The instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. In the next 5 minutes read, you will master yourself in formatting a wd my passport safely and in a manner best suited for sharing your digital files between a macos and windows os. It will erase all the data stored in it, making it empty in one go. Doubleclick on the mac s main hard drive to open its window on the desktop. Now your external drive has been formatted to be fully compatible with apple macos, and you can edit, read, and write files to it as you want. While its convenient to purchase the hard drive that will work with your computer right out of the box, most external hard drives can also be reformatted so youre not limited to your initial choice. The my passport for mac drive s builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with password protection helps keep your digital lifes contents secure. This is because you must format the drive with a specific file system before using it with a computer, and windows and mac computers run on different file systems. Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. Apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. Wd external hard drive set up guide how to use on mac. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only.
Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system part 3. However, if youre having problems accessing the files and the issue is due to formatting, you will need to connect. Two ways for reformatting wd hard drive for mac and pc. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both mac and windows by using the exfat file system. Doubleclick on the macs main hard drive to open its window on the desktop. Some people are asking for a way to format a hard drive for mac. Right click the partition on the wd hard drive and choose format partition. How to format new hard drive on windows 10 windows central. User manual about your wd drive 1 about your wd drive this introductory chapter includes the following topics. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under mac os. Plug the cable attached to the wd external hard drive to the appropriate port on the mac, for example, the usb. Out of the both its not mac compatible, but you can format it for use. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Rightclick in the unallocated space on the initialized disk and select new simple volume.
For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac. Your wd elements drive will be on your mac s desktop under the name you gave it. My question is how do i reformat my wd harddrives that are set up for windows, without losing any of my files. Oct 15, 2015 hi, i am trying to access my wd hard drive which i have been using on my mac from my pc. Choose your wd elements external hard drive on your. How to format an external hard drive for a mac youtube. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto. Use the wizard to create a partition with the ntfs or fat32 file system. If you buy a new external hard drive, you may notice that working between mac and pc is an often difficult but it doesnt need to be. Whether you are trying to backup mac to an external hard drive, wipe out any personal information and sell the computer, or even use a new operating system, you need to format the hard drive on your mac or pc. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Te lights are on on the wd and i can unmount it, but cannot find it anywhere where i. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Pick your wd my passport in the external hard drive list.
To format western digital external hard drive fat32, you actually have a better choice. I currently have a windows laptop that i use and will be upgrading to a imac very soon. However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive.
Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. How to partition and format a wd drive on windows and macos. You have to set it up correctly before getting starting. It is possible to format a hard drive so it can be read on mac and windows computers, providing you format using exfat. Very limited technological knowledge, please try to keep that in mind if you answer. How to format usb drive external hard drive on macos catalina. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. It allows you to format wd hard disk to fat32, exfat, ntfs, ext2, ext3, etc. How to partition and format a wd drive on windows and. Dec 25, 2016 if you want to transfer files from a mac to windows pc and vice versa using an external portable hard drive then you have to have the external drive formatted in a file system both oss can read. Formatting a hard drive will take a while and wait for it patiently.
If you connect your wd hard drive without reformatting, youll be unable to copy files to the disk as mac read only supports ntfs file system. Connect it, power it up, go to disk utility in applicationsutilities, select the wd disk on the left, go to the erase tab, and choose mac os. You should create multiple partitions on your external hard drive, in order to have enhanced file organization. If you want to write to ntfs formatted hard drives in mac os x, youre going to need the help of a thirdparty driver.
Vishal updated on april 21, 2020 mac hard drive recovery 15 comments 6 min read. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. Is there a more basic way to reformat this particular external drive, to mac os x 10. How to format wd my passport in windows system just like disk utility on mac, there is an inbuilt tool known as disk management in windows. Click on the erase button to start erasing the external hard drive or usb. Now your entire wd elements external hard drive is in a format both computers can use. If your external hard drive is readonly on mac because it was formatted with microsoft ntfs file system, you can free download iboysoft ntfs for mac and feel free to copywriteeditdelete and transfer files on this drive without formatting it. Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. Format usb drive, external hard drive on macos catalina. Plug the cable attached to the wd external hard drive to the appropriate port on the mac, for example, the usb port. In july 2019, i bought a wd passport hard drive and changed the format it to exfat so i could add my files.
First to format your wd elements external drive to mac os extended journaled file system. You can find effective ways here to format wd my passport for mac and pc to fat32 or exfat file system with the help of the professional format tool easeus partition master or other solutions. Format any external hard drive for an apple mac tutorial. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac. You should now see your new hard drive on the desktop screen. Te lights are on on the wd and i can unmount it, but cannot find it anywhere where i can access and copy files over. Wd my passport this time not untitled and then erase.
How to format a hard drive to work on mac and pc youtube. 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. Apr 16, 2020 can i use wd hard drive on mac and pc. My passport for mac portable storage is ready right out of the box including all necessary. Formatted wd hard drive to exfat but it changed back to ntfs. 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 easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. Aomei partition assistant standard is professional and easytouse hard drive formatting software that can do you a big favor. How to reformat a wd external hard drive it still works. However, all of the solutions can be divided into two types. Format wd my passport for mac, 10 quick steps mactakeawaydata. Starting clean how to format new hard drive on windows 10 formatting is an essential task before starting to use a new drive, and in this guide, well show you how to do it. When trying to save large files in final cut pro, the hard drive would save numerous.
Nov 14, 2019 get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Formatting a wd external hard drive does not require any additional software. My question is whether i should just start using as is and skip the formatting step, which would mean not erasing the current content on the hard drive. Rightclick on the icon for your external drive on mac desktop, then select get info. Feb 03, 2020 use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. You might already know the consequences of formatting a hard drive.
Choose exfat or fat32 among the listed file systems on the dropdown menu. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. Inside, enter the applications folder and then the utilities folder. The wd my passport for mac hard drive is specially designed for mac mini computers, imacs and macbooks. Formatted wd hard drive to exfat but it changed back to. Mar 12, 2018 want to format a hard drive for mac and pc compatibility. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the finder in the lefthand column under devices, since macs treat them the same way as. Some mac osx version does not know how to handle a drive. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc. Open finder and choose applications utilities disk utility to launch the app on your mac. If you run into the issue of not having enough space format it to be the ex fat as. And in a few minutes your wd elements drive is exfat formatted ready for you to use on your mac and windows pc.
Dec, 2019 you can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. My passport wont format external drives for mac wd. Proceed based on whether youre erasing your startup disk or some other disk. This trusted portable storage always offers quick and easy way to expand the storage space of your computer and to store a massive amount of photos, videos, music and documents. Note that using a drive frequently between windows and mac could increase the chances of file corruption, so make. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. Kit contents optional accessories operating system compatibility disk drive format as shown in figur e 2, the my book my passport user manual my passport portable hard drive, with the wd backup, wd security and wd drive. A new windows explorer window opens, on the left side.
How to format or partition an external hard drive on mac. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Mar 29, 2019 how to format a hard drive on mac to work on mac and pc. Mar 15, 2018 if you know youre going to use a drive on both mac and windows, you should use the exfat file system, which is compatible with both. Connect your western digital my passport hard drive to your windows pc through the usb cable. It is the reliable disk formatting tool for windowsmac. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. You can now edit, read, and write files, as you wish. Usb drives and external hard drives on macos catalina are used for storing and backing up important data such as photos, videos, audios, images, notes, messages, music files, pdf files, word documents, among other files. I received a replacement 750gb external hard drive from western digital. Step 6 once formatting completes, you can then use your drive in mac as a usual hard drive part 3.
This is the process for formatting any external hard disk drive to work with an apple mac running os mojave or high sierra. Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Therefore, before you format mac pc drive, make sure that you have taken a backup of your important data. Double leftclick on the mac hd, the internal mac hard drive visible on the topright corner of the desktop screen. Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdoc is the. After realizing that you can reformat wd hard drive to fat32 or exfat to make it compatible with mac os x and still can be used under windows, it is time to check out how to reformat wd hard drive for mac and pc in windows successfully. I was a windows guy, who moved over the mac but only recently started saving things to the mac file system on my macbook pro. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Accessing mac formatted wd hard drive from pc external. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc.
The process is also the same for the macbook pro, macbook air, imac pro, imac, and macmini computers. How to fix wd my passport for mac hard drive not mounting. Tutorial on how to format a western digital elements harddrive for a mac. First, lets see how to format an external hard drive or usb drive in macos which works with both mac and pc platforms, first plugin your drive in macos machine. Oct 25, 2018 to format western digital external hard drive fat32, you actually have a better choice. Two easy methods to format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Youve formatted your external drive to be compatible with mac os x, and have confirmed that the formatting process was successful. But if you didnt foresee that, you may have formatted your drive with apples hfs plus, which windows cant read by default. Hi, i am trying to access my wd hard drive which i have been using on my mac from my pc. To format external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep.
This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two environments. Do i need to format my external hard drive macrumors. Therefore, it is necessary to present a tutorial guide here to format or partition a hard drive within mac. How to format a new or second hard drive on mac mac is obviously a very much different operating system from windows, let alone their features and steps to format a hard drive. Connect it, power it up, go to disk utility in applicationsutilities, select the wd disk on the left, go to the erase tab, and choose mac os extended. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. There will be no space wasted by protected mac partitions. As it is mentioned above, after formatting a hard drive, all data on the hard drive will be erased. Here i recommend you to change the file system of the wd hard drive from ntfs to fat32 or exfat, thus the wd hard drive is able to be used.
In such a case, its necessary to reformat wd hard drive to make it compatible with mac operating system. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. How to access an external drive thats not recognized on a mac. Can i use a wd elements external hard drive on my mac. How to format wd external drive for mac apple community. Also, if your current hard drive is more than 5 years old, it probably is nearing the end of its service life and needs to be replaced.
In this video tutorial, i show you how to easily format an external hard drive to work on both a mac and a pc. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. For instance, is the hard drive internal or external. Your disk utility program lives within a folder called utilities. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex. Free download western digital fat32 formatting tool for. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them.
The previous defunct hd was also fat32, which i did not realize upon receiving and using. I usually use a firewire that connects into the hard drive in two places. Once it is done, you can do hard disk format for mac and pc to enjoy the following advantages. How to format new or second hard drive on windows 10mac. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. Paragon disk wipe allows you to create a bootable usbflash drive or external hard drive that will help you to completely erase a whole hard disk, a separate partition or just clean free space. You can format a western digital my passport external hard drive to exfat or fat32 format using. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using wd discovery.
A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab. A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac. Trying to access from pc via usb cable with only one access point in wd hard drive, but it doesnt show up on the pc. The drive will now be formatted for use by windows systems. This answer explains how to format a wd drive for use on windows and macos. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Once the wd external hard drive has been formatted, it can be used like any other hard drive that is attached to the computer. Easily format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your macs usb port, you soon see it mount on the desktop.
How to reformat passport external hard drive from read only to read and write for use with mac computersimportant. Apr 16, 2020 step 6 once formatting completes, you can then use your drive in mac as a usual hard drive part 3. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Dec 29, 2015 your exfatformatted drive or partition can now be used for both windows and mac. Just install it, and mac drives will show up like any other drive. Then your western digital external hard drive is ready to use on your mac and on your windows pc. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Mar 31, 2020 if you buy a new external hard drive, you may notice that working between mac and pc is an often difficult but it doesnt need to be. On a windows computer, i can plug in any external hard drive i have here and slide over folders of info on to it, easy peazy. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. To make your western digital hard drive work on both mac and windows computers, you need to format the drive with the fat32 file system.