In such a case, its necessary to reformat wd hard drive to make it compatible with mac operating system. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. In addition, the following reasons may also lead to wd my passport for mac hard drive not showing up or not working. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with mac osx is not as difficult as it might seem. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two environments. Where and with working to reformat my new hd, i have been directed to base support and then knowledge base answer id 3865. Formatting a hard drive for windows will be discussed in another article. And now you can use the wd elements external hard drive as you use your internal hard drive.
Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. 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. Rightclick in the unallocated space on the initialized disk and select new simple volume. And in a few minutes your wd elements drive is exfat formatted ready for you to use on your mac and windows pc. Out of the both its not mac compatible, but you can format it for use. If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another storage device.
Some people are asking for a way to format a hard drive for mac. How to reformat a wd external hard drive it still works. Erase data and format the drive in order to use it on other devices like a mac. Nov 14, 2019 get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. Keep in mind that a mac can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance. Dec 29, 2015 your exfatformatted drive or partition can now be used for both windows and mac. How to partition and format a wd drive on windows and macos. Easily format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. In this guide i will show you how you can properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. Then, how to erase wd my passport external hard drive easily. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. If youre a mac user, this drive comes formatted in hfs, so itll work for your right out of the box, no problems. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two.
A hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac. Format wd my passport for mac, 10 quick steps mactakeawaydata formatwdmypassportformac. Wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard. If i do reformat, i guess this is done through the erase tab in the disk utility. Download wd quick formatter to format external drive in. Apple likes to ensure these are easy to find, so they also appear in the finder in the lefthand column under devices, since macs treat them the same way as. Select the drive you want to reformat in the lefthand sidebar and go to the erase tab. I understand that the mac can readwrite this format. However, while doing this, there are things you have.
However, all of the solutions can be divided into two types. This drive connects directly to your mac through usb. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto. Sep 01, 2011 i show you how to format a western digital or any brand hard drive for use on any device be it a mac, pc, linux, ps3, xbox 360, etc. Jul 16, 2008 i just got a wd external hard drive that is fat32. 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. Download wd quick formatter to reformat wd external hard drive to ntfs, fat32, etc in windows 1087.
How to erase wd my passport external hard drive in windows. How to reformat western digital portable hard drive. Your exfatformatted drive or partition can now be used for both windows and mac. How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10. In disk utility on mac, you can erase and reformat storage devices to use with your mac. Your wd elements drive will be on your macs desktop. For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac. Mar 25, 2018 where and with working to reformat my new hd, i have been directed to base support and then knowledge base answer id 3865. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. I have a wd my passport edge for mac 500gb external drive. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under mac os. In addition, the following reasons may also lead to wd my passport. Plug the cable attached to the wd external hard drive to the appropriate port on the mac, for example, the usb port.
In the next 5 minutes read, you will master yourself in formatting a wd my passport safely and in a manner best suited for sharing your digital files between a macos and windows os. Sometimes, an external hard drive not showing up on mac just because the usb cable or the usb port on your mac is bad. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your macs usb port, you soon see it mount on the. This was an issue with the hard drive caddy not recognising a 3tb hard drive. Try wd advanced format utility alternative easeus external hard drive formatter to format disk while wd external drive format failed with wd quick formatter tool. My passport wont format external drives for mac wd. Appears to be a quite common problem if the drive shows up as around 801. However, while doing this, there are things you have to keep in mind and follow the correct steps. Buy wd 2tb my passport for mac portable external hard drive blue, usbcusba wdba2d0020bblwesn. Most of the time, when you connect an external hard drive to your macs usb port, you soon see it mount on the desktop. When completed, the drive will be formatted to the. Note that using a drive frequently between windows and mac could increase the chances. How to format a hard drive in windows follow these easy steps to format a hard drive in windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, windows vista, or windows xp.
How to reformat my external hard drive for windows 10 i have a lacie d2 quadra 1tb external hard drive. Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc. How to properly formatreformat a hard drive for mac os. Where, i am seeing instruction links, for mac operating system, for as far back as mac os x 10. Well show you everything you need to know about the.
Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. In order to avoid data loss, you have to recover lost data from unmountable external hard drive as soon as possible. Feb 03, 2020 use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. In this situation, the only solution is to reformat the wd external hard drive. Fix wd my passport for mac not showing upnot working on mac. How to format wd my passport in windows system just like disk utility on. Your wd elements drive will show up on your desktop as a drive icon. Try wd advanced format utility alternative easeus external hard drive. You can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines.
Macbook external hard drive not recognized how to reformat western digital hard drive for mac. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. Have since tried a different caddy and my mac recognises it fine. Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. 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.
You can get to know how to reformat wd hard drive for mac and pc from this post, if you need to use a western digital external hard drive, like wd elements both under mac and pc. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry. How to format wd my passport in windows system just like disk utility on mac, there is an inbuilt tool known as disk management in windows. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pcmac hard drive. Heres 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. How to format an external drive to work seamlessly with macs and pcs without third party software. Apart from wd passport, you can also format wd elements for mac. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under. Connect it, power it up, go to disk utility in applicationsutilities, select the wd disk on the left, go to the erase tab, and choose mac os. With my previous laptops pcs, ive always stored my data on an external hard drive. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility.
Two easy methods to format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. Whether you are trying to backup mac to an external hard drive, wipe out any personal information and sell the computer, or even use a new operating system, you need to format the hard drive on your mac or pc. Purchasing the best hard drive is all about what you need out of it. The best external desktop drive is the wd 4tb my book desktop external hard drive usb 3. Everything else free delivery possible on eligible. Apr 16, 2020 step 6 once formatting completes, you can then use your drive in mac as a usual hard drive part 3. Erase and reformat a storage device in disk utility on mac. I thought i was going to have to return my 1tb hard drive but. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. In order to avoid data loss, you have to recover lost data from.
Reformat resize an external hard drive removed from a nas. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided. If youre a windows user, youll have to reformat it to ntfs or just buy the regular wd drive, which is usually same price or even cheaper and comes already formatted for windows. A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx.
Now, i have a new macbook pro and all my data is still on that external hd. Smaller external hard drives, ssds, and usb flash keys format quickly, while a larger hard drive may take a while longer. Whether you are trying to backup mac to an external hard drive, wipe out any personal information and sell the computer. Double click on your wd elements drive icon on your desktop. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your backup files to the external drive.
I had to install wd utilities and then erasereformat the drive in that application. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. Use the wizard to create a partition with the ntfs or fat32 file system. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a. If you connect your wd hard drive without reformatting, youll be unable to copy files to the disk as mac read only supports ntfs file system. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. A lot of people including you, storing important data on seagate external hard drive instead of on your pc mac hard drive. Is there a more basic way to reformat this particular external drive, to mac os x 10. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only.
I have a 3tb hard drive that i removed from a nas that is only showing as 800mb on my mac. The reason is perhaps that seagate external hard drive has been well. Proceed based on whether youre erasing your startup disk or some other disk. How to format an external hard drive for a mac youtube. Jan 14, 2020 and in a few minutes your wd elements drive is exfat formatted ready for you to use on your mac and windows pc. Doubleclick on the mac s main hard drive to open its window on the desktop. This is because you must format the drive with a specific file system before using it with a computer, and windows and mac computers run on different file systems.
I think the mac os doesnt know what to do with it in the windows format. Here i recommend you to change the file system of the wd hard drive from ntfs to fat32 or exfat, thus the wd hard drive is able to be used. Step 6 once formatting completes, you can then use your drive in mac as a usual hard drive part 3. 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. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Your wd elements drive will be on your macs desktop under the name you gave it. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. I think it is necessary to reformat the wd portable hard drive and permanently erase my private data.
Wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive. If youre a windows user, youll have to reformat it to ntfs or just buy the regular. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing. I think it is necessary to reformat the wd portable hard. You can format a western digital my passport external hard drive to exfat or fat32 format using. I show you how to format a western digital or any brandhard drive for use on any device be it a mac, pc, linux, ps3, xbox 360, etc. Tutorial on how to format a western digital elements harddrive for a mac. Oct 11, 2018 want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. How to erase wd my passport external hard drive in windows easily. Note that using a drive frequently between windows and mac could increase the chances of file corruption, so make.
If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. Open the disk utility app on your mac using one of the following methods, depending on the type of disk or volume you want to erase. Have tried disk utility and terminal diskutil but the hard drive keeps showing at the wrong size. Now your entire wd elements external hard drive is in a format both computers can use. Recover lost data from unmountable wd external hard drive on mac. Get a free addition to setapp the ultimate mac user book. 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. Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc.
A similar problem would arise in windows with the disk showing up as around 746 gb. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. If you have any files you want to save, copy them to. My passport wont format external drives for mac wd community.