formatting a external hard driver for mac

#Formatting a external hard driver for mac how to#
#Formatting a external hard driver for mac android#
#Formatting a external hard driver for mac Pc#

#Formatting a external hard driver for mac Pc#

So, when the external HDD you want to used for both Mac and PC is larger than 2 TB, exFAT is the best choice.Īfter you choose the best format for your drive, you can format or reformat the external hard drive in Disk Utility as it was introduced. The difference is that exFAT has no limitations on file size and hard drive size. Similarly, exFAT is also a widely compatible file system. When choose exFAT file system for external hard drive on Mac and PC? So, If all your files on the external hard drive are smaller than 4 GB, and the drive itself is smaller than 2 TB, then FAT32 is a better choice for you to use the hard drive on Mac and PC. However, FAT32 can only support files up to 4 GB in size.

#Formatting a external hard driver for mac android#

When choose FAT32 file system for external hard drive on Mac and PC?įAT32 works with almost any operating system as well as video game consoles, Android USB expansions, media players, and other devices. So, you should make sure you have backed up your files on the external hard drive before you continue any steps. Warning: Reformatting will wipe files off the external hard drive.

File systems like FAT32 and exFAT can make the external HDD compatible with both Macs and Windows PCs. Whether you are using an APFS/HFS+ or a Windows NTFS formatted external hard drive on Mac, you can reformat the external hard drives for both Mac and PC. To make it compatible with both macOS and Windows, you need to reformat the external hard drive. Sometimes, users need to use the same external hard drive interchangeably on Mac and PC. Out of the box, you can't read or write HFS+/APFS drives on Windows while you can read NTFS drive on Mac only but can't write it on Mac. If you don't format the external hard drive correctly, it won't work to the utmost extent.įor instance,Windows uses NTFS, while Mac uses HFS+ or APFS. It's important to know how to format an external hard drive for your Mac and PC before you use it to free up space and transfer files between computers.

#Formatting a external hard driver for mac how to#

Read more > How to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC? Want to format your external hard drive on Windows PC? Here's a complete guide to help you initialize and reformat your external drive. Guide to initialize and format external hard drive on Windows PC Tips: To prevent data loss during formatting, make sure you haven't saved important files on the drive. Then, you need to choose the best file system for your external hard drive when erase it. To format external hard drives on Mac, you'll need the built-in disk management tool called Disk Utility. How to format external hard drive for Mac? More importantly, you will know how to format external hard drive for Mac and PC and make external hard drive compatible with Mac and Windows PC without formatting. Then, after reading this post, you'll know what is the best format for your external hard drive and what is the best format for your Mac and PC. How to partition an external hard drive for Mac and Windows PC.How to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting.Which is the best format for external hard drive on Mac and PC?.How to format (external) hard drive for Mac and PC.How to format external hard drive for Windows PC?.How to format external hard drive for Mac?.Though the default hard disk file system (also known as format) of Windows and Mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC.