Format external hard drive for mac backup drives

There are a few reasons to reformat your drive this way. External hard drives with backup software best buy. Likewise, the mac os x operating system can read from, but cannot write to, an external drive that has been formatted for a pc using the ntfs file system without additional software. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users. Its even cheaper than some of the nonruggedized portable drives we cover. Be sure to doublecheck this you could accidentally wipe the wrong drive if you select the wrong disk here. By default, the 4tb hard drive uses the ntfs format for windows pcs, but theres a help file included on the drive that provides information for mac users so. The below steps for formatting external drive is for windows 10 and also. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. Learn how to format your external hard drive, and what file systems are best for windows file history and macos time machine.

Opening disk management can be done a number of ways depending on your version of windows, but the easiest method is to type diskmgmt. Connect the external drive or the usb drive to the mac. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. 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. The best external hard drives will come in handy for plenty of people working in the creative industries, who often have to store lots of large files, and will soon fill up the hard drive that comes with their mac or pc. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility. Of the two, the adata hd710 pro is significantly more affordable. With its distinctive rubber bumpers and brushed aluminum chassis, the drive offers drop resistance up to 5 feet, crush resistance that can withstand up to a 1ton car, and ip54 water. For time machine backups, its good to use a drive that has at least twice the storage capacity of your mac. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. Please keep in mind that reformatting will result in the loss of all the data on the hard drive so make sure you back up your data elsewhere before starting. Format usb drive, external hard drive on macos catalina.

The drive is mounted in a sturdy metal case, and the 4 tb case is a little thicker than the 2 tb version. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. To format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. How to format usb driveexternal hard drive on macos catalina. Most of the ssds come in default exfat format that is compatible with both windows and mac. Regardless of brand or model, the very first thing that you must do when you buy a brand new external hard drive is to format it properly for your system. To see storage information about your mac, click the apple menu in the topleft of your screen. Follow the path applicationsutilities and click disk utility. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc. Step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system.

Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. By default, the 4tb hard drive uses the ntfs format for windows pcs, but theres a help file included on the drive that provides information for mac users so that you can reformat the drive and. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. The videos below demonstrate the complete process of formatting an external hard drive for full mac os x compatibility, this uses the. How to format external ssd for mac time machine mashtips. 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. To use time machine to make a backup of your mac, you need any of these types of storage devices. All is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your mac. Just select the one you want to format and click on the erase tab. The fat or file allocation table is quite possibly the most widelysupported disk format in existence today. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Dec, 2019 you can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Apr 30, 2020 to format an external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below.

You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. For the time machine, you have to format the ssd from the default shipped format. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Best external hard drives for macs in 2020 techradar. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another. If you want to make use of your macs thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive.

If you dont see this option, try typing create and format hard disk partitions into start. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Find your external hard drive in the list of drives. Time machine can back up to an external storage device connected to your mac or supported airport base station. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. Connect the drive to a usb port on your airport base station, then turn it on. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and. Since formatting an external hard drive will erase all of its files if you wish to save them you must back them up copy. If you select the one below it, the partition option will be greyed out and become unclickable. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac.

Under file system, choose the file system you want to use. How to format an external hard drive on windows formatting a hard drive on windows is a simple affair, especially if you leave everything as default. This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the mac you plug the drive into. To see the size of a specific file or folder, click it once and then press commandi. 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. Of the four rugged external hard drives we cover, only two come in a 4 tb capacity. With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.

Most external hard drives are designed to work for windows computers. Follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp. If youre looking for a macfriendly external hard drive thats built for durability, take a look at lacies rugged thunderbolt usbc portable hard drive. When youre planning to use your seagate drive only for your mac. Seagate branded external drives come preformatted, some for pcs, some for macs, and some of them have special utilities allowing them to work between both without. Make sure you select the disk icon right under external. Oct 16, 2019 the best format for external hard drives. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag.

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. Since most external hard drives are formatted for pcs, before the backup of your mac begins you need to format the hard drive for macos. Seagate backup plus slim 1tb external hard drive portable hdd black usb 3. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac.

How to backup a mac to an external hard drive in 2020. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. Its the most affordable portable drive we cover in either the 2 tb or 4 tb capacities. The only free application that will let you do this we are aware of is hfsexplorer, which uses java and is really only suitable for the odd file transfer fat32 the most compatible option. Mar 07, 2020 external hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. To put it simply, if you want to share external hard drive between mac and pc, you need to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Make sure that the usb drive is formatted for time machine. Best external drives for mac and pc interchangeable 2020. Most external hard drives hd are sold in a format called ntfs, which is designed to work with windows. How to use seagate external hard drive on mac, 16 ways.

Backup disks you can use with time machine apple support. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. External hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. For example, here wed type select disk 2 finally, type clean and press enter. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex.

External hard drives come in a few different formats, though its very easy to reformat a hard drive if you happen to buy the wrong kind. It can also back up to a mac or networkattached storage device nas on your network. Backing the hard drive up to an external hd is tricky, though, which is why weve put together this guide on how to. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. Once you open the disk utility app, you can see all the drives on your mac are listed on the lefthand sidebar. Now in this interface, you will see a format option. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. Gtechnology portable external hard drive 2tb from the sleek design to the preformatting, this terabytesized drive is perfect for mac users who need a little extra space and offers the transfer rate up to 140mbs for accessing all your files. Hard drive formats are largely linked to the operating system that youre going to be using the hard drive with. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp.

How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed. Now enter the name for the external drive which will be used after formatting and also select exfat for format option and click on the erase. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Start the disk utility, located under applications utilities. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. Why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility.

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. Seagate backup plus slim 2tb external hard drive portable hdd silver usb 3. If the external hard drive is pre formatted for mac, disk management will list 3 partitions and you will not be able to delete the health efi system partition. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted. Click your hard drive s name in the window near the bottom of the screen. Dec 29, 2015 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. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. Its a direct continuation of the original dos format used on floppy diskettes and hard. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. After youre done, dont forget to remove the external hard. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. When you take into account price, ease of use, and portability, the seagate backup plus slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times.

Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can. This will format the drive as exfat format and your drive is now compatible with both platforms. Mac owners have good machines, with plenty of battery life and power. Select the file system you want to use and give the drive a name. This command erases the entire selected disk, including all its files and partitions whether. Even though mac computers are capable of reading hard drives that are formatted for windows, if you intend on using your external hdd as a bootable disk or want to use it to backup files with your macs time machine, you must format it to be entirely mac compatible. The best external hard drives are fast, dependable and easy to use. Find the name of the drive in the left side of the utilities window and select it. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on. The seagate backup plus portable is also a bargain. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin.