Reformat mac external hard drive for windows 7

How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows 4 days ago. Oct 10, 2019 when youre planning to use your seagate drive only for your mac. Connect the empty external hd to your mac and launch disk utility. There is only one rule that you need to keep in mind when reformatting a drive. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions.

The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. A quick format only deletes the organizational structure of the files on the drive, without removing the actual files. No matter what motivation you have, the question, how to reformat a hard drive, is much more important now. In this video i demonstrate how to reformat an external hard drive in windows 88. What i really need is a drive that reads on my windows so i can. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. Pc youll have to format the drive so that it can be read by the windows operating. However, you need to reformat external hard drive or internal ssdhdd if it was partitioned before. Sep 12, 2019 what you need to do first is wiping hard drive. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. If youre going to be using the drive with a version of windows prior to windows vista, youre going to want to go with mbr. Change the partition layout from current to 1 partition. Jul 21, 2017 most hard drives come preformatted and ready to use these days.

How hard is it to reformat the hard drive on a mac. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly with macs. How do i reformat my external hard drive from operating on a. Reformatting external hard drive on mac is a bit different because it doesnt have the option of quick formatting, but it. However, you need to make doubly sure that you complete a quick format. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014.

I have a lacie 1tb hard drive that was initially formatted for a mac, but now i need to reformat it for a pc. External hard drive upgrade versionperfect for taking with you on the go. Oct, 2015 in this video i demonstrate how to reformat an external hard drive in windows 88. Opening disk management can be done a number of ways. I bought a 1tb seagate external hard drive and formatted it for mac using the included setup files. Detailed tutorial about how to format hard disk windows 7. Mar 19, 2020 follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp. 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. But if you try to use an external hard drive thats been formatted for mac os. Reformatting a drive on windows is a pretty straightforward process. Before you can use it though, you need to properly format or reformat a hard drive so that it will become compatible or readable with the operating system that you are using. 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. Ive read some reformatting forums, and ive gone on discmgmt. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer.

You may have a pc that has been infected with viruses or spyware, or you may have a blank hard drive you need to set up. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive. To help maintain and resolve performance issues, reformatting the hard drive every year is advisable. Plug in the external hard drive into mac and open the finder 2. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive. How to format the hard disk drive in windows 7 computer. My passport for mac not detectable on windows 7 with exfat format. If you want to transfer files from a mac to windows pc and vice versa using an external portable hard drive. All the juicy details like price, speed, size, and more. 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. To make it compatible with both macos and windows, you need to reformat the external hard drive. Formatting a drive will erase all data and partitions on the disk. Plug in the external hard drive into the system and open windows explorer by clicking on the computer section in.

Select the external hard drive in the left hand sidebar and. Im embarrassed to admit i dont even know what partitioning is. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pcmac hard drive. Open disk management, the hard drive manager included with all versions of windows.

To save important data on the hard drive, please backup disk beforehand. Plug in the external hard drive into the system and open windows explorer by clicking on the computer section in the side bar, you will see your. Then, ill introduce you to workable and easy ways to format wd passport external hard drive, wd elements external hard drive and other external hard drives. Windows 7 forums is the largest help and support community, providing friendly help and advice for microsoft windows 7 computers such as dell, hp, acer, asus or a custom build. How to properly formatreformat a hard drive for mac os. Dec 28, 2011 i have a lacie 1tb hard drive that was initially formatted for a mac, but now i need to reformat it for a pc. If you need to transfer files larger than 4 gb between mac and windows computers, exfat extended file allocation table is the best option. Sep 16, 2019 the data stored in the hard disk obviously overvalues the disk itself. Just to clarify, whats the make and model of your computer. Select the drive from the left sidebar, then click the partition tab. Windows 7 disk management only allows you to format a partition with only but two three if it an external hard drive file systems, ntfs and fat32. Backup windows vista to an external hard drive how to.

But unfortunately it bit the dust and i decided to get a pc. Reformatting external hard drive on mac is a bit different because it doesnt have the option of quick formatting, but it still. How to format a drive in exfat formatting in windows 73 ways. Can you be assure that the hard drive is compatible. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Long story short i had to temporarily reformat my external drive for mac time machine so i could start the boot camp. How to reformat external hard drive without missing data. Create a bootable usb drive for ubuntu using mac or windows how to. How do i reformat my external hard drive from operating on. Sep 01, 2011 i bought a 1tb seagate external hard drive and formatted it for mac using the included setup files. If you are preparing to perform a reformat on your computers hard drive, then you must take necessary precautions before moving forward with the process. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. 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.

How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as fat32. Is there a way to reformat this external harddrive on pc. Feb 21, 2012 how to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. I know very little technically so a step by step walkthrough would be helpful.

Windows 7 forums is the largest help and support community. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. So i figured that this might be caused by the fact that the hard drive is in a format thats not recognizable by windows 7, hence i decided to reformat the hard drive to exfat on my osx lion via disk. As the default file system in windows, it can only read by mac os, writing to it is not available. How to reformat an internal or external hard drive on. Starting clean how to format new hard drive on windows 10 formatting is an essential task before starting to use a new drive, and in this guide, well show you how to do it on windows 10.

How do i reformat my 3t wd external hard drive for windows 10 to windows 7. Copy a data disk uing one optical drive using disk utility on os x how to. How to reformat an internal or external hard drive on windows. The reason is perhaps that seagate external hard drive has been well known for a long time as one of the most reliable drives for storing data. In this article, we will learn how to format the hard disk in. Opening disk management can be done a number of ways depending on your version of windows, but the easiest method is to type diskmgmt. This menu item is in the upperleft side of the screen. How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10 i have a lacie d2 quadra 1tb external hard drive. Originally, i just put it in an external hard case and have been using it as external.

How do i reformat my 3t wd external hard drive for windows 10. How to use seagate external hard drive on mac, 16 ways. How to reformat your hard drive and reinstall windows. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. To do this on windows 8 or windows 7, press the windows key once. Not recognized how to reformat western digital hard drive for mac. Now either because of time, corruption or because it may have been. How to format a mac external hard drive to be compatible. Jul 26, 2019 windows 7 disk management only allows you to format a partition with only but two three if it an external hard drive file systems, ntfs and fat32.

However, i need to reformat it back to an ntfs but i dont see the option to do it on my own mac book. I forgot to mention that my os is windows 7 and i dont have. Best way to format external hard drive used for backup. Now either because of time, corruption or because it may have been formatted for a mac when i plug it into my pc i cant access it. If you are a windows 10 user, do you know how to reformat an internal or external hard drive. Possible causes for toshiba external hard drive not available issue. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc.

I bought it when i had windows 10 but did no like windows 10. Most hard drives come preformatted and ready to use these days. If this is the case for you, rightclick the drive you want to format and click initialize disk. 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. Aug 30, 2019 how to format an external hard drive on windows. Now i dont have a mac anymore and i need to reformat the hard drive for windows 7. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. How to share an external drive between a mac and a pc. Windowsformatted hard drives have either ntfs file system of an fat32 file system. What i really need is a drive that reads on my windows so i can at least partition it there.

In either case, you may need to reformat your hard drive. This will prompt a new window asking you to select a partition style for your disk. It could be a file system corruption in your external hard drive so that the os cannot recognize the drive or cant locate where is your data. Luckily, there are thirdparty tools to help you do so. Reformating my external hard drive for wi apple community. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac.

How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. Formatting a hard drive can change the file system to make it compatible with your computers. Format a drive for both mac os x and microsoft windows how to. You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. I can find it under device manager and disk management but thats it. How do i reformat my 3t wd external hard drive for windows. There are quite a lot of reasons that make your external hard drive not accessible on windows. People might need to format a hard drive or an external hard drive in windows 10 for various reasons.

How to reformat the external hard drive on mac without losing data. Convert formatted drive from mac to windows info remo. This tool allows you to manage the partitions on drives connected to your computer. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. There are a few reasons to reformat your drive this way. How to reformat an external hard drive without losing your. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc.

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. How to convert an external hard drive from apple to pc. How to open mac format usb devce in windows youtube. The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through all connections, be they usb, firewire, or thunderbolt. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. For mac users, youll need to reformat it, and theres no usb 3. Looking to share an external hard drive between a mac and pc.

The data stored in the hard disk obviously overvalues the disk itself. My passport for mac not detectable on windows 7 with exfat. Backup your computer to an external hard drive how to. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pc mac hard drive. Jun 14, 2017 how do i reformat my 3t wd external hard drive for windows 10 to windows 7.

You cannot reformat a volume when you are currently booted to an operating system on. Two effective ways to format wd passport for windows. This this tutorial should work just the same on windows 7 and windows 10. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. Jan 17, 2019 starting clean how to format new hard drive on windows 10 formatting is an essential task before starting to use a new drive, and in this guide, well show you how to do it on windows 10. This wikihow teaches you how to change an external usb hard drives format on windows and mac computers.

Select the external hard drive on the lefthand side. Here are the detailed steps to format external drive in exfat formatting. Understanding hard drive partitioning with disk management. Click go on the top tool bar, and select utilities. A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac. Mar 06, 2019 how to reformat the external hard drive on mac without losing data. How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10. Or you may opt to make a normal backup in your external drive or another computer. Add virtual cd and dvd drives to your pc with alcohol. Reformat external hard drive with operating system hi, i have a hard drive i recovered from my old dell laptop when the motherboard gave out. How to format an external hard drive with pictures wikihow. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. After disk management opens, which might take several seconds, look for the drive you want to format from the list at.

Jan 04, 2012 how to format an external drive for mac compatibility. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with mac osx is not as difficult as it might seem. If want to reformat hard drive with other file system, you can use other third party software. Jan 14, 2020 a computers hard drive experiences malfunctions over time, which are caused by multiple factors like viruses, or sketchy or incompatible software, or the computers old age. Formatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. How to properly format a new hard drive on windows 10. A user has to know how to convert mac formatted hard drive to windows formatted. 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. Windows, macos, and linux can all read and write to fat32 drives without an. Plug the disk into a windows vista sp1 or windows 7 computer. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your backup files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind. How do i reformat my external hard drive for windows 7. The windows system uses a hard drive with a different file system than the mac systems.

Its possible to format your external hard drive with windows and without a mac but without erasing the disk isnt possible and you will have to keep back up if you want your data and you will need a thirdparty tool or software for that. Windows 10, windows 8, windows 7 operating system or mac os x 10. Want to format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. But you occasionally might need to format one yourself. Meanwhile, the performance of the hard disk greatly affects the computer operation and the users experience.

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. Sometimes, users need to use the same external hard drive interchangeably on mac and pc. Reformat windows 7 hard drive if you need to reformat a hard drive using windows 7, the method you should use depends on whether you want to reformat a bootable drive or a secondary drive. How hard is it to reformat the hard drive on a mac computer. A variety of capacity and fashion colors can meet your personalized lifestyle.