- #WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC HOW TO#
- #WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC FOR MAC#
- #WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC INSTALL#
- #WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC PORTABLE#
- #WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC PC#
You'll see the MacOS Utilities window choose "Disk Utility." Now you can choose to erase your startup drive, and choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as the operating system. To get around that problem, hold down the Command + R keys when you turn on your Mac and let go when the logo appears. If you want to format your Mac's system drive, you can't do that when the Mac is running normally because the drive is in use by the operating system. Usually, you'll want ExFAT, which is the default for the MacOS.
#WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC FOR MAC#
OS X Extended and Mac OS Extended are typical for Mac systems especially internal and are the recommended format for all Mac devices.Select the drive you want to format and then choose “Erase.”Ĥ. At the top of the window, click "Erase."ĥ. In the pop-up window, choose the file system you want to use. The different formats for a hard drive are OS X Extended, Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT) and exFAT. Some people find that it is best to format the drive with FAT32 because it allows for more possibilities and compatibility. Only under specific circumstances should you consider formatting an external hard drive with another format.
NTFS is the default file format for all modern versions of Windows.
#WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC PORTABLE#
What is the best external hard drive for iMac?īest External Hard Drive For Mac Overall: Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q 2TB Thunderbolt 3 External SSD Best USB-C External SSD: LaCie Mobile SSD Best High-Capacity Portable External Hard Drive: WD 5TB My Passport Ultra Best High-Capacity Desktop External Hard Drive: G-Technology 14TB G-DRIVE Most Stylish External Hard Drive: Seagate Ultra Touch SSD 1TB What is the best format for an external hard drive? Right-Click on the external hard drive in the Volume tab. Right-Click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner. Select the external hard drive on the left-hand side. Connect the external hard drive to the computer. How do you format a hard drive on a Mac?įormat Hard Drive (Mac) 1.
#WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC PC#
This means that you can take an external hard drive and format it with the exFAT file system and it will then be readable and writable to both you_r Windows PC and your Ma_c. While Windows and macOS primarily use their respective proprietary file systems, both support other file systems as well. You format your Elements drive to Mac OS Extended Journaled file system. You’ll format your external hard disk twice. One that’ll help you know exactly what you’re using your Elements WD hard drive for. Can I use the same external hard drive for Mac and Windows? Choose a name that’s easy for you to remember.
#WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC INSTALL#
Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.
#WHAT TO FORMAT EXTERNAL DRIVE FOR MAC AND PC HOW TO#
Video Showing how to format drive for Mac and. Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you don’t have to constantly back up and reformat each time. External data storage devices such as USB flash drives, external Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), and Solid State. Is exFAT compatible with Mac and Windows?ĮxFAT is a good option if you work often with Windows and Mac computers. With exFAT, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years. Looking to reformat an external hard drive for both Mac and Windows use Check out this tutorial on how to properly format your device quickly and easily. The Best Format for External Hard Drives If you want to format your external hard drive to work with Mac and Windows computers, you should use exFAT. What is the best format for hard drive for PC and Mac?