How to format an external hard drive for Windows PC

And finally, all the other file formats are only used for Mac.ĭuring the process you are going to find 3 kinds of schemes you can choose from: If your goal is to format drive for Mac and PC, you have to choose FAT or exFAT, compatible file formats for Mac and Windows. However, it is only compatible with macOS. Edit the disk name, and select a file format and a scheme.Īmong all the 10 formats (file systems) you can select in macOS 10.13 or above the APFS is the suggested one, because it has the most recent features to work with the best performance and data management. Choose your target external hard drive or volume, and click the Erase button on the top of Disk Utility.Ĥ. Launchpad → Other → Disk Utility, and click the Disk Utility.ģ. Connect the external hard drive with your Mac, and the computer will mount your drive.Ģ. Format the external drive with Disk Utility on Mac:ġ. Tips: Remember to back up the files on the external drive if you have saved anything important on it, formatting a disk will erase all the data on it. Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your computer. Now, it also supports macOS Ventura to High Sierra, Mac with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M2 chips. Even if the external hard drive is read-only on Mac, this iBoysoft tool enables you to write to NTFS drives on the Mac with ease. Under such a circumstance, a professional NTFS driver for Mac like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is exactly what you need. Because you can read NTFS drive on Mac only and you can't write to this drive normally in this case. However, the NTFS format can be a hassle for users who need to use the same external hard drive on both Mac and Windows. This is because Windows is the most commonly used around the world. Usually, most hard drive manufacturers use the NTFS(New Technology File System) to format their external HDD as a factory standard, including many famous brands such as Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch and WD My Passport. This method suits you most if you just want to use it occasionally on different OS or don't want to lose all the files caused by formatting drive for Mac and PC. If you need to use an external hard drive on Mac that is not completely compatible with your computer OS and you have the urge to format hard drive for Mac and PC, you should know there is a more feasible way to make your external hard drives compatible with your Mac and PC. How to make an external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting

Hard disk format for mac and windows