

- #Format external drive for mac using windows install#
- #Format external drive for mac using windows Pc#
If you see the words internal, synthesized, or disk image, it is not a pen drive. Step 3 Format the Drive in a Windows-supported format. When it says (external, physical), it means that it is an external drive such as a pen drive or external hard drive.

From here, just select the external hard drive and click on the Erase button on the toolbar. These drives are usually formatted using the Microsoft FAT32 format, which both Macs and PCs. We all know that 128 gb is not enought these so we might have bought something like a an external HDD for some additional storage. Once the Disk Utility application is launched, you can find the internal and external drives/partitions on the sidebar. Be sure to buy an external drive labeled for Mac and PC.
#Format external drive for mac using windows Pc#
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. And this must be changed in order to successfully format this drive for a Mac. Notice that this screen defaults to Master Boot Record this is the existing Windows NTFS format that is on the drive. Since most external hard drives are formatted for PCs. Windows PC and Mac use different filesystems. When you click on that Options button, you will see the screen shown here. Copying the files from your Mac to an external drive allows you to save data on your own terms.

#Format external drive for mac using windows install#
If you have bought something like a baseline MacBook pro and saved a little cash, but then soon hit with the storage issue when trying to install windows using Bootcamp Need to format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows.
