x for. Using apples free disk utility app, you can easily format the drive, give it a label, or even partition it and create multiple volumes from a single. 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. How to format or partition an external hard drive on mac. I just bought a 300gig harddrive and bought the external casing separate. Western digital my passport ultra features cloud storage and 256aes encryption. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. Fortunately disk utility, built right into macos, can help. From the volume format menu, choose mac os extended.
There are two ways you can install os x on to your external hard disk. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. To format a usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x follow these steps. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. How to format an external drive for mac from ntfs to mac os extended note. This is very easy to carry out, and only requires a few moments of your time. If it does not you will need to rightclick and delete the volume first. How to install macos or os x on a new hard drive for your mac. So if you want your external hard drive to be backward compatible with both oss then you.
Using your usb drive to boot mac is not as simple as you think. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. Feb 08, 2020 the problem is that on macos, you cant work with files saved on an ntfs drive unless you use a paid app like paragon ntfs for mac. If the only format showing is msdos, click on the option button on the bottom of the window and choose the selection referring to apple. Apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and. Instructions for how to format your external drive so that it will be fully usable in macos. If you have already written any data to the drive, back it up before proceeding to the next. Many hard drives come preformatted with special utility software that largely is not needed, and may even be problematic or limiting at times. This is a great external hard drive for your mac if you are concerned about keeping your data safe and secure. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac.
Jan 07, 2005 how do i format an external harddrive. You need to prepare your usb drive beforehand for this specific purpose. The maximum individual file size for exfat is 16 eb. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. How to format an external drive in os x make tech easier. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. 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. Once you have it, your first task is to pick a suitable file system for that drive depending on your intended usage. Mar 25, 2018 i have recently bought a my passport external hd. You can easily burn a bootable image of os x on a dvd by using disk utility.
Yet when you connect a mac formatted drive to windows, youll be informed that you need to format the disk in drive x. If you selected the drive name instead of its description you wont see the scheme option. Pick the drive you wish to use to start up the mac. When trying to save large files in final cut pro, the hard drive would save numerous files with none over 2gb in size. Luckily, there are thirdparty tools to help you do so. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab.
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. 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 set up an external hard drive for use with os x. If you already used your external hard drive on a pc, be sure to back. How to set up an external hard drive for use with os x cnet. Msdos fat is the most popular format amongst external hard disks, as its both readable and writable by nearly all operating systems, windows and os x included. How to format an external disk or a flash drive for mac. How to format an external drive for mac compatibility. This mode is only available on apple computers made after 2009 that were running os x lion or later. As the default file system in windows, it can only read by mac os, writing to it is not available. How to force a hard drive to unmount for formatting in mac.
These steps can be used for both internal and external drives. Sep 06, 2019 the simplest way to install macos or os x on a new hard drive is by using internet recovery mode. But, if you want to use an external hard drive on your mac that was mainly used on a windows computer, you might encounter a. Backup disks you can use with time machine apple support. How to format an external hard drive for mac os x youtube.
Mac os x can only be installed on a hard drive formatted in mac os extended journaled, filesystem. The tutorial and screenshots below are based on macos sierra 10. Best for external drives shared with windows computers. I dont want to download any 3rd party side to run it. Format a flash drive for both mac os x and windows. Here are the following most common reasons why would you like to format an external disk or a flash drive for mac under mac os extended journaled. Apfs apple file system this is the new file system that apple bought to macs with high sierra and it. How to install macos on an external drive macworld uk.
The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Now i need to format the harddrive and i need detailed instructions since im not very computer literate. They might be different if your mac has a different version. How to format hard drive for mac compatibly in os x disk. How to recover data from formatted external hard drive on mac. Fat32 is the crossplatform format for windows and mac os x. Dont click the format disk button or windows will erase the contents of the driveclick cancel. How to access mac osx extended formatted hard drive in. Apfs apple file system is only for newer macs running macos.