First, lets see how to format an external hard drive or usb drive in macos which works with both mac and pc platforms, first plugin your drive in macos machine. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. Choose 1 partition from the volume scheme and then click on options. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Formatting a 3tb external hard drive i recently purchased a wd elements 3tb hard drive to be used to backup my files. Mar 31, 2020 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 your hard drive seagate support australia.
For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. No need to worry or try to claim warranty because your new external hard drive is fine. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. How long does it take to format a 500gb hard drive. Is as easy and as familiar as using the internal drive inside your mac. For mac users, buying an external hdd already formatted for your system makes getting started much easier. So if you are formatting a drive that has already been used, be sure to copy any files you will ever want to see again onto a computer or backup drive. May 09, 2019 the best external hard drives for mac in 2020.
How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. Wd 1tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive usb 3. Even though mac computers are capable of reading hard drives that are formatted for windows, if you intend on using your external hdd as a bootable disk or want to use it to backup files with your mac s time machine, you must format it to be entirely mac compatible. How to fix raw external hard drive without formatting. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow.
Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin. When i did this, it partioned the drive into two drives 2tb and 700gb, and it will only allow me to format the 2tb partition. Seagate expansion 3tb usb 3 drive unboxing and formatting. However, it just wont recognize it, even though the hard drive is showing up on your computer. Now your external drive has been formatted to be fully compatible with apple macos, and you can edit, read, and write files to it as you want. How to format internal or external 3tb hard drive to fat32. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. This would have changed your raw drive into ntfs file system and the data you have stored in it can be used again. How to format internal or external 3tb hard drive to fat32 in. The prior generation mac wd hdd was much nicer in a silverish sleek enclosure. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex.
Formatting 3tb internal or external hard drive from ntfs to fat32 so that the hard drive can be used in some devices, such as xbox 360, ps3, etc. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. It happens that a toshiba external hard drive is not working in windows, be it not showing up, not recognized, or not showing files. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. It came formatted for mac os and i need to format it under ntfs. Given the varying situation, we will show you how to fix toshiba external hard drive not working according to your exact scenario and present you the toshiba hard drive recovery tool to rescue your data on the storage medium. For instance, is the hard drive internal or external.
Wd my passport for mac portable external hard drive. You just need to know how to format external hard drive for ps4. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. Seagate expansion 3tb usb 3 drive unboxing and formatting for mac.
Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc. How to format seagate drive for mac and pc quickly and securely. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. To use the drive on the xbox it needs to be formatted on extfat ntfs3g is an application to use ntfs drives on mac. I have a mac and downloaded and formatted my 3tb hard drive to ntfs3g, but when i plug it into my xbox. To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both mac and windows pc. The reason is perhaps that seagate external hard drive has been well known for a long time as one of the most reliable drives for storing data. Wd used to be in my view the leaders in storage solutions.
Wd 1tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive. This is because when you initially connect an external hdd made for mac to a mac computer, you wont be required to format it before you begin transferring files. Sep 28, 2019 ginsco hard carrying case for portable external drive. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives. If you want to write to ntfs formatted hard drives in mac os x, youre going to need the help of a thirdparty driver. Free download disk formatting software for mac to easily format mac hard drive, format external hard drive, usb, memory card under mac os. 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.
Is there a faster way to format the drive instead of the typical windows way. Formatting a 3tb external hard drive microsoft community. Apr 21, 2020 i have purchased a 1tb portable external seagate hard drive and i would like to use it with both my mac and windows computer. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pc mac hard drive. I know mac operating system doesnt fully supports ntfs formatted drive. While its convenient to purchase the hard drive that will work with your computer right out of the box, most external hard drives can also be reformatted so youre not limited to your initial choice. While drives are sold as plugandplay, formatting prior to use will give you optimal performance and. Seagate expansion on mac, want it but can i use on my mac. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Feb 05, 20 i open my new usb 3 external drive from seagate. They produced fantastic looking external hard drive enclosures and each year i would get a new one in their range.
How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. I have a mac and downloaded and formatted my 3tb hard drive to ntfs3g, but when i plug it into my xbox it wont even recognize it. If you work solely on a mac, but need to send files to someone working on a pc, your external hard drive needs to be set up for both operating systems. Hi, i got stuck at formatting a 500gb seagate external hard drive in windows 10 and need your help. Simply put, your ps4 isnt recognizing the file system of your drive, which is most probably. Using your seagate expansion to drag and drop files onto your mac. Dec 29, 2015 follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. But compared with formatting, an ntfs for mac driver like iboysoft ntfs for mac is a better and feasible solution. The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as fat32. Lets take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. I am having a huge dilemma with my new western digital 4tb hard drive.
The videos below demonstrate the complete process of formatting an external hard drive for full mac os x compatibility, this uses the. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users. Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can. Nov 19, 2009 i am having a huge dilemma with my new western digital 4tb hard drive. This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the mac you plug the drive into. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. What do i need to do to format the entire 3tb drive i. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Open the disk utility and select the external drive.
Speaking of formatting a hard drive in windows explorer or. It seems that my hard drive takes forever to format. Mar 30, 2018 formatting 3tb internal or external hard drive from ntfs to fat32 so that the hard drive can be used in some devices, such as xbox 360, ps3, etc. Dec, 2019 you can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Buying and using an external hd is one thing, getting the most out of it is quite another. Download disk formatting software for mac doyourdata.
Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. To deal with the raw external hard drive issue, there might be the need to format the drive to turn the raw files to ntfs. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. The drag and drop commands youre used to using on your mac are the same. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.