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1. #How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc how to#
2. #How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc for mac#
3. #How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc mac os x#
4. #How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc install#
5. #How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc driver#

#How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc mac os x#

By default, Mac OS X will use the GUID partition table to format the drive. Click the Partition button in Disk Utility’s main window. To create a new partition, click the drive in the list on the left side of the Disk Utility menu. You can format the remaining space as a second FAT32 partition or as an HFS+ partition, or you can leave it as unallocated space. Mac OS X won’t let you create a FAT32 partition larger than 2TB so if your drive is larger than that, you’ll need to divide the available drive capacity into multiple partitions. We’re going to do this anyway, so open Disk Utility from the prompt or by navigating to /Applications/Utilities.Ģ. If the drive is not formatted, you may get a message saying that the drive is unreadable by Mac OS X and asking you whether you want to format it via Disk Utility. The drive should automatically mount on your Mac’s desktop (if the finder preferences are set to show external drives). Connect the power supply (if necessary), connect to the Mac via USB or FireWire, and turn on the drive. Set up your drive following the manufacturer’s instructions. To format a drive as FAT32 from a Mac, follow these simple steps.ġ.

#How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc install#

Conversely, Windows 7 can’t read and write to drives formatted as HFS+–also known as Mac OS Extended (journaled)–unless you install third-party software such as Paragon’s.

#How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc driver#

Macs running Snow Leopard or Lion can read from drives formatted as NTFS, but they can’t write to such drives unless you install a third-party driver or muck about in the Terminal. Windows prefers to use NTFS (which stands for New Technology File System, though it has been around for nearly 20 years now). Finally, Mac OS X’s Time Machine backup utility won’t work with FAT32. When formatting partitions, Windows 7’s Disk Management utility won’t let you create one that’s larger than 32GB, whereas Mac OS X Lion can create partitions as large as 2TB using its Disk Utility application. So if you work with bulky video clips, for example, adopting FAT32 may not be a good idea. FAT32 imposes a size limit of 4GB on single files. The chief drawbacks of FAT32 involve file and partition size limitations. Though this format has some limitations, it enjoys nearly universal support from active platforms, including Mac and Windows operating systems, and many gaming and Linux OSs. Or check out the other drive related articles on the site.Looking to share an external hard drive between a Mac and PC? The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as FAT32. While you’re here why not check out the other Easystore external drive articles.

#How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc how to#

Now you know how to format a WD Easystore for PC and Mac.

And another partition you format as ExFAT to share your data on. And have a partition you backup your Mac to. Or File explorer on your PC.Īnd see the same data in a Finder window on your Mac.īut remember the applications you use to view that data needs to be able to read those files.Īnd know you can’t use an ExFAT formatted Easystore external drive for a Time Machine backup of your Mac.īut if you’ve a large enough Easystore external drive you can partition it. When you want to use your Western Digital Easystore under Windows explorer. Things To Remember About A Shared ExFAT Drive When you’re done with your WD external hard drive, don’t forget to Eject it from your Mac. So, your Mac computer and Windows PC can share data and files.Ĭlick on your Easystore’s drive icon when it appears on your Mac’s desktop and you can create folders. You’ve formatted your Easystore’s file system in ExFAT to share. So, you can share your whole USB drive between a PC and a Mac.Īnd again you enter GUID Partition Map for scheme. Or a Type A to USB C adaptor.įollow the following steps to format your Easystore. To plug into your Mac, you’ll need to buy yourself a MicroB to USB C cable. Modern Macs have a type C USB port on them. And a MicroB on the end that plugs into the Easystore hard drive. Your Easystore drive ships with a USB cable that has a type A connector on the end that plugs into your Mac.

#How to set a hard drive for both mac and pc for mac#

How To Format WD Easystore For Mac And PC You’ve valuable shared files on your external hard drive. Or on a Windows PC risks your WD Easystore drive working unreliably on your Mac.Īnd a reliable drive is important when. Why Use Your Mac To Format Your Easystore External Drive?īecause Macs are very particular about their external hard drive’s formatting.įormatting your Easystore using WD Drive Utilities.