Reformat external hard drive from mac to pc​

Reformatting an external hard drive from Mac to PC involves several steps to ensure that the drive is compatible with both operating systems. While macOS uses the HFS+ or APFS file systems by default, Windows typically uses NTFS or exFAT. To make the external hard drive readable and writable on a Windows PC, it is essential to reformat it in a format that both systems support, such as exFAT or FAT32.

File Systems: macOS vs. Windows

HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) – This is the default file system used by older versions of macOS. It’s optimized for macOS and includes features such as file system journaling to protect against data corruption. However, it is not natively supported by Windows, meaning you won’t be able to read or write to an HFS+ formatted drive on a Windows PC without third-party software.

APFS (Apple File System) – Introduced in macOS High Sierra (10.13), APFS is the modern file system for macOS, replacing HFS+. It is optimized for solid-state drives (SSDs) and offers features like improved encryption and performance. Like HFS+, APFS is not natively supported by Windows, so you cannot use an APFS-formatted drive on a PC without special software.

exFAT – exFAT is a file system designed to be compatible with both Windows and macOS. It is ideal for external drives, especially those larger than 32GB, as it supports large file sizes and is read and writable on both platforms. exFAT is a good choice if you want to share files between a Mac and a PC.

FAT32 – FAT32 is an older file system that is compatible with both macOS and Windows. However, it has limitations, such as a 4GB file size limit and a 32GB maximum partition size when formatted on Windows. Despite its limitations, FAT32 is still useful for smaller drives or when compatibility with older devices is required.

NTFS – NTFS is the default file system used by Windows. While it offers excellent performance and support for large files, macOS can only read NTFS-formatted drives natively, not write to them. If you need full read/write access on both systems, you’ll need to reformat the drive.

Why Reformat the Drive?

The main reason you would need to reformat an external hard drive from Mac to PC is to ensure that the drive is compatible with Windows. If you’re planning to use the external hard drive primarily on a Windows PC, reformatting it to a Windows-friendly file system will make the drive accessible.

What You Need

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

Backup your data: Reformatting the drive will erase all existing data on it, so it’s important to back up any important files before proceeding. You can back up your data to another external hard drive, a cloud storage service, or your computer.

A Mac computer with the external hard drive connected: You’ll need to access the drive via macOS in order to reformat it.

A Windows PC: After reformatting, you’ll be using your PC to confirm the drive’s functionality.

Step 1: Back Up Your Data

Before reformatting, the first and most important step is to back up all of the data stored on the external hard drive. The reformatting process will erase all files on the drive, and there’s no way to recover them unless they are backed up elsewhere.

To back up your data: Simply copy the files from the external hard drive to another storage medium, such as another external drive, or upload them to a cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud.

Step 2: Format the Drive Using macOS

Connect the External Drive to Your Mac: Plug the external hard drive into your Mac and ensure that it’s properly recognized.

Open Disk Utility: On your Mac, go to Applications > Utilities and open the Disk Utility application.

Select the Drive to Format: In the Disk Utility window, you’ll see a list of drives on the left side. Select the external hard drive you want to format.

Erase the Drive:

With the drive selected, click the Erase button located at the top of the window.

You’ll be asked to choose a file system. Select exFAT (recommended for cross-platform compatibility) or MS-DOS (FAT) for FAT32.

Enter a name for the drive (optional).

Click Erase to begin the process. This will erase all the data on the drive and reformat it in the new file system.

Wait for the Process to Complete: The process will only take a few minutes. Once it’s done, your external hard drive will be formatted and ready to use on both Mac and Windows.

Eject the Drive: After the formatting is complete, make sure to safely eject the drive from your Mac before disconnecting it.

Step 3: Test the Drive on Windows

After you’ve formatted the external hard drive on your Mac, it’s time to test it on a Windows PC to ensure that it’s working correctly.

Connect the Drive to Your Windows PC: Plug the external hard drive into your Windows computer.

Check File Explorer: Open File Explorer (Windows Key + E) and look for the external hard drive in the left sidebar or under “This PC.”

Access the Drive: If everything was done correctly, you should be able to access the external hard drive without any issues. You can copy, paste, and delete files from it.

Step 4: Troubleshooting

If your external hard drive does not show up or you encounter issues accessing it on your Windows PC, here are some troubleshooting steps:

Check the Drive’s File System: If you chose a file system that isn’t compatible with Windows (such as HFS+ or APFS), Windows won’t recognize the drive. Ensure that you’ve formatted it as exFAT or FAT32 for compatibility.

Update Windows Drivers: Sometimes, Windows may require a driver update to recognize new hardware. Go to the Device Manager, locate your external hard drive under “Disk Drives,” and check if there are any updates available.

Test the USB Port and Cable: Make sure that the USB port and cable you’re using are working correctly. Try connecting the drive to a different port or using a different cable.

Format Again: If the drive still isn’t recognized, it may need to be reformatted again. You can do this on Windows by using the Disk Management tool (Right-click the Start button > Disk Management). Right-click the external drive, select Format, and choose exFAT or FAT32.