
- HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC FOR FREE
- HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC HOW TO
- HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC FOR MAC OS X
- HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC MAC OS
- HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC PC
HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC MAC OS
Next, I will show you how you can do that, using the Disk Utility, a tool that comes installed with your Mac OS X. Therefore, if you want to use a NTFS formatted external drive on your Mac, you might want to change the format to FAT32, because it is a file system that is compatible with all types of computers (Windows, Mac or Linux-based). Normally, hard drives used on Windows-based systems are formatted using the NTFS file system and, while Mac computers can read and copy data from this type of hard drive, they can't write it on them. Nowadays, external hard drives are a common solution for storing and transferring large amounts of data from one computer to another. 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 problem.
HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC FOR FREE
Problem solved!įor more advice on selecting the appropriate drive format I urge you to read this article from the American Society of Media Photographers fantastic project.How to Convert External Hard Drive to FAT32 on Mac OS X for Free Using Disk Utility
HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC FOR MAC OS X
Likewise, with Paragon NTFS for Mac OS X installed, my Mac suddenly works with either drive format. Once I have MacDrive installed on my PC, I can use an external hard drive that has been formatted using either the NTFS or OS X Extended system. Like MacDrive, this inexpensive utility gives a Mac the ability to both read and write to an NTFS hard drive. Launch Disk Utility and then click to select the external hard drive listed on the left. Mac users who find themselves in a similar position should look into a program called Paragon NTFS for Mac OS 14. The Disk Utility application is located in the Utilities sub-folder.
HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC PC
With MacDrive, your PC can both read and write to an OS X Extended hard drive! Open up File Explorer and right-click on. PC users who face this problem should look into a super cool program called MacDrive 9. Format Hard Drive in exFAT for both Mac & Windows PC Plug-in your drive into the computers USB port. In general, you can choose the file system format as follows: Use NTFS, if the storage device is connected to Windows PCs.

But sometimes, you may need to reformat the drive. Most Seagate external hard drives are pre-formatted with exFAT or NTFS file system.
HOW TO FORMAT A EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC HOW TO
But if you must use the same drive with both types of computer then you need to install some additional software. How to Format Seagate External Hard Drive on Windows 10. If you can use one external hard drive for your Mac and a separate drive formatted for a PC when your working with a Windows computer. The very best solution that I have found to this dilemma is to avoid this whole problem. If you set the drive up using OS X Extended then the PC won’t even recognize it. What if you need to use the same external hard drives with both types of computers? If you set the external drive up using NTFS then the Mac can’t write files onto it. How to format an external drive (Windows): Go to Finder -> Application -> Utilities Double click for Disk Utility Select the external Hard Disk you wish to format at the left column Click on the Erase. NTFS is the standard for Windows users and OS X Extended (Journaled) is the standard for Mac folks. Most photographers will want to format their new external hard drives using their operating system’s optimal style. It is essential that you do this right away, before you start using the drive, because the formatting process erases everything on the external disk. Format and partition your new disk immediately, before you start using it for backup or for additional file storage. Regardless of brand or model, the very first thing that you must do when you buy a brand new external hard drive is to format it properly for your system. Likewise, the Mac OS X Operating System can read from, but cannot write to, an external drive that has been formatted for a PC using the NTFS file system without additional software.

To this day, a PC cannot read from a hard drive that has been formatted for the Mac without additional software. External hard drives are great, but they must be formatted properly before you start filling them up with important information. Choose your target external hard drive or volume, click the Erase button on the top. Launchpad Other Disk Utility, and click the Disk Utility.

Connect the external hard drive with your Mac, and the computer will mount your drive. Edit the disk name, select a file format and. Format the external drive with Disk Utility on Mac: 1. I use external hard drives to store all of my photos and for my backups. Format the external drive with Disk Utility on Mac: 1.
