Sep 12, 2019 format drive to exfat in windows 10 so it is readandwrite in mac os as well. How to format external ssd for mac time machine mashtips. Buying an external hard drive is one of the best options for adding the storage space to the mac computer system. How to manage disks and volumes with os xs disk utility. Instead, the scheme defaults to guid, which in my case is useless.
High sierra wont format new drives fix macos disk utility erase process has failed fix disk utility unable to format erase hard drive fix music from youtube free music library. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. Open disk management, the hard drive manager included with all versions of windows. Apple directly supports three different partition schemes. If you want to use a different file system on your usb drive, youll need to format it. How to format a new internal ssd in macos high sierra. How to format hdd sdd on mac os x via terminal youtube. Unfortunately, disk utility in macos high sierra doesnt make that option.
I am having a huge dilemma with my new western digital 4tb hard drive. For apple mac users, the easier way to format usb flash drive to fat32 is using the disk utility. For the installation of mac, the hard disk partition should be in the gpt guid partition table scheme formatted. While you have bought this drive, you will find the drive already formatted for your mac or windows system. May 29, 2018 if you want to make your drive compatible with mac and windows, you need to format it with a common file system for mac and windows. Read this stepwise tutorial and learn how to format hdd for mac and windows like a pro. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. You can format an external drive in os x using disk utility and terminal.
Macos on intel will only boot from a drive with a guid partition table, and windows systems from 2005 on can readwrite th. Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. A vast majority of video production will be done on a mac or windows operating system, so we arent going to cover linux. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive. Format drive to exfat in windows 10 so it is readandwrite in mac os as well. Jan 02, 2016 formatting a drive on your mac is quite easy. Theres a third selection you need to make called scheme.
Its worth noting that starting with mac os high sierra 10. Understanding apple partition types and how to use them. How to format a startup drive for a mac if you want to format a drive that will be used as your mac s startup disk, the procedure is a little different from formatting it for use as a secondary. Again, formatting a drive will erase it completely, so make sure you have everything backed up that you want to keep. Furthermore, youll dive into what best format you can use for your mac hard drive and what causes you to format a hard drive. You will learn the easiest way to format drive on mac and windows as exfat. To format a drive on a mac, youll need the builtin disk utility application. In this tutorial, i will show you how to reformat the hard drive in your mac and reinstall os x for that factory fresh finish. Mac os x installation basics sata drive seagate support us. Before you can use it though, you need to properly format or reformat a hard drive so that it will become compatible or readable with the operating system that you are using.
You can, however, format a windows hard drive from a mac if you connect the windows hard drive to the mac and format it through disk. However, it just wont recognize it, even though the hard drive is showing up on your computer. It is time to learn how to format your external hard drive or other external drives to a common file system for mac and windows. If you selected the drive name instead of its description you wont see the scheme. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Guid partition table to use the disk to start up an intelbased mac, or to use the disk as a non startup disk with any mac with mac os x version 10. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. I am wanting to format all 6tb to fat32 so i am able to use it on my playstation 3, along with my mac and pc.
Now, you may check the hard drive to know whether the process has formatted it. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. If you need to format, partition, or otherwise work with hard drives on a mac, apples disk utility is the tool you use. Format external driveusb exfat in windows 10 in simple steps. Youll also be asked to choose between a partition scheme.
Before formatting any hard drive, its a good idea to backup. These steps can be used for both internal and external drives. Fat32 and exfat can be compatible with mac and windows and you can choose one after realizing their respective merits and defects based on your demands. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to create a partition on your mac to install macos.
Macos disk utility wont format new drive fix how to. The macbook and macbook pros come with an ssd to store data and an os. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Choose a partition scheme appropriate for the way you will use this disk. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. Aug 22, 2019 how to format hard drive on mac and pc. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. It will erase all data from hard disk donate to support me. Thus, we have presented you with a number of options to format external hard drive in mac computer. No need to worry or try to claim warranty because your new external hard drive is fine. It came formatted for mac os and i need to format it under ntfs. How to format a startup drive for a mac if you want to format a drive that will be used as your macs startup disk, the procedure is a little different from formatting it for use as a secondary. Oct 02, 2017 this tutorial will walk through how to perform a clean install of macos high sierra 10. A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac.
Although disk utility should always be tried first, a macs terminal can be used to format the drive in. If the sidebar displays only volumes, select the view show all devices in the main menu. Simply put, your ps4 isnt recognizing the file system of your drive, which is most probably. If the format or more importantly the scheme are wrong the partition. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x. Apple partition map to use the disk to start up a powerpcbased mac.
How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. If you do not see the scheme option, then you have selected the volume and not the drive. Mar 16, 2020 how to format mac top 3 methods in 2020 are you looking for accurate information on how to format mac. Find out how to format an external drive or usb disk making the drive work with both windows pc and mac can read and write. Verify that the correct hard drive is selected in the left column. You can select the exfat format when using the disk. Now select the internal hds first icon in the list and tell us what the partition map scheme is, then select the internal hds second icon in the list and tell us what the format is. Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup.
What partition map i should use, guid or apple when formatting external portable harddrive. Enter a name, select the format and scheme, and click erase. Click on the view button in the upper lefthand side, change to show all devices. Jul 12, 2017 how to format a drive as apfs in macos sierra.
When you use a hard disk drive, time machine will take a while to back up your mac. However, if you want to test apfs out before then, youll have to wipe a drive and reformat it with the apfs file system. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Simply put, your ps4 isnt recognizing the file system of your drive, which is most probably ntfs.
Even if the mac is unable to mount the storage, following this method will enable you to format the storage. I need to format the drive in mbr to ensure maximum compatibility the drive contains a digital cinema package, and i had the best results working with the master boot record. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both mac and windows by using the exfat file system. Mar 29, 2019 how to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. Recently, some owc customers have reported experiencing a situation where their new ssd will not show up in disk utility in high sierra. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac in disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. How to format a drive with the apfs file system on macos sierra. This tutorial explains how to format external hard driveusb flash drive exfat in windows 10. In the disk utility app on your mac, choose view show all devices in the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with windows computers. For instance, is the hard drive internal or external. You can format a drive using the disk utility in mac. There may be occasions, however, when you want to reformat your mac s hard drive.
Set the format to mac os extended journaled and the scheme to guid partition map. Set the format to mac os extended journaled and the scheme to. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. The maximum individual file size for exfat is 16 eb. Aug 30, 2016 this is an article for mac, it is erasing a hard drive from a mac command line, it is not a windows tutorial. You just need to know how to format external hard drive for ps4. That said, if you are using both a pc and mac in the workflow, youll need to use a different format. Click the erase button click the scheme popup menu, then choose master boot record. Nov 10, 2018 for the installation of mac, the hard disk partition should be in the gpt guid partition table scheme formatted. Fat 32 is the most compatible disk format which is why its the most widely used on usb thumb drives its compatible with both mac and windows. I just recently bought my 6tb my book studio edittion ii wd hard drive.
If it is anything other than guid and mac os extended journaled, then now using disk utility is where you will want to reset it. It is recommended to choose the compatible format that the system lists. A clean install requires the mac hard drive to be erased, meaning all data, files, photos, movies, apps everything will be erased from the computer. How to erase or format a mac hard drive via command. Choice of scheme when formatting usb flash drive in macos ask. A complete solution do you wish to format hard drive for mac and pc, but cant find a solution. You can choose whatever name you want, and you should choose guid partition map for the. You ll also be asked to choose between a partition scheme. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. The partition map scheme is indicated in the table.
How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. Guid partition map or apple partition map apple community. From all above, you can have a general idea of fat32 and exfat file system. Guid partition table got is the scheme used by servers, macs, and many contemporary windows pcs. How to format a drive with guid for macos high sierra, mojave. What format for my external drive allows use with mac and. So, you just bought a new external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. You can, however, format a windows hard drive from a mac if you connect the windows hard drive to the mac and format it through disk utility, or the command line as described above. May 15, 2019 how to format hdd sdd on mac os x via terminal. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility.
Before formatting any hard drive, its a good idea to backup any data or files you want to save before. Disk utility in macos high sierra or later can erase most disks and volumes for mac using either the newer apfs apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. In that case, choose master boot record for the scheme. In this post, youll learn how to format a hard drive for your mac. How to format a new internal ssd in macos high sierra tuesday, november 28th, 2017 author. When you have the need to format a hard drive under macos 10. If yes, then you will find this article helpful as we have gathered a complete guide regarding formatting mac.
Mar 19, 2020 how to format a hard drive in windows follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp. Though some companies sell macformatted drives, and charge extra for the. How to manage disks and volumes with os xs disk utility the. Partition types, or as apple refers to them, partition schemes, define how the partition map is organized on a hard drive.
By default, they format disks with the maconly os x extended file system. For pc and mac compatibility, select exfat format and master boot record. This is an article for mac, it is erasing a hard drive from a mac command line, it is not a windows tutorial. Heres how to format a drive using a mac including how to format a drive for windows and mac so the contents can be read on both platforms, and what format to use for time machine. Oct 09, 2019 this wikihow teaches you how to format a seagate hard drive on a mac computer. This wikihow teaches you how to format a seagate hard drive on a mac computer. And apfs takes the advantages of strong encryption, space sharing, disk snapshots and is compatible with ssd on new mac.
How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Posted on november 3rd, 2015 by kirk mcelhearn if you need to format, partition, or otherwise work with hard drives on a mac, apples disk utility is the tool you use. Apple file system apfs, mac os extended, and msdos fat\exfat. For mac, the mac os extension is the file system included in mac os 10. Mac computers are capable of formatting any storage device internal or external such as hdd ssd, usb flash drive, and external storage.
In this article, we will introduce you a few tools you can use for formatting hard drive under macos 10. How to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. Dec 22, 2019 format you can prefer mac os extended or apfs file system scheme find guid partition map and hit the button erase. Feb 03, 2020 disk utility in macos high sierra or later can erase most disks and volumes for mac using either the newer apfs apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. Oct 07, 2019 if youve always wanted to partition your macs hard drive so you can run a separate operating system including the launch of macos catalina in tandem with your current one, its surprisingly easy to do so thanks to apples builtin disk utility program. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided.
The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to format a drive with the apfs file system on macos. That said, if you are using smaller file sizes fat32 can suffice. Begin by connecting the storage device to your mac, and then launch disk utility using spotlight. To format a usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x follow these steps. Its format will be indicated right below the volume name in the upper section of the main window.