#Format an external hard drive for mac osx how to#
#Format an external hard drive for mac osx for mac#
#Format an external hard drive for mac osx mac os#
#Format an external hard drive for mac osx update#
#Format an external hard drive for mac osx windows#

#Format an external hard drive for mac osx for mac#

What's more, a perfect fix is provided to recover lost data from the formatted drive.īased on what's been discussed above, it's quite clear that AnyRecover for Mac is a tool worthy of top-shelf treatment in your collection of utility items.

#Format an external hard drive for mac osx how to#

In this post, we've talked about how to reformat external hard drive on Mac to meet the needs and better make use of the device. Select the files and press 'Recover' to get them back. Double click a single file to preview it before recovery. Once done, it will list out all the scanned results by file type. AnyRecover will take a moment to scan your drive. Next select the drive under 'External Removable Devices' tab, click 'Start' to begin scanning lost files on the drive. Plug the external hard drive into your Mac directly or via USB.

#Format an external hard drive for mac osx mac os#

Follow on-screen prompts to choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system and allow the disk to format.įollow these simple steps using AnyRecover to get your files back! Find the name of the drive in the left side of the Utilities window and select it. Start the Disk Utility, which is located under Applications > Utilities. Connect the external drive or the USB drive to the Mac. Disk utility - the MacOS utility application can help you with this. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another.Īll is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your Mac. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. Keep in mind that Mac OS can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance and to create a bootable disk, formatting exclusively for your Mac based on its version is required.įormatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your back-up files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with Mac OS is not as difficult as it might seem. Part 2: Format External Hard Drive for Mac with Disk Utility Luckily, there are third-party tools to help you do so. NTFS: As the default file system in Windows, it can only read by Mac OS and writing to it is not available.

#Format an external hard drive for mac osx windows#

Nevertheless, this older file system is limited to no more than 4GB and there might be security issue and disk errors.ĮxFAT: It is similar to ExFAT which can be read by both Windows and Mac, but it can store more than 4GB files. It enables you to regularly share files with your friends. MS-DOS FAT (aka FAT32): In addition to Mac, it can also be written and read by Linux and Windows. You can encrypt it so that no one can access the contents on your drive. Mac OS Extended (encrypted) would be an ideal option if you probably carry your laptop or external drive here and there.

#Format an external hard drive for mac osx update#

Mac OS Extended (Journaled/HFS+): If you didn't update your Mac OS to High Sierra, the default file system on your Mac shoule be Mac OS Extended. What's more, it is compatible with SSD and flash storage devices only.

However, it won't be readable and usable on machines that are not running Mac High Sierra, Windows or Linux PCs. Which one is right for your circumstance? We'll describe them here, and you'll be able to make your choice after reading the details.ĪPFS: This is the default file system in Macs with High Sierra. There are a few file formats you can use, but it depends on the purpose you want to use the drive for. The most important, you should decide which format to use. WARNING:Formatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting.Part 1: Which File Format You Should Choose?īefore you begin formatting the drive, there are a few things to do. Set Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Check step 2 to confirm Disk Utility is Showing All Devices. NOTE: If you don’t see Scheme, then make sure that all devices are showing and the non-indented entry is selected.

Select the non-indented entry, you will see Media in the nameĬlick the button labelled Erase in the menu which will bring up this window.

Click View in the upper left and select Show All Devices.

To open Disk Utility - Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility IMPORTANT: Reformatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. If you need to go between macOS and Windows then format your drive ExFAT on macOS

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) does not work natively with Windows.

Starting with Big Sur, Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is no longer the default when using Time Machine.

It is important to keep the following in mind when formatting Mac OS Extended (Journaled): Not sure what version you are using? Click here to determine your version of macOS IMPORTANT: This article applies to the following macOS versions: