How to Transfer Files from PC to Mac Using an External Hard Drive

External hard drives are useful for transferring large amounts of data that won't fit on smaller storage devices, like USB drives or optical discs. Tools are available to guide you through the process of moving files from a PC to a Mac using external drives. However, before proceeding, it's essential to understand some related prerequisites:

1. Backup your important data in advance.

?2. exFAT32 and FAT32 are two file systems that are compatible with both macOS and Windows. Hence, if you are using an NTFS formatted disk, you need to format NTFS to FAT32 or exFAT, which can be achieved by referring to this guide.

3. Use external drives to transfer data from PC to Mac. Ideal for moving photos, documents, music, and other files. Do not copy applications, as they won't run if copied to a different system.

If you wish to transfer applications from a PC to a Mac, consider using the software Todo PCTrans. This tool excels in迁移应用程序、文件和文档 among multiple operating systems.

Share these prerequisites with more people to assist them in transferring data from Windows to Mac.

How to Transfer Files from PC to Mac Using an External Hard Drive

External hard drives have more storage capacity than USB flash drives. You can choose to use an external hard drive to transfer files from your Mac to a PC. Follow these steps to proceed.

Stage 1: Copy Files from the PC to the External Hard Drive

The first step is to copy the files or documents you wish to transfer onto the external hard drive from your computer. Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Connect the external drive's USB cable to your PC and open File Explorer to copy the target files to the external drive.

Step 2. After everything has been copied, close Windows and disconnect the hard drive's data cable from the PC.

Stage 2: Transfer Files from External Hard Drive to Mac

Follow the steps below to copy everything to your Mac, or you can just copy the specific files you want and leave the rest on the external drive.

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive's cable to your Mac. The drive's letter or name should appear on your Mac's desktop.

< strong > Step 2. < /strong > Double-click on it. Drag all the files to your Mac folder.

As depicted, utilizing an external hard drive to transfer data between a computer and a Mac is relatively straightforward. However, external hard drives aren't limited to just using the FAT32 and exFAT file systems. Moreover, this method doesn't facilitate the transfer of applications. To overcome these constraints, it is advisable to employ third-party software. Continue reading to learn more.

Automatically Transfer Files/Applications From PC to Mac

Todo PCTrans is a professional and robust transfer tool that offers a PC-to-PC mode, enabling users to transfer files or videos from one PC to a macOS device. With its assistance, you can move files from a Windows PC to a Mac without the need for a USB drive or an external hard drive. Its powerful algorithms guarantee data transfer between Windows systems and macOS while maintaining data integrity.

Translate the following text into English: Install it on your PC and follow the steps to give it a try:

Step 1. Launch Todo PCTrans on both computers. Choose "PC to PC" to proceed.

Step 2. Ensure you have selected the correct transfer direction.

"New" - Transfer data from the old computer to the current new computer.

"Old" - Transfer data from the current old computer to the new remote computer.

Step 3. Connect the two PCs via the network by entering the password or verification code of the target PC. Additionally, ensure you've selected the correct transfer direction and click "Connect" to proceed.

The verification code is located on the upper-right corner of the "PC to PC" main screen on the target computer.

Step 4. Next, choose "Files" to select the files you wish to transfer. You can pick specific files as desired. Additionally, clicking the "Edit" icon allows you to customize the storage path for the transferred data.

Step 5. Click "Transfer" to start transferring files from PC to PC. The transfer time depends on the file size. Please wait patiently.

Conclusion

In most instances, you'll need to use an external hard drive to transfer files from a PC to a Mac. This approach enables you to move numerous large files that won't fit on a USB drive to your Mac. However, this method has limitations due to system compatibility and file format restrictions. Using a tool like Todo PCTrans is a more effective solution. You can help more people become aware of this method by clicking the share button below.

FAQs: Transferring Files from PC to Mac Using an External Hard Drive

External hard drives can be incredibly useful when transferring files from a PC to a Mac. Please refer to the following questions for more information.

1. How do I transfer files from PC to Mac using an external hard drive?

After copying your files to the external hard drive, unplug it, move it to the Mac, and connect it using the Mac's USB port. When you turn the Mac on, the external hard drive will appear on the Desktop or within a Finder window. You can then drag and drop the files from the drive onto the Mac.

2. How do I transfer files from Windows to Mac?

There are multiple ways to transfer files from a Windows PC to a Mac, including using an external hard drive, USB, WiFi, Cloud Storage, or the Migration Assistant.

3. Can you transfer files between a PC and a Mac using an external hard drive?

Certainly. External hard drives can facilitate file transfer between systems, provided they are formatted with the appropriate file system. They can be used to move files from a PC to a Mac; however, they cannot transfer applications between different operating systems.