Formatting iomega external hard drive apple community. One simple way to make the drive readable on both platforms is to format it to exfat, which both operating systems can understand. When formatting partitions, windows 7s disk management utility. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Rakesh shewale writes with a common question about formatting compatibility.
Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. What is the best format to chose for an external hard drive. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat.
Lacie mobile drive user manual optional formatting and. How to access mac osx extended formatted hard drive in windows. I looked up about the different hd formats for mac and windows. Mar 15, 2018 to format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. Nov 19, 2017 ive ordered a usb to sata cable to format the drive from another mac, but can i format the drive as os x extended journaled in windows. Erase mac hard drive when you erase a hard drive, you basically format ntfs on mac and change the format to a compatible one like afps or mac os x extended journaled. This is the only file system on which autocad for mac 2011. Then click the second partition, name it mac, and change its format to mac os extended journaled. Anyone knows how to format a flash drive to mac os x extended. The formatting decides the way the files are stored on your hard disk.
Sep 20, 2019 if youve got a mechanical hard drive, and you intend to use it only with macs, its probably best to stick with mac os extended. Choose either apfs or mac os extended journaled to format as a mac volume. This format has all three features of the file systems above. Jan 02, 2016 os x extended case sensitive, journaled, encrypted journaled is basically an extension feature to the format that ensures files are fully written to the drive in a location called the journal before they are committed as stored data, which helps guarantee file integrity if there is an interruption such as a power loss, drive failure, etc. Choose one of the following mac os extended file system formats for compatibility with mac computers using macos 10. Right now in gparted there isnt even an option to format the usb. Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. Formatting an external hard drive for my apple community. Best option i would recommend, if youre doing film stuff, format as mac journaled and have the windows user to download and install a program that reads mac journaled drives. You will learn how to format the external hard disk which has deafult ntfs format, to make it compatible with mac os. Find the hard drive you want to format, and highlight it. Open disk utility and select the hard drive which you want to format on the lefthand side you will see your external hard drive icon if connected.
Mac can read all the file system formats including windows msdos, fat, fat32. Ive ordered a usb to sata cable to format the drive from another mac, but can i format the drive as os x extended journaled in windows. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing data. Read only ntfs from native mac os x to readwriteformat ntfs from mac os x, here are some alternatives. I question whether the mac osx extended journaled format on the external drive i am booting from is the culprit that prevents me from performing the above operation, because of what i. The format apple support for mac owners for time machine is mac os extended journaled. The mac os extended journaled format file system is the default file system for macos sierra and earlier. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility.
Click on the apply button and wait until the process has completed. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Aug 30, 2017 with my previous laptops pcs, ive always stored my data on an external hard drive. If youve got a mechanical hard drive, and you intend to use it only with macs, its probably best to stick with mac os extended. The disk drive in the system is formatted with a file system other than mac os extended journaled or it is formatted as casesensitive. However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by.
How to access a mac drive from a windows or linux system. Windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. Apfs apple file systeman apple file system optimized for solid state drives ssds and flashbased storage systems. Sometime back, my mac has been acting up, to the point where i cant use it anymore. Now switch to the erase tab and click on the format dragdown menu.
Once in the folder, youll see an application named disk utility, doubleclick on it to launch the program. May 31, 2014 hi folks, i have an external mac os extended journaled formatted hd with all my mac and windows related files program setups etc. How to format usb drive or external hard drive on mac. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc pcworld.
By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. Now, i have a new macbook pro and all my data is still on that external hd. Be absolutely sure you have your files off the drive and that youve selected the correct drive you want to format. I always format a new drive as mac os extended journaled, immediatly and before use. If you wish to change to mac os extended journaled. Disk utility shows the recommended mac format by default. Give your settings a final lookover and click apply. Apr 30, 2008 but even if i dont partition the unallocated 20gb at all i cant format them to mac os extended journaled with the disk utility. Click the erase button or tab, then complete these items.
Select the volume you just created this is the subentry under the drive entry from the left side list. Hard drives advertised as being compatible with windows and mac os may. One touch ssd user manual optional formatting and partitioning. Theres also the option of macos extended journaled, encrypted which is a good choice if you are. Format external hard disk drive for mac os and windows using. Os x extended case sensitive, journaled, encrypted journaled is basically an extension feature to the format that ensures files are fully written to the drive in a location called the journal before they are committed as stored data, which helps guarantee file integrity if there is an interruption such as a power loss, drive failure, etc.
External hard disks and usb drives are generally formatted with the windows. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Hello, my os is windows 7 ultimate 64bit, and i would like to format one of my partitions into mac os extended journaled format. Click on the erase tab in the disk utility main window. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x. When formatting a hard drive with disk utility, make sure to. How to use disk utility in macos sierra formatting external. Formatting a hard drive will take a while and wait for it patiently. How to format external ssd for mac time machine mashtips. After running time machine on the mac partition i restarted the imac to windows 7. How to create a mac os extended journaled partition on my. Remember, this will erase all the files on the drive. Oct 29, 2019 connect the hard drive or usb with mac and open disk utility from applications. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac.
This first time round you format your elements drive to mac os extended journaled file system. Hierarchical file system plus, also known as mac os extended, is the primary file system format used in mac computers. As it is mentioned above, after formatting a hard drive, all data on the hard drive will be erased. Youve formatted your external drive to be compatible with mac os x, and have confirmed that the formatting process was successful. Fortunately disk utility, built right into macos, can help. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. The unallocated space is just grey and all the buttons like options, revert and apply as well as the format. Named the top partition mac and chose the format mac os extended journaled, named the bottom windows and chose the format ntsf. That said, if you are using both a pc and mac in the workflow, youll need to use a different. However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by using the exfat filesystem. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Ive ordered a usb to sata cable to format the drive from another mac, but can i format the drive, as os x extended journaled, in windows. Im thinking of reformatting it or reinstalling mac os x. It will automatically locate the connected drive, and you can load it.
Make sure the storage device is connected to and mounted on the computer. Enter a name for the disk or volume, such as macintosh hd. The problem is that i cant readwrite it in windows 8. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. Uses the mac format journaled hfs plus to protect the integrity of the hierarchical file system. Autocad installation on casesensitive volumes is not supported. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Readwrite mac os extended journaled formatted hd in.
To use hfsexplorer, connect your macformatted drive to your windows pc and launch hfsexplorer. Read mac formatted drives with windows the tech guy. Format external hard drive or usb drive for mac easeus. Both windows and mac os x have full readwrite support for exfat. Next to format, it should say mac os extended journaled. While mac os x can read hard drives formatted as ntfs, write access is. Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Then, select your hard drive from the left sidebar. Mar 22, 2012 then click the second partition, name it mac, and change its format to mac os extended journaled. The red arrow on the picture shows you where to click. Seagate backup plus hub is available in two models, windows and mac. Enter a name that you want the volume to have after you erase it, such as macintosh hd. Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. Read about it and found that id have to reformat it in mac os extended journaled.
I bought a new external hdd for my mac about a month ago and formatted it to mac os x extended journaled. On the other hand, my 1tb external hard drive was initially formatted to be read and written with mac only. Format new ssd as os x extended journaled from pc ask. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x doesnt allow us to write files to the drive neither edit files, though it can read a ntfs drive. Mac os extended journaled format microsoft community. In the volume format list, select mac os extended journaled. Reformatting a hard drive is often done just to erase all of its contents. Format mac osx extended journaled from pc storage devices. May 01, 2020 click the erase button or tab, then complete these items. Transfer speed is good and exfat has higher chance to corrupt files, or general hd failure. How to format or partition an external hard drive on mac. A new window will pop up asking which file system youd like to format the external drive to. Windows cant normally read macformatted drives, and will offer to erase. How to format an external drive in os x make tech easier.
Plug your hd into the mac and open disk utility, which can be accessed by searching for it in spotlight. Format an external hd with mac osx extended not journaled. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Mac can read all the file system formats including windows msdos, fat, fat32, exfat, and ntfs, but you cannot write on it.
Now, i have a win pc but no access to the files there. Both windows and mac can read drives formatted with this. You can use this format if you share the drive between mac os x and windows computers and have no files larger than 4gb. With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years. This will be the name displayed when the drive mounts. This is the best format if you intend to use lacie mobile drive with time machine.
How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Click the file menu and select load file system from device. But even if i dont partition the unallocated 20gb at all i cant format them to mac os extended journaled with the disk utility. Hi folks, i have an external mac os extended journaled formatted hd with all my mac and windows related files program setups etc. Partition hard drive for mac and windows, in 6 easy steps. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. Formatted to windows but need to reformat to mac help wd. If you want to insure full mac compatibility of a new external hard drive or flash disk, youll want to format the drive to the mac os extended filesystem. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on a mac. Wait as the os x utilities window appears on the screen. Aug 14, 20 i looked up about the different hd formats for mac and windows. Youll be going through this stage of the formatting twice.
Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc. Jun 30, 2018 you will learn how to format the external hard disk which has deafult ntfs format, to make it compatible with mac os. Dec 29, 2015 windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. Why wont windows recognize an macos partitioned external. Locate the drive from the left side panel of disk utility and open it. If you want to format an external hard drive, you have to connect the external hard drive to your mac first. While mac os x can read hard drives formatted as ntfs, write access is not available. With my previous laptops pcs, ive always stored my data on an external hard drive. Ive just got a new hard drive but my mac wont accept it as boot drive unless its formatted in a macos readable format its simply not readable. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.
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