Your Mac will need to set up your chosen drive before it’s shared. External Hard Drive For Mac And PC Interchangeable What You Need. An ExFAT external hard drive means you can freely interchange files. Formatted as ExFAT you can share a whole external hard drive between a Mac and a Windows PC.But people often use other terms like delete and format interchangeably, while they’re actually quite different.So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both Windows and Mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with Windows PC and Mac. First, hard disk and hard drive have the same meaning. Plug the cable available in the compatible slots of your hard drive and.Before jumping in, there’s a bit of terminology you should know.To check, right click on the external hard drive.Delete: Deleting data actually just moves it into a folder, out of sight, like the Recycle Bin in Windows or the Trash on Mac. The faster SSD drives on a Mac may well use an APFS file system. And an external hard drive that works on a Mac is in HFS+ format. However, FAT32 has a maximum 4GB file size limit whereas exFAT can work with files as large as 16EB.Typically, an external hard drive that works on a Windows PC uses an NTFS file system.If you want to use the device again (or sell it), you’ll probably want to use the former method.Format: Depending on your operating system (OS), you’ll probably have a few options available. As with erasing, you can use data destruction software — or just break out a hammer. The more recently the files were deleted, the more likely it is that you can recover them.Erase: Erasing or scrubbing a file gets rid of it for good.Wipe: Wiping refers to erasing everything on a given storage device or hard drive. Before they get overwritten, though, you can still recover the files using data recovery software. That means when your device needs to save new data, it can (and will) use the space occupied by the deleted files. If you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash, the files can then be overwritten by new data.
External Drive For Both And Windows Mac Will NeedThis ensures that you don’t end up with corrupted files down the line.Reformat: Some people use the term reformat — it’s the same as format!Now that we’ve got that down, there are a few more things you should know about the formatting process, for both Windows and Mac computers. A full format will also scan your disk for any bad sectors and remove them. The drive in question can be your hard drive, or a removable drive such as a USB. File systems are rules that govern how an OS stores and reads files. Choose the right file systemNow that you’re clear on the differences between erasing and wiping, and between internal and external drives, it’s time to select a file system. An external hard drive is located outside of your computer, and it can take the form of a flash drive (also called thumb drive or USB) or a larger enclosure that can contain either a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). This happens when your disk is partitioned (separated) between the primary drive and additional internal drives. You may also have additional internal drives to store more files on your computer. But it’s a little different if you’re formatting the primary drive vs. How to format a hard drive on WindowsFormatting a hard drive on Windows is largely the same whether you’re using Windows 10, 8, or 7. It’ll allow you to transfer files between different operating systems.Now that you’ve selected the appropriate file system, let’s get formatting! (Skip ahead for Mac instructions). It’ll work on all types of hard drives, but is optimized for flash-based storage, including SSDs.OS Extended (HFS+) was used from 1998 to 2017, but was replaced by APFS.If you want to move files between Windows and Mac, go for exFAT.ExFAT: This file system is intended for removable storage like USB drives, SD cards, and other external hard drives. It’s compatible with the largest range of file types, but it can’t store anything over 4 GB.Both NTFS and FAT32 will eventually become fragmented, meaning you’ll need to occasionally defragment them.If you’re using a Mac, you’ll generally use the APFS (Apple File System).APFS became the default file system when macOS High Sierra was introduced. It will ask you where you want to install Windows. When you’re prompted with a choice of Types of Installation, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) for Windows 10 or Custom (advanced) and then Drive options (advanced) for Windows 7.On the next screen, select Format. Note that Windows is not actually installing, so don’t worry if you don’t have a product key (and if necessary, select the box for no product key).Follow the next steps to choose your desired version of Windows and accept the terms. Select your desired language and time, and click Next.Click on Install now and then wait while Windows completes some setup procedures. Do so, and you might see a message that says Windows is loading files.The Windows setup wizard will launch. Then, download the software you need:Windows 10: Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.Windows 7: Download the Windows 7 OS and then the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.For either Windows 10 or 7, follow the instructions to create the bootable USB drive.Now that you have either the startup DVD or the USB, we’re ready to proceed.Insert the Windows 10 or Windows 7 startup DVD or make sure your bootable USB drive is plugged in.The Windows startup app should launch automatically if not, you’ll see a message that says Press any key to boot. Dragon ash lily of da valley rarLuckily, it’s much easier to reformat all of those drives, because they don’t contain the OS.Here’s how to format either an internal or external hard drive:Start up your computer as usual, but hold down the WINDOWS key and type in R to open the Run dialog box.When the box opens, type in diskmgmt.msc and then click OK.The Disk Management window will open. External drives are, again, hardware like USB drives or other external storage devices. Aside from your primary C drive, you may have smaller internal drives with names like D, E, F, etc. (That’s the only sign that the formatting has been completed.)At this point, your drive is formatted, and everything is gone! But now you don’t have an OS on your computer.Download Windows OS from your DVD or USB drive.How to format an internal or external drive on WindowsYour Windows hard drive may be partitioned into several different drives. Click OK if you’re sure.Your mouse will show a busy sign during the formatting process, and will then turn back into an arrow once it’s complete. If you want to format this partition, any data stored on it will be lost.” So you want to make sure that you’ve correctly selected your primary (or C) drive and that you’re okay with deleting all the data on it. (See above for our guidance on file systems.) You’ll also have the choice to do a “quick” format or not. That’s where you'll choose the file system for your drive. You can also rename drives here if you wish.A Format box will pop up. Click OK and you’re done!If you need to format a drive simply for the purpose of using a different file system, you can quickly do that from the Windows Explorer screen. It will also scan and remove any bad sectors, which prevents future corrupted files. This may take several hours, but will more thoroughly wipe your personal information. If you’re preparing your computer before giving it away or selling it, you should do a normal format by unchecking the Perform a quick format box. It’s a good option if you want to clean the drive, but also want to continue using it yourself. It’ll do a basic delete of the hard drive in just a few seconds, but it doesn’t truly erase or wipe anything, meaning that it’s out of sight but not irretrievable. Why is this necessary? During the normal computing process, Windows accumulates a ton of junk that bogs it down: residual files, leftover installers, temporary files, cached data, and more. If you’d prefer to keep your disk clean without taking the nuclear option, you can perform some disk maintenance instead. From there, you’ll be able to select NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.While formatting your disk will wipe it clean, it also deletes your files.
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