How to reformat hard drive mac. And use the drive. Oct 20, 2023 · Step 1: Connect the Seagate External Hard Drive to Your Mac. Pick Your External Hard Drive. Then, click the Erase button at the top-right corner of the screen. The popup window that comes up next is where you set your formatting options. Double-click Disk Utility in the Utilities folder of the Applications folder. As such, reformatting your Mac is more straightforward than the recent past. Oct 1, 2021 · Why you may need to reformat the hard drive on your Mac The main reason why you may need to reformat your Mac is if the startup drive has developed a problem that Disk Utility or a third-party disk management tool can’t fix. Follow the steps to format an external drive on a macOS. Plug In the WD Elements hard drive into your Mac. To convert a Mac formatted hard drive to Windows, you have to reformat it – unfortunately, that means that your data will be wiped. Under name you’ll give your Easystore external hard drive a name. Or you can use the terminal command to format WD hard drive for Mac. Once your data is backed up and you've signed out of everything that might connect your old Mac to your personal information, you can erase everything on it by reformatting the hard drive. Launch Disk Utility. Right-click the drive and choose Format from the drop-down menu. Select NTFS if using the drive only with Windows and exFAT if also using it with Mac. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) – Standard MAC only format; NTFS – Standard Windows only format; Format Drive Instructions MAC Instructions. And reformatting on a windows platform, using windows explorer. 2. Click the ‘Erase’ button. WARNING! Formatting erases all data on the drive. Oct 20, 2023 · After selecting the file system format for your external hard drive, the next step in reformatting on Mac is to rename the drive and finalize the formatting process. You’ll likely pay extra for this preformatting convenience. Time machine then formats your hard drive ready for Time Machine. Click the drop-down menu and select one of the following options: NTFS - Use this for Windows-only drives. There may be times that you do wish to start again, from scratch. Mar 13, 2023 · But what if have a drive formatted as NTFS, APFS or HFS+ with files you want to keep? Convert from NTFS to exFAT without losing data. Locate and open Disk Utility. Jan 29, 2024 · Select a new File System format. If you're selling, giving away, or trading-in your Mac and want to leave it in an out-of-box state, don't use the setup assistant or your previously connected Bluetooth devices, if any. Select the parent folder for the drive you want to reformat or erase, then click the Erase button again. So expect to see this dialog pop up. If you have a drive that is formatted for a different type of computer or a drive that is not preformatted, you will need to format the drive before you can use it. Could mean problems with using If you have a drive that is formatted for a different type of computer or a drive that is not preformatted, you will need to format the drive before you can use it. Choose View > Show All Devices. Because. Click ‘Erase’ to format the drive. Then select Disk Utility. Also, there are two versions of Mac products – FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac (has USB AND Firewire 800), and FreeAgent Go for Mac USB (USB 2. Sep 6, 2023 · Answer ID 18341: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an Internal Drive; Steps for macOS. Connect Your External Hard Drive. So, you must stay active and keep all things in mind. If you have a Mac lying around, you can plug the drive into a Mac and back up the files. It may be that it is cathartic to get rid of a load of applications and just install the ones that you really need, or it may be that you are selling the machine – or passing it on – and you want to revert the machine to factory settings. Aug 11, 2023 · You can use the diskutil eraseDisk command to format a hard drive. Once connected, you should hear a confirmation sound and see the external hard drive appear on your desktop or in the Finder. ; FAT32 - Works on Windows and Mac, but has a storage limit of 32 gigabytes with an individual file size of 4 gigabytes. Sep 16, 2013 · The Reasons for Reformatting. Any files on the drive will be erased. Sep 2, 2014 · First, back up the data on the Mac-formatted drive if you have anything important on it. 3. If the Erase All Content and Settings feature is available on your Mac, use it to erase your Mac instead of the steps in this article. Formatting a New drive on Windows Note: If you would prefer a video tutorial of these steps instead, please click the thumbnail below. If Disk Utility isn’t open, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type Disk Utility in the Search field, then click the Disk Utility icon . If APFS is not available then the drive is in MBR and not GUID Partition Map. Disk security. With this guide, you’ll learn how to correctly format your new external hard drive for your Mac, as well as why you need additional storage and the best format to consider when formatting a hard drive for a Mac. Oct 8, 2021 · How to format a hard drive on Mac. In this video we'll cover how to Format a Western Digital External Hard Drive for use on macOS and Windows. Instead, we'll just be wiping the drive and starting over from scratch. To make this easier for yourself, try Get Backup Pro. Jun 25, 2024 · After your Mac restarts, a setup assistant guides you through the setup process, as if you're setting up your Mac for the first time. Locate the drive. However, using a special tool, we can retrieve your data from your APFS drive or HFS+ drive even using a Windows machine. Open Finder, click the Go drop-down menu, and select Utilities. Press Windows key + R to open Disk Management. This process won't actually convert the file system. How to format a hard drive on a Mac. Your Mac will boot into macOS Recover. WARNING: Formatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. In Disk Utility on Mac, you can erase and reformat (initialize) external storage devices to use with your Mac. ; Select the file system you want, give your drive a Dec 17, 2020 · Be careful with this command and always make sure you are choosing the right hard drive in the formatting utility. For example, formatting typically removes most of the data on a drive, making it a quicker way to erase a large drive than simply deleting everything on it. Change Name, Format and Scheme if Aug 20, 2018 · Click Format Drive. 10 Yosemite How To: Format an external hard drive for Mac OS X How To: Enable Google Chrome's Secret (And Possibly Dangerous) Experimental Features How To: Create a Portable, Fully Functional USB Version of Windows 8 Aug 2, 2022 · Reformatting your hard drive on Windows. Take note that when you erase a device, it erases all the Volumes contained within it as well. com Jan 27, 2018 · Here's 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. Open Disk Utility. Here’s how to format a Mac hard drive: Start up your computer and log in. Pick a name that makes your WD Drive easy to find on your Mac’s desktop. Jun 20, 2024 · Existing Drive: If you're formatting a drive that you've been using and that has data on it, double-check in File Explorer that the drive letter you're choosing here in Disk Management is the same as the one you see in File Explorer that has the information on it that you want to erase. Once your data is secure, we May 10, 2024 · A complete guide to preparing and formatting removable USB drives on a PC or Mac When you format a pendrive, all files and folders on the drive are removed and replaced with a new file system. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices. Click Show All Devices. Select your hard drive on the left pane, then click "Erase" at the top panel Dec 10, 2023 · When formatting, consider the capacity, file system, allocation unit size, and volume label. Go to Application, click "Utilities", and double-click "Disk Utility" to launch the tool. Warning dialog for new drives. Jan 29, 2020 · Alternatively, use the shortcut Cmd + 2. Open Disk Utility by opening Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Replace CleanDrive with the new name for your formatted drive. Critical: DO NOT power off or unplug the drive. Jul 1, 2024 · How Do I Format a WD Hard Drive for Mac? You can use the built-in tool of Mac: Disk Utility. Then Click ‘Setup Disk. Once formatted, the existing data on the disk are probably WARNING: Formatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. Apr 11, 2023 · Why Reformat A WD External Hard Drive For Mac This Way. Wait for the format process to complete. Click Exit close. Run the following command, be sure to make adjustments for your drive. Replace JHFS+ with any file system you need (check the chart above for a list of file systems you can use). To completely erase and format the hard drive on which Windows or macOS is installed, you'll need to do so from outside of the operating system. How Do I Format WD Elements For Mac Overview. On the left sidebar, click the hard drive you want to format for Windows. Jul 18, 2017 · Most hard drives come "preformatted" and ready to use these days. 1 day ago · How to Format a Hard Drive for Mac. CLICK TO VIEW: Recommended Storage. Pick Jun 15, 2023 · This wikiHow teaches you how to format your computer's built-in hard drive, which is different than formatting an external or secondary hard drive. Here are some tips that might help you when you are about to format a Mac hard drive. (Image: © Future) Plug your external hard drive into your Mac then launch the Disk Utility app. Click View. Apr 15, 2022 · To reformat a drive on Windows: Plug in the drive and open Windows Explorer. Quick Not safe: Format your external hard drive using File Explorer or Disk Management and then use data recovery software to recover important files. This article will give detailed steps to finish formatting WD hard drive. It is important to take a backup of your external hard drive before formatting. Before formatting, make sure to back up all data on the drive as formatting a drive completely erases it. Click on the View button in the Disk Utility toolbar and select Show All Devices. Jun 22, 2021 · Wiping your Mac’s hard drive is a different task than even a few years ago. Click Button ‘Add Backup Disk’. Jun 21, 2014 · How To: Create a Bootable Install USB Drive of Mac OS X 10. 0 only). Erasing a storage device deletes everything on it. Once you format hard drive for Mac, all previous files on it will be erased and that action can’t be undone. Conclusion. Give the drive a descriptive name and leave the default settings: OS X Extended Aug 19, 2014 · I have a WDC Passport external drive which I used as a time machine backup. Jan 11, 2024 · 1. Enter a name for the drive. There are two options: Backup data from the disk to another drive. Click on your WD Elements. If you’ve bought an external hard drive but it’s not working with your Mac or you want to delete everything off of one, here we show you how to format an external hard drive on a Mac. But you occasionally might need to format one yourself. Step 1. Click General. To find it quickly, do a search for Aug 14, 2024 · Step 1. Jul 28, 2023 · 1. In the Finder menu, click "Go" and Aug 20, 2018 · Answer ID 18341: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an Internal Drive; Steps to Format a Drive on macOS. Renaming the drive allows you to give it a unique and recognizable name that suits your preferences. To format an external hard drive for Mac, open a Finder window and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Open Finder. And is sometimes precious about its external hard drive format. How-to. When the Mac first sees the new drive, it might be in an unformattted, uninitialized state. Formatting a hard drive for Mac is pretty straightforward if you follow the steps carefully. Nov 8, 2021 · How to Reformat MacBook Pro . Then sets your external hard drive as your time machine backup drive. Select the drive on the left. You only need to get it ready by formatting it for your Mac to use. Nov 20, 2023 · Choose your Mac's system drive, usually named Macintosh HD, then click Erase. Connect the drive to the computer. Jun 17, 2024 · After backing up all data, you can then refer to the next guidelines to reformat your hard drive on Mac. With that being said, let’s now take a look at how to format external HDDs in Mac. To rename and finalize the formatting of the drive, follow these steps: Mar 20, 2024 · How to Format External Hard Drives on Mac. Formatting an external hard drive for Mac is not a daunting task, but it’s important to approach it with Jul 17, 2024 · Part 5. Also, drives that will be used for storage need to be formatted. By MacFormat. To reformat a hard drive or USB stick first open Disk Utility. In this post, we give you a checklist of things to do before reformatting your Mac. Reformatting is a good idea if you plan to sell or give or away your MacBook Pro. Set Your Easystore WD Drive Formatting Options. Copy files back to the hard drive. Firstly, connect your external hard drive to your computer using a USB port. . If you're formatting an external drive that you want to plug into a Windows PC, we recommend choosing exFAT. Choose ‘Mac OS Extended (Journaled)’ as the format. Type Disk Utility Press Enter. #Tip 1. Tips for Formatting a Hard Drive on Mac: Even though formatting doesn’t seem like a big deal, still it can be very helpful. Click Utilities. If you’re having a hard time getting your Mac to recognize an external drive, it may be because it needs reformatting. By following the step-by-step process outlined, the drive can be fully erased and reformatted to work optimally with a Mac system. This step-by-step walk-through shows how easy it is to get started. Press CMD + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search. MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or M1 Mac you can use this drive for your mac. 1. However, I do not want to use it as Time Machine backup anymore, I just want to use it as a regular external hard drive. Jan 2, 2024 · It doesn’t matter whether you’ve an iMac. ; In the main part of the window, under the name of the drive, you will see its current format. Aug 20, 2024 · And this means you just plug your ‘for Mac’ external hard drive into your Mac. And sometimes you’ll find that you end up reformatting anyway. Step 2. Good option if you use both platforms. Related: How to Use Windows File Recovery Tool to Restore Your Lost Data Jan 29, 2021 · When buying a new hard drive or SSD, it needs to formatted before it can be used. Click the Scheme pop-up menu, then Dec 14, 2023 · How to format an external hard drive on macOS. Select the hard drive you want to format. If you use macOS Big Sur, you have the Recovery tool. ExFAT – Compatible with Windows and Mac Operating Systems. Start Disk Utility. Because Mac’s are choosy about their file system formats. How can I do this? Whenever I run the Disk Utility App, I can't seem to find a way to reformat the external drive back to FAT32. In the sidebar, select the storage device you want to erase, then click the Erase button . Reformat the drive as exFAT. Restart your Mac. Oct 31, 2023 · Erase your hard drive. Nov 18, 2023 · Find your drive in the left sidebar under External and select it. May 22, 2024 · Before erasing your Mac. Some external hard drives like the WD So, if you are formatting a drive that has already been used, be sure to copy any files you will ever want to see again onto a computer or backup drive. Use 3rd party tools. See previous step. See full list on lifewire. Some people suggested using MiniTool Partition Wizard. If your MacBook Pro slows down due to age or too many applications, speed things up by reformating the laptop. 4. In Disk Utility on Mac, you can erase and reformat storage devices to use with your Mac. Finally, select your drive, click Erase, choose a format, and click Erase. However, for unwanted file deletion or format, you can use data recovery tools designed for Mac to regain access to those lost files. If you want to restore your Mac to factory settings, such as to prepare it for a new owner, learn what to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac. Jun 7, 2023 · I want to format the hard drive and then recover the data. Reformat Hard Drive on Mac Using Disk Utility. Then click View in Disk Utility and select Show All Devices. Click Erase, Disk Utility will start formatting the drive; Once complete, click Done Aug 2, 2021 · If you don't plan on using the drive for Time Machine, skip steps 5 through 11 below and continue with step 12. The next setting picks the file system format you want for your Mac drive. Wait for Windows to recognize the connected drive. Click Erase. Select APFS Format (recommended). Oct 20, 2023 · In the next sections, we will explore the step-by-step process of formatting the drive for PC use and transferring files from a Mac to a PC. Depending on the model of your Seagate External Hard Drive and your Mac, you may need to use a specific type of cable or adapter. Or a reformat a WD SSD drive this way? It’s best to reformat your hard drive on your Mac when you want to use your drive on your Mac. While the startup disc is waking up, hold down the Command+R keys simultaneously. You may know how to format USB on Mac, but are confusing about formatting a WD hard drive. (Journaled) or APFS. Click Format Another Drive. Click Erase, Disk Utility will start formatting the drive; Once complete, click Done Oct 6, 2023 · Formatting a hard drive in Mac using the Terminal provides a simple yet powerful way to prepare storage devices for usage. Due to such consequences, it’s important to back up all your files before formatting Mac HD. How to format external hard drive on Mac Monterey? To format external hard drive on Mac with macOS Monterey, you can try the following tips: First, connect your external hard drive to Mac and see if it's readable and writable on Mac. Feb 15, 2024 · Connect the external hard drive to your Mac. Formatting a new external hard drive on Windows. Jan 26, 2010 · Chris – besides the formatting difference, there is software on the PC version and no software on the Mac version. Be sure to make a copy of any data you might need later. How to Format an External Hard Drive for use on Ma Oct 25, 2023 · If you’re using a newer Mac with USB-C ports, you may need to use an adapter or a USB-C to USB-A cable to connect your external hard drive. If you’re using Windows 7 or more recent versions, you can follow the next steps to format a new hard drive or reformat a used one, including an external hard drive using a macOS format. The first step in reformatting your Seagate External Hard Drive for Mac is to connect it to your computer. In order to make a Mac-formatted external hard drive compatible with a PC, we need to reformat the drive using a file system that both Mac and PC can recognize. Click Go. Well, a Mac is a Mac. This can help repair any issues with the flash. Jan 8, 2024 · Back up your files before reformatting. Then Time Machine. I need to format an external hard drive from FAT32 to NTFS without losing data. Select the external hard drive. 5. Jul 5, 2018 · How to format a hard drive on a Mac. Quick Not always available Jul 19, 2024 · Formatting an external hard drive for your Mac might sound like an arduous task, but there are simple ways to get your new external hard drive working correctly. Next, if yes, back up valuable files from an external hard drive to another drive on Mac. Apr 28, 2023 · 5. This action wipes a MacBook Pro and returns it to factory settings. Oct 24, 2022 · How to Convert Mac Hard Drive to Windows Without Losing Data. Click Erase, confirm the action if prompted, and wait until formatting is complete. If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another storage device. Formatting the External Hard Drive for PC. Open System Settings. Jul 7, 2021 · How to Reformat a Drive on Windows The process to reformat an external hard drive on Windows is straightforward. bic kacnn ggcocm onpxa eblhc aaukh dxygd lvi voq vmc