How to Format an External Hard Drive on a Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Do you know why your recently purchased external hard drive isn't working on your Mac? It's because the format of the external drive isn't compatible with the file system used by macOS. Therefore, you need to format the external hard drive to be compatible with the Mac system. But which file system should you select, and how do you go about formatting it for Mac? Don't worry; this guide will provide you with a step-by-step solution.

Do I Need to Format External Hard Drive on a Mac?

Yes, you do need an external hard drive formatted for Mac. External hard drives serve various purposes like data storage, transfer, or expanding your device's capacity. However, not all external hard drives are compatible with Mac systems. There are several reasons to format an external hard drive for use with a Mac, such as:

• Purchasing a new external hard drive
• Erasing all the contents of the external drive
• Intending to use the external drive on both Windows and Mac systems

Regardless of the reason you want to format the disk, you need to first choose the best external hard drive file system format for Mac. We'll cover the different file systems next.

What is the Best Format for an External Hard Drive on a Mac?

For computer systems, there are numerous file systems:

• NTFS: The default and modern file system used by Windows.
• APFS: Used by macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later.
• HFS+: Used by macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or earlier.
• exFAT: Works with USB connections
• FAT32: Older file systems

So, which one is the most suitable for Mac? Next, let's delve into the various file formats. After that, you can refer to the table below to choose the ideal file system.

By comparing the various types of systems above, we can得出以下结论：

• APFS is the ideal choice if you plan to use it exclusively on Mac. It is fast and efficient.
• ExFAT and FAT32 are the most suitable file system formats for both Windows and Mac. However, individual files on a FAT32 drive cannot exceed 4GB in size, whereas exFAT supports larger sizes.
• NFTS and HFS+ are not compatible with Mac. While Mac can read the NTFS file system, it cannot write to it.

Of all the file system formats, ExFAT is the most recommended. It facilitates cross-platform compatibility, and it is swift in handling files, especially those of substantial size. Once you've determined that ExFAT is suitable for your Mac, you can proceed to format your external hard drive.

How to Format External Hard Drive on Mac? [Two Methods]

You can format exFAT or other file systems on a Mac using the built-in Disk Utility tool. You can also execute the formatting process via command lines. Here are the step-by-step instructions: 1. **Using Disk Utility:** - Open "Disk Utility" which can be found in the "Applications" folder > "Utilities" folder. - Select the drive you want to format from the list on the left. - Click on the "Erase" button at the top. - Choose "exFAT" (or the desired format) from the "Format" dropdown menu. - Enter a name for the drive in the "Name" field. - Click "Erase" to begin the formatting process. 2. **Using Terminal Command:** - Open "Terminal," which is located in the "Applications" folder > "Utilities" folder. - Type the following command, replacing `/path/to/disk` with the actual path of your disk and `volume_name` with the desired name for the formatted volume: ``` sudo diskutil eraseDisk exFAT volume_name /dev/diskX ``` - Press "Enter" and enter your admin password when prompted. - The formatting will start, and it may take some time depending on the size of the disk. Remember to back up any important data before formatting as the process will delete all existing files on the selected drive.

Method 1: Format External Hard Drive on Mac Using Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a native tool on Mac that allows you to format external hard drives and manage partitions. To format an external hard drive on your Mac, you can use this utility by following these steps:

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Press the "Command + Space" keys to search for "Disk Utility" and open it.

Step 3. Select the drive and click "Erase" to format it.

Step 4. Name the drive and choose "ExFAT" as the file system format.

Step 5. Click on "Erase" to complete the formatting of the external hard drive.

Method 2: Format External Hard Drive on Mac Using Terminal Command

This is a more complex method where you format the external hard drive using command prompts. Here are the detailed steps for the command approach:

Step 1. Connect the external drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Press and hold "Command+Space" and type "Terminal."

Step 3. Type "diskutil list" and locate the external drive.

Step 4. Type the command and press enter.

sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2 This command in English translates to: Sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2 This is a Terminal command used on macOS or BSD systems to erase the entire content of the specified disk (in this case, disk2) and format it with the FAT32 file system using the Master Boot Record (MBR) partitioning scheme. The 'sudo' part means it's executed with superuser privileges.

Step 5. Wait for the process to finish and click "Close."

Bonus Tip: Format External Hard Drive for Mac on Windows

Aside from using Disk Utility, you can also format an external hard drive for Mac on Windows. You can utilize third-party software like the reliable Partition Manager tool. It conveniently allows you to format USB/external hard drive to exFAT format. Follow the step-by-step guide below to accomplish this task.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card that you want to format and choose the "Format" option.

Step 2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size to the selected partition, and then click "OK".

Step 3. In the Warning window, click "Yes" to continue.

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, and then click "Apply" to begin formatting your external hard drive, USB, or SD card.

What Else Can Partition Master Offer?

Once you've formatted the external hard drive to your preferred format, you can connect it to your Mac and start using it. The tool, Partition Master, offers even more powerful functionalities. It boasts the following advantages:

• Convert MBR to GPT
• Format partitions, erase partitions/disks
• Clone larger HDD to smaller SSD
• Migrate the operating system to HDD/SSD
• Convert dynamic disk to basic without losing data
• Check disk partition health status and file system errors

Summary: This is a brief summary of the content. It provides an overview or condensed version of the main points discussed or presented. The purpose of a summary is to give readers a quick understanding of the key information without going into the details.

This guide outlines the appropriate file system for formatting an external hard drive for use with a Mac. For the Mac system, you should select the APFS (Apple File System) format. If you intend to use the hard drive interchangeably between Mac and Windows systems, exFAT is the ideal choice.

This guide also provides the steps to format an external hard drive on a Mac system. You can do it quickly with Disk Utility. But if you want to format an external hard drive for Mac on Windows, Partition Master is another easy and quick way.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting an External Hard Drive on a Mac

You can learn how to format an external hard drive on a Mac by following the instructions outlined above. Here are some frequently asked questions that people often concern themselves with:

1. Is Mac exFAT or NTFS? The Mac operating system, also known as macOS, uses its own file system called Apple File System (APFS) as the default for newer systems. However, it also supports other file systems like exFAT and NTFS for compatibility with external drives and Windows users. - **exFAT**: This file system is designed for use on devices with large storage, like flash drives and external hard drives, to support files larger than 4GB. It's compatible with both Macs and Windows computers without needing any additional software. - **NTFS**: NTFS (New Technology File System) is the primary file system used by Windows. While Macs can read NTFS-formatted drives, they cannot write to them by default. To write to NTFS drives on a Mac, you would need third-party software or to format the drive to a different file system, like exFAT. In summary, Macs use APFS but can work with exFAT and NTFS for cross-platform compatibility.

This article outlines the various file system formats. For Mac, the most suitable is the exFAT format, which allows storage of files of any size. This format is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.

2. Should I use APFS or macOS Journaled?

APFS is the preferred option for Mac due to its enhanced features and faster performance. However, macOS Journaled is a journaling file system utilized in macOS 10.12 or earlier versions. To learn more about the differences between APFS and MacOS Extended, you can click APFS vs MacOS Extended.

3. What are the disadvantages of exFAT?

Though exFAT is one of the most suitable file systems for Mac, it has its limitations. It is less compatible compared to FAT32 and lacks journaling functionality. Furthermore, it doesn't possess advanced features found in NTFS.