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How to Format an External Drive in OS X
- Connect the drive to the Mac.
- Open Disk Utility. ...
- Select the drive you want to format.
- Click Erase.
- Give the drive a descriptive name and leave the default settings: OS X Extended format and GUID partition map. ...
- Click Erase and OS X will format the drive.
- What is the best format for a Mac external hard drive?
- How do I erase an external hard drive on a Mac?
- What format is Mac hard drive?
- Is Apfs better than Mac OS Journaled?
- Why won't my Mac let me erase the hard drive?
- How do I make my external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC?
- How do you securely delete a file on a Mac?
- How do I wipe and reinstall my Mac?
- Should I format NTFS or exFAT?
- How do I clear my Mac to sell it?
What is the best format for a Mac external hard drive?
The Best Format for External Hard Drives
If you want to format your external hard drive to work with Mac and Windows computers, you should use exFAT. With exFAT, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.
How do I erase an external hard drive on a Mac?
1. Erase External Hard Drive on Mac via Disk Utility
- On your Mac, go to Applications > Utilities >Disk Utility.
- Click on the Erase tab (next to “First Aid”).
- Select the disk or volume in the list on the left panel.
- Choose a file system to which you want to format your external drive.
What format is Mac hard drive?
As mentioned before, Macs can only read NTFS-formatted hard drives by default. If you want to write to NTFS formatted hard drives in Mac OS X, you're going to need the help of a third-party driver.
Is Apfs better than Mac OS Journaled?
Newer macOS installations should use APFS by default, and if you're formatting an external drive, APFS is the faster and better option for most users. Mac OS Extended (or HFS+) is still a good option for older drives, but only if you plan on using it with a Mac or for Time Machine backups.
Why won't my Mac let me erase the hard drive?
It's not usually possible to erase the startup disk because your Mac is using it to run macOS. Recovery Mode is a special partition on your Mac you can use to restore from a backup, reinstall macOS, get online support, or erase your startup disk. You should back up your Mac before trying to erase or reformat it.
How do I make my external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC?
How to create an external hard disk compatible on Mac and Windows?
- Connect the drive to the Mac.
- Open Disk Utility. ...
- In disk utility, you will have an internal and external drive.
- Select the drive you want to format and click erase.
- Give the partition a name and select exFAT for the format.
How do you securely delete a file on a Mac?
On OS X 10.4 to 10.10, you can securely delete files by moving them to the Trash and then selecting Finder > Secure Empty Trash. The Secure Empty Trash feature was removed in OS X 10.11 because Apple felt that it could not guarantee secure deletion on the fast flash (SSD) drives that most of its modern models now use.
How do I wipe and reinstall my Mac?
Select your startup disk on the left, then click Erase. Click the Format pop-up menu (APFS should be selected), enter a name, then click Erase. After the disk is erased, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility. In the Recovery app window, select “Reinstall macOS,” click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions.
Should I format NTFS or exFAT?
Assuming that every device you want to use the drive with supports exFAT, you should format your device with exFAT instead of FAT32. NTFS is ideal for internal drives, while exFAT is generally ideal for flash drives.
How do I clear my Mac to sell it?
What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac
- Create a backup. Make sure that you have a current backup of your important files. ...
- Sign out of iTunes in macOS Mojave or earlier. ...
- Sign out of iCloud. ...
- Sign out of iMessage. ...
- Reset NVRAM. ...
- Optional: Unpair Bluetooth devices that you're keeping. ...
- Erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS.
