If you're looking for this kind of thing, then you're in luck, because this app is a great choice.
Part 1: Which File Format You Should Choose?īefore you begin formatting the drive, there are a few things to do.GLWiz Mobile is a good app for enjoying on-demand TV series, movies, and radio broadcasts in multiple languages from the comfort of your smartphone. The most important, you should decide which format to use. There are a few file formats you can use, but it depends on the purpose you want to use the drive for. Which one is right for your circumstance? We'll describe them here, and you'll be able to make your choice after reading the details.ĪPFS: This is the default file system in Macs with High Sierra. However, it won't be readable and usable on machines that are not running Mac High Sierra, Windows or Linux PCs. What's more, it is compatible with SSD and flash storage devices only.
Mac OS Extended (Journaled/HFS+): If you didn't update your Mac OS to High Sierra, the default file system on your Mac shoule be Mac OS Extended. Mac OS Extended (encrypted) would be an ideal option if you probably carry your laptop or external drive here and there. You can encrypt it so that no one can access the contents on your drive. MS-DOS FAT (aka FAT32): In addition to Mac, it can also be written and read by Linux and Windows. It enables you to regularly share files with your friends. Nevertheless, this older file system is limited to no more than 4GB and there might be security issue and disk errors.ĮxFAT: It is similar to ExFAT which can be read by both Windows and Mac, but it can store more than 4GB files. NTFS: As the default file system in Windows, it can only read by Mac OS and writing to it is not available.
Part 2: Format External Hard Drive for Mac with Disk Utility Luckily, there are third-party tools to help you do so. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with Mac OS is not as difficult as it might seem. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your back-up files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind. Keep in mind that Mac OS can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance and to create a bootable disk, formatting exclusively for your Mac based on its version is required.įormatting an external hard drive would erase everything on it. Hence, you must backup your important files before reformatting the drive if you want to save them. The easiest way is to drag it from one drive to another.Īll is set, then you can go ahead to format the drive on your Mac. Disk utility - the MacOS utility application can help you with this. Connect the external drive or the USB drive to the Mac. Start the Disk Utility, which is located under Applications > Utilities. #How to reformat mac hd mac osįollow on-screen prompts to choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system and allow the disk to format.įollow these simple steps using AnyRecover to get your files back!įind the name of the drive in the left side of the Utilities window and select it. Plug the external hard drive into your Mac directly or via USB. Next select the drive under "External Removable Devices" tab, click "Start" to begin scanning lost files on the drive. AnyRecover will take a moment to scan your drive. Once done, it will list out all the scanned results by file type. Double click a single file to preview it before recovery. Select the files and press "Recover" to get them back.
In this post, we've talked about how to reformat external hard drive on Mac to meet the needs and better make use of the device. What's more, a perfect fix is provided to recover lost data from the formatted drive.īased on what's been discussed above, it's quite clear that AnyRecover for Mac is a tool worthy of top-shelf treatment in your collection of utility items.