Alternatively, you can create 2 partitions on the external hard drive. From the volume format menu, choose mac os extended. Windows is listed in the directory of the selected volume, so just check to see if its there. Since the pc and mac are two different operating systems, they use different file systems. First, note the number of the disk in the disk management window. Mac os journaled is the formatting option for mac and ntfs or msdoc is the. Apr 16, 2020 to format a hard drive, you can take advantage of a piece of thirdparty software. No worry, actually it is not impossible to realize it no matter you use an external or internal drive of your windows system. This will give you the screen with all the partitions on the drive. Mar 15, 2018 windows cant normally read macformatted drives, and will offer to erase them instead. No need for deleting any files before that, as formatting takes care of it. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Ntfs is a microsoft format that debuted with windows nt, but it was only made available in consumer versions of windows since windows xp. With tuxera ntfs for mac, you can use apples disk utility or tuxera disk manager to format ntfs drives.
If you own a windows computer, the hard drive in your system is probably running the ntfs format, which stands for new technology file system. Apr 23, 2020 this works fine but i need to format it in ntfs and windows format says it cant complete the format. Fix raw hard drive to ntfs without formatting and data loss. Next, open a command prompt window as administrator. Nov 19, 2019 for instance, windows retrieves, stores and formats any flash drive or external hard disk using its default format, that is. Stepbystep instructions to format a hard drive in windows 7, including screenshots for each step to make the process easy to follow. Users might need to format hard drives to ntfs for any one of its advantages. Similarly each operating system works on different file system and it is unique. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. Dear dennis, i have an old external 1 tb hard drive id like to format for use with apple time machine backup.
How to format a mac drive in windows 7 microsoft community. So how can you format the external hard drive to ntfs file system windows 108 7. Ntfs recovery toolkit 2020 free download for windows 10. I have a wd passport essential 320gb external hard drive that i want to use to backup my dual boot system w7 and xp.
If you are going to format extra internal drive on mac, you have to partition hard drive on mac. Win 7 will create the partition and format it as ntfs. If you work on a mac computer and need to read or write files from hdd, ssd or a flash drive formatted under windows, you need microsoft ntfs for mac by paragon software. Although you can find thirdparty software to get mac hard drives to work with ntfs, and windows to work with hfs, these cost money, and you may have to deal with bugs or request for permission to install. Jan 09, 2020 common ways to format external hard drive to ntfs in windows 108 7. Tuxera ntfs 2019 crack mac is recognized as one of the best ever developed application for the mac operating system. Thats all because its been initialized with windows nt file system ntfs, which is primarily for pcs. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. Then type the partition name in the volume label and check the box perform quick format. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x doesnt allow us to write files to the drive neither edit files, though it can read a ntfs drive. Aug 23, 2009 windows 7 forums is the largest help and support community, providing friendly help and advice for microsoft windows 7 computers such as dell, hp, acer, asus or a custom build. How enable ntfs writing on mac write to ntfs drives. Many people think it is hard to format the windows drive on macintosh.
Disques durs externes ou cles usb sous mac os, os x et macos. How to format a mac drive to ntfs in windows quora. My passport for mac not detectable on windows 7 with exfat. With the help of this tremendous software you can easily execute the ntfs drives in the mac operating system accordingly.
If there are some solutions that can convert raw to ntfs without formatting and data loss, it will be perfect. The thing is, although apple largely has support for ntfs and other windows formats, write support to ntfs drives is disabled in os x. Convert raw to ntfs file system with cmd chkdsk is a windows utility that can check the integrity and fix the various file system errors on the storage device. So, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac cnet. Set aside its advantage for being free, ntfs 3g is complained a lot because of its poor performance. This also allows you to restore time machine backups on windows. However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by using the exfat filesystem. Windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. Clone the data from old hard drive to the newly installed ssd formatting and data migration 2.
Warning if you accidentally input format without fsntfs quick or fsfat32 quick in diskpart command prompt, it will execute a full format on your selected hard drive partition. While the new is originally referring to the year 1993, it has since been improved and updated over the years. To be specific, we can turn to disk management, diskpart, thirdparty tool, and others. Jan 24, 2016 each operating system has their own file system. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. Apple mac machines support a different file system. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. How to format a drive in exfat formatting in windows 73 ways. This applications readonly nature isnt necessarily a bad thing. How to format a drive in exfat formatting in windows 73. The process is fairly simple and only involves a couple of clicks and menu option selections, but you will need to make sure that all the data on the drive is backed up before formatting it. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. How to format a hard drive to fat32 in windows 7 or vista.
Assign the drive letter for the partition and click next. Most external hard drives hd are sold in a format called ntfs, which is designed to work with windows. If you want to write to ntfs formatted hard drives in mac os x, youre going to need. I have a hard drive which i used to use on my windows computer, and is in ntfs format, so i can only read files on it with my macbook. Now here is how to format your fat32 external drive on mac. How can i change the format so that i can write files to the hard drive with my macbook. How to format a hdd from ntfs to apple os x file system quora.
Actually, you can use windows 7 builtin tools to format drive to exfat file system. Windows 7 install will see the existing partitions and the unallocated space, select the unallocated space and continue on. In this post, we show you 3 best ways to format usb to ntfs in windows 108 7. How to format ntfs partition for windows 7 using bootcamp. Dose anyone know how to convert an external drive that was used for a mac to ntfs so it can be used with windows.
Dec 29, 2015 the instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. To format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. These 3 ways helps format usb to ntfs in windows 1087. Mac os is the capability to read information from ntfs partitioning. Windows 7 disk management only allows you to format a partition with only but two three if it an external hard drive file systems, ntfs and fat32. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. Convert a mac hard drive to ntfs windows 7 help forums. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. Windows 7 forums is the largest help and support community, providing friendly help and advice for microsoft windows 7 computers such as dell, hp, acer, asus or a custom build. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. How to format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. Format usb to fat32 ntfs exfat in windows 10 or windows 7. After disk management opens, which might take several seconds, look for the drive you want to format from the list at. Opening disk management can be done a number of ways.
Format hard drive on windows 7 or earlier versions step 1 restart your computer and press f8 or del key to enter the bios settings. Microsoft ntfs is one of the primary file systems of windows. Windows 7 creating ntfs partition for windows 7 install. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive. In short, ask your friend for a screen shot of that option in windows 7 setup. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Jun 20, 2019 how to choose a file system fat, ntfs, apfs or mac os extension how to format a new ssd. How to format the hard disk drive in windows 7 computer. Changing hard drive format from ntfs to mac compatible. Therefore, scroll down until you see a folder utilities double click on it. Microsoft introduced ntfs in 1993, as a component of the corporateoriented windows nt 3. When the driver is installed, you format your ntfs disks with disk utility where you select windows nt filesystem as the format. It is professional partition magic which is designed to optimize partition and disk use.
If you work on a mac computer and need to read or write files from hdd, ssd or a flash drive formatted under windows, you need microsoft ntfs for mac by. How to convert mac hard drive to windows without losing. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. For instance, windows retrieves, stores and formats any flash drive or external hard disk using its default format, that is. Fat had been the standard format for floppy disks and hard drives all through the dos years, and versions of windows up to and including windows 8. Feb 08, 2020 so, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. Write, edit, copy, move and delete files on microsoft ntfs volumes from your mac. However, when we connect a ntfs formatted disk to mac, mac os x. The system tells you what key to press during the restart, so pay attention to your screen and be quick at pressing the right key. However i have been unable to format my external hard drvie to fat32. Hence, we recommend transferring the important files you need to a safe location or backing up the usb drive before you format. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. We here will show you the full guides on how to format fat32 and ntfs drives on mac as an example.
Fat32 and ntfs are the most common formats, but whats the difference. And yes, after installing that softwaredriver, you can format the external hdd with ntfs as format. How to format external hard drive to ntfs in window1087. It has many powerful features, such as migrate os to ssd, clone disk and so on. Native ntfs write support has been discovered in mac os x 10. When youre reformatting a hard drive, windows will ask you what format to use. In general, when it comes to formatting a hard drive in windows, there are several ways to complete this task. Apr 23, 2009 in order for windows even 7 to format exfat the drive has to conform to the armd specification parallel ata wikipedia, the free encyclopedia which by definition declares the drive removable rendering it ineligible for a windows installation. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Ntfs recovery toolkit 2020 free download for windows 10, 8. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. The problem is that the disk is currently formatted as ntfs and is not readable with time machine. Understanding hard drive partitioning with disk management.
For example, in the screenshot below, the macformatted drive is disk 2. Thus, if you want to make a hard drive compatible with windows 7 and mac, you may need to format the drive to exfat or fat32. Hi guys, tech james here, this quick tutorial will show you how to format a hard drive hdd so its ready for a new operating system to be installed onto it. By default, macs use hfs, while pcs use ntfs, which are not compatible with each other. If want to reformat hard drive with other file system, you can use other third party software. Select the file system as ntfs and choose the default value for allocation unit size. Mar 12, 2018 want to format a hard drive for mac and pc compatibility. Windows uses nfts file format while mac drives use hfs, this means macs cant write to ntfs drives while windows cant read or write hfs. Paragon software group sells a readwrite driver named ntfs for mac os x, which is also included on some models of seagate hard drives. Simple delete the partition with the mac files and folders on it, then recreate the partition and format it. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Oct 12, 2019 thus, if you want to make a hard drive compatible with windows 7 and mac, you may need to format the drive to exfat or fat32. For example, in the screenshot below, the mac formatted drive is disk 2.
Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. The nt file system is the default one that your hard drive is formatted with when you install windows. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. If you want to format mac external hard drive, connect the external hard drive youd like to format to the computer. But you can open hfsexplorer, read a mac formatted drive, and copy the files to your windows pc without paying a dime. Ntfs is native to windows, and most hard drives are preformatted for this file system. Ntfs recovery toolkit contains file recovery tool, partition recovery tool, partition manager tool and disk editor utility. If you own a windows computer, the hard drive in your system is probably running the. Step 7 once you found windows, supposing its on partition f, enter the following command. Just a car has its own system and a bus has its own system. Warning if you accidentally input format without fs ntfs quick or fsfat32 quick in diskpart command prompt, it will execute a full format. Go finder window on you mac then click on applications the image right. Thus, the professional partition manager minitool partition wizard is recommended.
Boot with the windows 7 dvd, proceed as if you were doing an installation but when you get to the right screen, choose custom installation. Ntfs 3g is an opensource project from tuxera, so the public can free down this ntfs driver to write to windows ntfs drives on mac computers. Windows 7, introduced many userfriendly features with its release. Ntfs file system supports filelevel security, transactions, encryption, compression, auditing and much more. To do this on windows 8 or windows 7, press the windows key once, type. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives. Apr 14, 2020 once a fat32 or exfat partition is created on your external hard drive, you can share it on both mac and windows pc. It allowed the user to create partitions and format the hard drive with ease. How to format large external hard drive to fat32 i have a 500gb external hard drive that i need to use at home with my windows 7 pc and at school where i use a mac. I know ntfs is for windows only and i know fat32 works on both windows and mac. How to format usb to fat32ntfsexfat on windows and mac.