S if you try this, remember to dismount external harddrive from mac or you will not be able to mount it. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. I have an external hard drive where i moved all of my mac photos to. How to format a hard drive to ntfs in linux make tech easier. To format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. Format an external hard drive to fat32 using command prompt. Format usb or external hard drive for mac on windows pc using. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can. Then format your external hard drive or usb flash drive with the file system to. 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. I rarely have files over 2gb and my mac is running on snow leopard. How to format a flash drive to fat32exfatext4 in windows.
Please note formatting wipes all data from the volume, and you should make sure important files have been backed up. In this article, we will introduce some mac disk formatting software tools to help mac users easily and securely format hard drive, usb. Any doubt or need help about fdisk utility, just type m. Mar 16, 2017 this is tip for windows on how to complete format and remove all partitions from a hard disk, including those which are normally protected and cant be deleted. It is easy to format a partition to ext4, ext3 or ext2 with the help of diskgenius free, and the formatting speed is fast. Especially for the new mac users, it seems difficult to find a solution to format local hard drive or external hard drive under mac os.
For instance, users want to write data to and read data from, to do a clean installation of the windows system, to get rid of a virus or malware, to erase the data before giving the drive to someone else or throwing it away, or some other reasons. I booted a linux from cddvdusb any will do then copied. Read more so, if you plan to switch from windows to linux, you may need to format your internal hard drives or external devises like sd card drives to ext4 on the windows operating system so that linux can successfully identify them. Fat32 and ntfs are the most common formats, but whats the difference.
So, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. Why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. It allows you to format partition to exfat, fat32, ntfs, ext2 and ext3 and ext4 on external. This is tip for windows on how to complete format and remove all partitions from a hard disk, including those which are normally protected and cant be. So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both windows and mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with windows pc and mac. External hard disks and usb drives are generally formatted with the windows fat32 file system for maximum compatibility.
But easiest way is to use a windows based partition manager which can format a disk with any file format. How to format a ntfs usb hard drive to fat32 or ext3. That said, if you are using smaller file sizes fat32 can suffice. Format external hard drive or usb drive for mac easeus. 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. Formating hard drive to ext3 in windows 7 microsoft community. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. In this article, we will introduce some mac disk formatting software tools to help mac users easily and securely format hard drive, usb flash drive, memory card or other device under mac os. Ever wondered how to format a disk with ext2, ext3 or ext4 file system if you are running a windows based machine. Thats all because its been initialized with windows nt file system ntfs, which is primarily for pcs. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Sep 26, 2018 windows pc and mac use different filesystems. But compared with formatting, an ntfs for mac driver like iboysoft ntfs for mac is a better and feasible solution. What formats should i choose in disk utility to make this disc compatible with both mac and windows.
Mar 30, 2019 i wouldnt trust exfat format as far as i could spit it. Apple mac machines support a different file system. Then, save your work typing w and q to exit the utility. To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both mac and windows pc. This part of this guide applies to format external or portable hard drive to ext2, ext3 or ext4 file system under windows 1087, so that the drive can be used under linux.
To create a new partition assuming this is a new unused drive, just type n. How to format a hard drive to ntfs in linux by odysseas kourafalos jan 16, 2020 jan 15, 2020 linux if you are a dual user, bouncing from linux to windows and back, or are cooperating with windows users and need access to the same files, it is best to have a common partition in ntfs format, since it is accessible by both oses. 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. How to delete files from external ext3 formatted drive.
People might need to format a hard drive or an external hard drive in windows 10 for various reasons. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Methods to format usb flash drive can be many, this section choose the most common ways. I understand that i need to format my external hdd partition in ext3 format for transferring files 4gb as ext2 is currently not supported on the hdr but am still not clear on how this can be done on vista i dont use linux at all and would like to avoid if possible. How do you format an external hard drive to ext4 via the command line in ubuntu. Formatting of external drive for both mac and windows backup. Lets format the partition as traditional ext3 linux file system. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Well show you everything you need to know about the.
S if you try this, remember to dismount external hard drive from mac or you will not be able to mount it. Feb 08, 2020 so, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. Just because you dont see the option to format your hard drive to fat32 in windows user interface doesnt mean the ability is gone completely. How to format hard drive or memory stick into ext3 file system. 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. This article shows you how to format an external hard drive via different. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. One way is to boot your computer using a linux based live cd and create partitions from there. Ext3 or ext4 file system under windows 1087, so that the drive can be used under linux. If you format a usb disk or memory card in windows, you may take notice of the file system options which usually is fat32 by default. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop.
Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin. Also, i wouldnt rely on a single hard drive to backup both mac and windows systems. Apr 14, 2020 why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. The maximum individual file size for exfat is 16 eb. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Several people have said if you format a usb stickhard drive to ext3, you can then transfer recordings from the freesat box and play the files on the computer, but the freesat box will only read the usb drive if its formatted to ext3. Format external hard drive to ext4 in command line ask ubuntu.
However, you also can actually reformat your usb flash drive or sd card to exfat, ntfs, ext2, ext3 or ext4 in windows. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. Id use dedicated hard drives, and they are cheap as chips these days. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. You can format a hard drive or usb flash disk specifically so that it will be compatible with both mac os x and windows pc computers. This post will show specific methods to make external hard drive compatible with mac and pc. Built in way to format drive with fat32 in windows tesla. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. From the description provided, i understand that you want to format an external hard drive.
May 08, 2010 i bought a new 1tb external hard drive. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. May 29, 2018 to format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. Best format for an external hdd in 2019 to be used in macos. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive. Several people have said if you format a usb stick hard drive to ext3, you can then transfer recordings from the freesat box and play the files on the computer, but the freesat box will only read the usb drive if its formatted to ext3. When youre reformatting a hard drive, windows will ask you what format to use. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc. Format linux usb drive to recover full disk space in windows 10 step 1. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start.
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. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Download disk formatting software for mac doyourdata. I wouldnt trust exfat format as far as i could spit it. Sep 02, 2015 hello, thank you for posting your concern here in microsoft community and welcome to the windows 10 family. 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. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac.
I have a new 2tb external hard drive i will be using for additional storage and backup. Can i format this disk over my home network from my windows 7 pc and if so can i format the disk to ext3 format, again over. 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. How to format external hard drive to fat32 in windows. Create an ext2ext3 linux partition on windows disk, usb flash drive. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. Oct 15, 2019 moving files from mac formatted external hard drive to pc. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. Formatting an external hard drive in ext4 from my mac. How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014.
Then you can see the drive is displayed in the software. External hard drive format for mac and windows macrumors forums. How to format external hard drive for pc, mac and linux. There are two ways to create ext2 ext3 based linux partitions on a windows computer. I now have a pc with windows 10, but i cant find a way to save the photos onto my computer. The feature still exists on your systems and the command prompt utility should help you find and use it to do the task. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Dec, 2007 how to reformat mac external harddrive for pc. If anyone has a les tedious solution, please feel free to post it too. Just went through this windows no longer offers fat32 as an options, but windows powershell does just search for windows power shell then open it up, then type in format fs. Format external hard drive to ext4 in command line duplicate. Is it recommended to format an external drive to ext4. Aomei partition assistant standard is a great free partition format tool that allows you to format external hard drive to ext2, ext3, ext4, fat32. How to create ext2ext3 based linux partition from windows.
Rather than use a mac formatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. External hard drive format for mac and windows macrumors. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. Hello, thank you for posting your concern here in microsoft community and welcome to the windows 10 family. Connect the portable drive to computer and launch eassos partitionguru. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the mac you plug the drive into.
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