Feb 08, 2020 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. Mac os x can only be installed on a hard drive formatted in mac os extended journaled, filesystem. 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. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. If the builtin disk came apfsformatted, dont change it to mac os extended.
Mac os extended vs mac os extendedjournaled the mac os extended is a file system that is also known as hfs plus. Find the best external ssd hard drives for mac based on what customers said. Are you formatting the disk that came built into your mac. The prior generation mac wd hdd was much nicer in a. Even when formatting external drives, it is a better option to go for mac os extended than apfs. Casesensitive and mac os extended journaled, encrypted to choose from. Then, after making sure your files are ok, go back to the case sensitive mac and format the drive. However, if you are using a macbook pro or any mac computer, the hard drive must be formatted with a file system your mac can support. 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. This may be apfs, or it may be mac os extended journaled depending on how the drive is currently formatted and. So if youre a casual user or dont fear case clashes with unix systems, pick mac os extended journaled. 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. If you just plug them in, they will usually work with a mac for general. 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.
Even if your disk comes formatted for mac, it may not work properly for some uses. The formatting decides the way the files are stored on your hard disk. When trying to save large files in final cut pro, the hard drive would save numerous. If you wish to change to mac os extended journaled. Format external hard drive or usb drive for mac easeus.
Heres how to format a drive using a mac including how to format a drive for. For example, in the standard format, mac os extended journaled, a file named filename. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. Choose either apfs or mac os extended journaled to format as a mac volume. Wd used to be in my view the leaders in storage solutions. Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. Apr 14, 2020 by this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data.
Case sensitive allows files of the same name but some difference in letter case to be in the same directory folder. And it currently only works on ssds or flash storage. In case you forgot to backup files before formatting the external drive. The master guide to formatting a hard drive computer skills. Theres also an option of macos extended casesensitive, journaled, encrypted if you. Oct 16, 2019 the best format for external hard drives. How to recover data from formatted external hard drive on mac. Feb 21, 2012 looking to share an external hard drive between a mac and pc. Feb 28, 2020 even when formatting external drives, it is a better option to go for mac os extended than apfs. All external usb disks can be formatted to work on mac osx, but not always straight out of the box. I attempt to format anyway since i know theres no programs using the drive, and after a minute the formatting comes to a stop and i.
Aug, 2008 case sensitive allows files of the same name but some difference in letter case to be in the same directory folder. Mac os extended journaled case sensitive apple community. 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. Are you about to install macos high sierra or later on the disk. What can you do when mistakenly formatting a hard drive. In this tutorial we look at formatting disks via the gui app called disk utility and its equivalent command line tool diskutil. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Sep 20, 2019 so youre using disk utility to partition your new hard drive when youre presented with a choice of potential file systems. If you work solely on a mac, but need to send files to someone working on a pc, your external hard drive needs to be set up for both operating systems. When you get a new hard drive, it may already be formatted for windows or mac. If you need to erase your disk before installing high sierra or later for the first time on that disk, choose mac os extended journaled. In the case of getting an external hard drive that is either unformatted, or preformatted for windows as ntfs, the formatting procedure is still very simple. Apart from the fact that one has journaling and the other does not, how does it affect the drives performance with numbers. With the case sensitive format, they are seen as different files.
So youre using disk utility to partition your new hard drive when youre presented with a choice of potential file systems. If you want to format your external hard drive to work with mac and windows computers, you should use exfat. Manually activating and deactivating the journaling feature is discussed later in this blog. This operating system can either be journalled or not, each with its own pros and cons. I received a replacement 750gb external hard drive from western digital. This latest hard drive well, its not very aesthetically pleasing.
With exfat, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. External hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. Jun 29, 2017 how to format hard drives as apfs in macos high sierra 10. Thus, mac os extended is the most suitable file system to be used for formatting backup drives. Apfs, or apple file system, is one of the new features in macos high sierra. The most popular options are guid and apple partition maps even though some other god ways exist. How to format a new external drive for use with an apple mac. The prior generation mac wd hdd was much nicer in a silverish sleek enclosure. Disk utility automatically defaults to the os x extended journaled file system. Formatting an external drive on your mac is quite easy, though it isnt as evident and obvious as it is on a pc. Backup disks you can use with time machine apple support. Jan 02, 2016 either way, youll want to format your drive accordingly. Enter a name for the disk or volume, such as macintosh hd.
Im about to format an external hard disk drive hdd. The standard format from apple is not case sensitive. Many mac owners wonder which partition map is better when it comes to formatting external portable hdd. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. How you format a mac hard drive is entirely dependent on what kind of drive you plan on formatting. Formatting an external hard disk for use with a mac most external hard disks you buy are preformatted for windows msdos fat format. How to format a hard drive with ease in windows 1087. Either way, youll want to format your drive accordingly.
Though this format has some limitations, it enjoys nearly universal support. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Another advantage that this file system has over apfs is its compatibility with time machine. Tips to help you choose between guid and apple partition maps. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. How to format external hard drives on a mac sweetwater. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. Journalling is not exclusive to the mac os as other operating systems are also capable of having a journalling system. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. To expand the storage capacity of your mac, you can connect one or more external drives, including solidstate or traditional movingplatter mechanisms as well as flashmemorybased thumb drives. Cannot format my external hard drive so i try to do so, and windows tells me that theres a program using the external drive.
How to format hard drives as apfs in macos high sierra 10. How to format an external disk or a flash drive for mac. Dec 29, 2015 follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. Feb 03, 2020 are you formatting the disk that came built into your mac. Regardless of the physical size, capacity and medium your external drive. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Then, you can share external hard drive between mac and pc.
Luckily, this can be done without any complicated booting procedures all you have to do is plug it in, open disk utility while your mac is working as usual, select it in the sidebar and follow the same procedure described above in the using disk utility section. The videos below demonstrate the complete process of formatting an external hard drive for full mac os x compatibility, this uses the. However, if you want to convert ntfs to exfat to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc, 3 steps are required. A casesensitive format considers capitalization, so abc and abc are considered to be different names. They produced fantastic looking external hard drive enclosures and each year i would get a new one in their range. The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as fat32. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on. How to format a usb external disk for mac osx using disk. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.
By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for mac and pc without losing any data. Here are the following most common reasons why would you like to format an external disk or a flash drive for mac under mac os extended journaled. To begin with, it depends on the type preferred by the user. Looking to share an external hard drive between a mac and pc. If you bought an external hard drive, it too needs to be formatted before use. You can format a drive in os x using two applications. Then in install assistant, select the option to restore files from a. Click the erase button or tab, then complete these fields. What is mac hard drive journaling mac data recovery blog. What are the advantages of formatting an external disk as journaled.
Im aware that using the msdos fat format offers the good. Ive just got a new hard drive but my mac wont accept it as boot drive unless its formatted in a macos. Hard drives, which are the primary storage devices on our computer, need to be formatted before we can use them. The list is longer than youd think, with terms like apfs case sensitive and mac os extended journaled, encrypted to choose from. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Wd my passport for mac portable external hard drive. Follow onscreen prompts to choose mac os extended journaled file system and allow the disk to format. On mac computers, use the finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. Well show you everything you need to know about the. Convert casesensitive formatted hard disk without reformatting. A case sensitive format considers capitalization, so abc and abc are considered to be different names.
Lets take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. Formatting an external hard disk ashland mac users group. I cant edit external hard drives on macs your business. Pick the right file system for your macs internal or. Apart from the fact that one has journaling and the other does not, how does it affect the drive s performance with numbers. Wondering what the best format for your new external hard drive is. Uses the apfs format and is casesensitive to file and. In disk utility on your mac, format disks or volumes using apple file system apfs. So youre using disk utility to partition your new hard drive when. Format an external hd with mac osx extended not journaled. Usually, when you want to connect an external hard drive to your computer, you just plug it in and thats it. Pick the right file system for your macs internal or external storage. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc.
What is the difference between mac os extended journaled and the same format case sensitive please. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. Formatting the drive will erase all of the data on it. Additionally, restarting the system gets faster due to journaling. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows.
But if you didnt foresee that, you may have formatted your drive with apples hfs plus, which windows cant read by default. I always format a new drive as mac os extended journaled, immediatly and before use. When the drive is connected to the mac, it may or may not show an icon on the desktop. In a format which isnt case sensitive, theyre considered to be the same. Make external harddrive compatible with mac and windows computer, how to format using disk utility on mac. The previous defunct hd was also fat32, which i did not realize upon receiving and using. Here comes the cure imyfone anyrecover a onestop solution to recover deleted, lost or. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple palaikymas. Mac os extended case sensitive is the same file system, but in this. Partitioning a hard drive is the process of dividing a hard drive into separate, discrete sections, called volumes. Pick the right file system for your macs internal or external storage there are nearly as many ways to format a disk as ways to skin a cat. Cannot format my external hard drive windows 10 forums.
How to format an external hard drive to work with mac. Mac os extended journaled is the normal recomended way to format your drives, internal and external. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple support. This will work in all modern versions of apple mac osx including 10. If the drive is formatted in mac os x extended journaled, then by default, journaling is active on the drive.
185 565 698 1334 811 576 650 230 784 228 318 85 829 1359 1416 913 1533 416 547 177 914 1024 1405 1496 326 1054 605 839 894 30