how to format external hard drive mac os

HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS HOW TO
HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS MP4
HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS INSTALL

ExFAT: This isn’t exclusive to any OS.

You can read and write on Windows platforms, but macOS and Linux users will only be able to read data from an NTFS-formatted drive. Like most file systems, NTFS is restricted once you move outside of Windows.

NTFS: This is what Windows uses by default.

Because of that, we’re going to go over the most commonly used file system options so you’ll know what’s what. The one yours uses largely depends on the drive and the computer OS you’re using. Unfortunately, there isn’t a de facto file system that all hard drives use. Beforehand, just be sure your files are backed up with an online backup service, such as Backblaze(read our Backblaze review).īefore getting into the formatting process, though, it’s important to go over what you’ll be formatting the drive with: a file system.įile systems are what operating systems use to store information on a storage device.

HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS INSTALL

In the same way a fresh install of your OS can solve most issues, reformatting your hard drive is a critical step in troubleshooting problems. Outside of formatting for initial use, you may need to reformat your hard drive if you encounter errors.

HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS HOW TO

In fact, that’s one of our recommended troubleshooting steps in our how to solve an external hard drive not showing up guide. Most external drives come ready to use on your computer, but in rare cases, you’ll need to format your drive. The data isn’t erased completely, but we’ll touch more on that later. Instead, formatting is used to get the hard drive to a state in which it can be used by the computer, which requires all written data to be erased from the drive. Though that’s true to a degree, it’s not the sole purpose of the process. Most people associate hard drive formatting with erasing a hard drive.

Let’s first talk about hard drive formatting, file systems and how formatting doesn’t necessarily erase all data from your drive. We’ll show you how to format your hard drive on Mac and Windows computer operating systems, and explain key settings on both operating systems.īefore getting to that, though, it’s important to understand what hard drive formatting is. In this guide on how to format external hard drives, we’re going to help you make sure your portable disk works with everything. It can also be used to prep a hard drive for use with another operating system. Formatting allows you to overwrite all the information on the hard drive, resetting the file structure and how the drive interacts with the operating system. If you’ve run into issues with your hard drive, formatting is one of the first steps you should take to troubleshoot it.

HOW TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE MAC OS MP4

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How to format external hard drive mac os