How to Format an External Hard Drive on Windows and Mac

You might find the NTFS format problematic using the same external hard drive on both Mac and Windows. The reason is that although NTFS is the default format of most external drives, it does not allow writing data on Mac OS. Therefore, formatting the external hard drive is the most suitable method to make your drive compatible with both OS.

Part 1. What Is the Best Format for an External Hard Drive for Windows and Mac?

Before choosing the best file system format for an external drive, it is crucial to comprehend which file system supports both Windows and Mac. There are several file system formats, some of which support only Mac or Windows, while others support both operating systems.

So, before learning how to format a hard drive for Mac and Windows, you need to understand each format's pros and cons.

FAT32

FAT32 is a file system frequently used in floppy disks, SD memory cards, USB, digital cameras, and a wide variety of embedded and portable devices.

exFAT

exFAT is the current FAT file system (FAT32) version, making it an excellent alternative for external hard drives, particularly large-capacity portable media devices. ExFAT is frequently used in firmware for devices with little power and memory requirements, such as cameras, cell phones, media players, etc.

NTFS

Microsoft created the exclusive writing format known as NTFS. It is the Windows system hard drive's default file system. Because of its encryption, access permission management, and log file, NTFS performs well in data security.

Mac OS Extended

Before macOS High Sierra, HFS+ was the default file system on the startup drive. Mac OS Extended supports older Mac OS versions.

APFS

The APFS file system is Apple's latest exclusive file system. It determines the amount of data available on disk; therefore, it is well-known for enhancing read/write speed on solid-state drives (SSDs) and storage space.

Part 2. How To Format an External Hard Drive on Mac?

You can format the external hard disk after getting insight into which file system both operating systems will support. Use Mac Disk Utility to carry out hard drive formatting for mac. However, if you reformat an external hard drive, all of its information will be lost, so it is suggested to back up any important files beforehand.

Operational Steps:

Step 1: Mount an external hard drive to your Mac (Specific external hard drives need an extension cord).

Step 2: Use Spotlight Search to search for Disk Utility. Open the Disk Utility application; it will display all connected internal and external drives on your Mac.

Step 3: Click Show All Devices in View from the window's top-left corner.

Step 4: Select the external hard drive you want to format.

Step 5: Click on the Erase option present at the top.

Step 6: A warning window will notify you about the permanent data wiping. Click Erase.

Step 7: Name the hard drive, and choose its format and scheme. Although you can use any name for your scheme, you should select GUID Partition Map.

Part 3. How To Format an External Hard Drive on Windows?

Similar to Mac, Windows computers have a program called Disk Management that allows you to format your drive. Here's how to go about it:

Operational Steps

Step 1: Search Disk Management in the search bar by clicking the Windows icon, then select Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions.

Step 2: Select Initialize Disk or Online from the context menu by right-clicking the disk that indicates Not Initialized or Offline.

Step 3: Decide on the partition style; hard drives with a capacity greater than 2 TB should use GPT, while MBR is for hard disks with less than 2 TB of storage space.

Step 4: Right-click the Unallocated Area, choose New Simple Volume and comply with the prompts.

Step 5: Specify the volume size of your external hard drive.

Step 6: Assign your external hard drive a specific letter.

Step 7: Choose the exFAT file system to make your drive compatible with Mac and Windows.

Step 8: Click Finish to complete the formatting process.

You can utilize the drive on both Windows and Mac after Windows formats the drive as exFAT.

Part 4. How to Recover Data on Windows/Mac Easily and Quickly?

We advise you to back up your critical data before embarking on an external drive format. However, if you mistakenly formatted your hard drive and lost important data, you must get professional data recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit.

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Operation steps:

Step 1: Open Recoverit and choose the external hard drive on your Mac or Windows as the scanning and searching destination.

Step 2: Start scanning the external hard drive and find the necessary files for recovery using a filter.

Step 3: Preview the files before proceeding with the data recovery and click Recover to retrieve them.

Conclusion

Formatting an external hard disk for Mac or Windows is straightforward. If you have a single external hard drive storing vital files and want to swap it between PC and Mac systems, you must carry out formatting as an easy and viable solution. It is advisable to format your drive with the exFAT format since it supports both Windows and Mac OS.