In the value label field, type a descriptive name for the drive. Meanwhile, the ntfs system used by windows 10 supports large files, but this format cant be read natively by macos. It is not rare to see people coming and asking how to format their new or second hard drive on mac or windows either for freeing up space or for making hard drives to be compatible with a new operating system. All options, including format, is greyed out except to delete volume. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. New mac systems built in 2010 and later support an internet recovery mode, which can be used to download the boot image generally stored on the os x. But compared with formatting, an ntfs for mac driver like iboysoft ntfs for mac is a better and feasible solution. Disk utility shows the recommended mac format by default. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions.
How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Oct 26, 2007 i would like to format that external hard drive such that the file system is either ntfs or fat32 so that i can use it on my windows partition running on boot camp. 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. Hard drive format software for mac mac disk format software. 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. The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple. How to install macos or os x on a new hard drive for your mac. Windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by using the exfat filesystem. Today, we will talk about how to format or reformat ssd on mac. How to format new hard drive, create new partitionvolume in. Dec 05, 2019 rightclick on windows icon, select disk management. How to format new hard drive, create new partitionvolume in windows 8.
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. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Remember, this will erase all the files on the drive. Unlike windows os, mac os doesnt provide quick format tool. May 01, 2020 click the erase button or tab, then complete these items. Dont use ntfs on a mac because that could lead to data loss or even damage the disk. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both mac and windows pc. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. To format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. Convert formatted drive from mac to windows info remo. How to format new or second hard drive on windows 10mac. You can run easytouse mac disk formatting software to easily format internal ssd or external ssd under mac os. How to format a new internal ssd in macos high sierra.
As speaking of this, it is essential to grasp the key steps to format your new or second hard drive. After formatting youll be able to use it on both mac and windows, although i think fat32 has a 4gb file size limit. It is recommended to choose the compatible format that the system lists. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. Uses the mac format journaled hfs plus to protect the integrity of the hierarchical file system. How to format a mac hdd to win ntfs using win 10 microsoft.
Although in principal, formatting means to erase existing data and free up space for utilization, the procedures are not exactly the same for mac and windows. But since its new, its not compatible with older operating systems. Sep 26, 2018 need to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. Jun 20, 2019 for mac, the mac os extension is the file system included in mac os 10. So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both windows and mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with windows pc and mac. This elegant example of handling new hard drive is not only suitable for the latest microsoft system, it can also serve as an example for windows server 2012 and even for web. Windows will format the drive as exfat and youll be able to use the drive on both windows and. Use the file system dropdown menu, and select ntfs recommended. If you buy a new external hard drive, you may notice that working between mac and pc is an often difficult but it doesnt need to be.
How to format hard drives on windows, mac and linux. The latter requires to you to use a command line interface, while the former uses a graphical user interface. While the new is originally referring to the year 1993, it has since been improved and updated over the years. How to install os x on a new or faulty hd without internet. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdos is the formatting option for pc. As we know, external hard drives are widely used to backup data or interchange files.
How to format a new or second hard drive in windows 10 formatting a drive may vary in terms of different operating systems, like windows and mac. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Plug your drive into the computer and, if necessary, into a wall outlet. Nov 19, 2015 now that we know the good and bad about every file system, let see how to format a drive in windows, mac, and linux. If you own a windows computer, the hard drive in your system is probably running the ntfs format, which stands for new technology file system. How can i format this drive in windows 7 home premium. Make sure to select the parent hard disk in the sidebar. Jul 18, 20 new mac systems built in 2010 and later support an internet recovery mode, which can be used to download the boot image generally stored on the os x recovery partition so you can run diagnostics. Select the mac drive from the list of drives make sure this is the drive you want to work on, if you do it for the windows formatted drive in the list, it may cost you a lot of important data. Enter a name that you want the volume to have after you erase it, such as macintosh hd.
I am asking this question since i am planning to get a new hd for my mac and use the old one with windows. Open file explorer and locate your drive in the sidebar. Right click on the partition and select delete volume this will remove the partition. Connect the hdd to a mac and format the drive as fat32 and then connect the same mac hdd to windows and convert it to ntfs. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Plug your hd into the mac and open disk utility, which can be accessed by searching for it in spotlight.
If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. A vast majority of video production will be done on a mac or windows operating system, so we arent going to cover linux. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac youtube. This works with any hard drive, flash drive, ssd, usb drive, or just about any other. May 21, 2018 windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. Mar 15, 2018 to format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. Disk utility is a useful application inside your mac system. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. And apfs takes the advantages of strong encryption, space sharing, disk snapshots and is compatible with ssd on new mac. You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. How to format new hard drive on windows 10 windows central.
How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Jan 17, 2019 rightclick the new hard drive and select the format option. Oct 16, 2019 much like the previous version, exfat also works with both mac and windows operating systems. How to reinstall macos from macos recovery apple support. May 29, 2018 to format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. To format new hard drive or partition in windows 8. Learn how to use macos recovery to reinstall the mac operating system on your builtin drive or an external drive. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Windows will format the drive as exfat and youll be able to use the drive on both windows and mac. If you are not comfortable with the previous method. Here are two outstanding mac hard drive format software tools you can rely on.
How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Choose either apfs or mac os extended journaled to format as a mac volume. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. I understand that you are facing issues with windows 10. Oct 25, 2009 you can format the drive as fat32, but only on a pc. That said, if you are using both a pc and mac in the workflow, youll need to use a different format. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. If a wireless network is available, you can choose it from the wi. Be absolutely sure you have your files off the drive and that youve selected the correct drive you want to format. Formatieren einer festplatte fur windowscomputer mit dem.
How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. The oldest windows os that exfat can work with is windows xp sp3, while the oldest mac os is mac 10. In this video we look at the process of formatting a hard drive, flash drive, or ssd on an apple computer. Jun 02, 2017 in this video we look at the process of formatting a hard drive, flash drive, or ssd on an apple computer.
How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Sep 06, 2019 choose a new name for your macs hard drive. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. Fat32 format works on both windows and mac but the problem is you can only work with the files with maximum size 4gb. Rightclick the new hard drive and select the format option. This is a great thing to do when you first purchase a drive or when you are looking to.
How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Need to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Choose one of the following mac os extended file system formats for compatibility with mac computers using macos 10. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Plug in your external hdd to the usb port of your computer then go to my computer find your external drive rightclick it and select format.
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