how to format external hard drive for mac and pc

How to Format an External Drive in OS X

1. Connect the drive to the Mac.
2. Open Disk Utility. ...
3. Select the drive you want to format.
4. Click Erase.
5. Give the drive a descriptive name and leave the default settings: OS X Extended format and GUID partition map. ...
6. Click Erase and OS X will format the drive.

1. Will an external hard drive formatted for Mac work on PC?
2. Is exFAT compatible with Mac and Windows?
3. What is the best format for external hard drive Mac and PC?
4. How do I set up an external hard drive for Mac and Windows?
5. How do I make my external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting?
6. What external hard drives are compatible with Mac and PC?
7. What are the disadvantages of exFAT?
8. Can you use exFAT on Mac?
9. What are the limitations of exFAT?
10. Which is better NTFS or exFAT?
11. How do I transfer files between Mac and PC?
12. How do I format my Seagate hard drive for Mac and PC?

Will an external hard drive formatted for Mac work on PC?

Why not? A hard drive formatted for use in a Mac has either an HFS or HFS+ file system. For this reason, a Mac-formatted hard drive is not directly compatible, nor readable by a Windows computer. The HFS and HFS+ file systems are not readable by Windows.

Is exFAT compatible with Mac and Windows?

exFAT is a good option if you work often with Windows and Mac computers. Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you don't have to constantly back up and reformat each time. Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.

What is the best format for external hard drive Mac and PC?

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 set up an external hard drive for Mac and Windows?

1. Connect the drive to your Windows PC.
2. Open the Disk Management tool. ...
3. Right-click on the external drive's partition or unallocated space you want to format and choose New Simple Volume.
4. Follow the wizard to choose a volume size.
5. Assign a drive letter.
6. Choose exFAT as the file system in the Format Partition screen.

How do I make my external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting?

Try to repair the read-only external hard drive with or without formatting.

1. Solution 1: Using NTFS for Mac tool.
2. Solution 2: Enable NTFS read-write with Terminal (not recommend)
3. Solution 3: Format this external hard drive to exFAT/FAT32.
4. Solution 1: Change the permission of this external hard drive.

What external hard drives are compatible with Mac and PC?

Best External Drive for Mac and PC Interchangeable: Our Picks in 2021

1. G-Technology Portable External Hard Drive 2TB. Using a Mac? ...
2. WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive. If you're an avid PC user, this HDD drive from Western Digital has you covered. ...
3. Samsung T5 Portable SSD.

What are the disadvantages of exFAT?

Importantly it is compatible with: >=Windows XP, >=Mac OSX 10.6. 5, Linux (using FUSE), Android.
...

• It is not quite as widely-supported as FAT32.
• exFAT (and the other FATs, as well) lacks a journal, and so is vulnerable to corruption when the volume is not properly unmounted or ejected, or during unexpected shutdowns.

Can you use exFAT on Mac?

While exFAT doesn't quite match FAT32's compatibility, it is more widely-compatible than NTFS. While Mac OS X includes only read-only support for NTFS, Macs offer full read-write support for exFAT. ... The PlayStation 4 supports exFAT; the PlayStation 3 does not. The Xbox One supports it, but the Xbox 360 does not.

What are the limitations of exFAT?

exFAT supports greater file size and partition size limits than FAT 32. FAT 32 has a 4GB maximum file size and 8TB maximum partition size, whereas you can store files that are larger than 4GB each on a flash drive or SD card formatted with exFAT. exFAT's maximum file size limit is 16EiB (Exbibyte).

Which is better NTFS or exFAT?

Maximum file size 4 GB and partition size 8 TB. ... FAT32 is an older type of file system which is not as efficient as NTFS. exFAT is a modern replacement for FAT 32, and more devices and OS support it than NTFS, but i not as widespread as FAT32. NTFS is the most modern file system.

How do I transfer files between Mac and PC?

How to share files between a Mac and a PC

1. Open System Preferences on your Mac.
2. Click Sharing.
3. Click the checkbox next to File Sharing.
4. Click Options…
5. Click on the checkbox for the user account you'd like to share with a Windows machine under Windows Files Sharing. You might be asked to enter a password.
6. Click Done.

How do I format my Seagate hard drive for Mac and PC?

Mac

1. Make sure the storage device is connected to and mounted on the computer.
2. Select Go > Utilities in the Finder menu bar.
3. In the Utilities folder, double-click Disk Utility. ...
4. Select the Seagate drive in the left column.
5. Click the Erase tab.
6. Choose a format from the drop-down window.
7. Enter a name for the volume.