Windowsformatted hard drives have either ntfs file system of an fat32 file system. Apr 16, 2020 to format a hard drive, you can take advantage of a piece of thirdparty software. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive. Reformatting an external hard drive for use with mac osx is not as difficult as it might seem. Dec 29, 2015 follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers. But, unlike other methods you can find on the internet, what im gonna share with you on this article is how you can reformat external hard drive on mac within a few simple clicks on your mouse. Is there a way to reformat this external harddrive on pc. I need to format my mac os x, without deleting the applications. I have a lot of files that id like to keep, so i was wondering if it would be possible to transfer the files i want to keep to my boot camp partition where i have windows 7 installed.
If you want a truly clean installation, however, you need to first wipe your hard drive. How to format a hard drive with ease in windows 1087. Free download, install and run icare data recovery. Since i got a mac, i have not been able to edit any on the information on the hard drive. Select your macs hard drive in the lefthand column, to reveal more options, then select the partition button. It is possible to reformat the drive and keep your files by formatting your drive and then using a data recovery tool to restore your information. How to reformat an external hard drive without losing your. How can i reformat the internal drive and install mountain lion from an external drive. How to reformat an external hard drive without losing everything. Reformatting a drive on windows is a pretty straightforward process. Follow these instructions if you plan to share an external hard drive between pc and mac computers.
When we perform a formatting on a storage device such as memory card, hard disk, flash drive, or external hard disk drive etc. Reformatpartition external hard drive wi apple community. We will show you how to format an ssd or hard drive. Three solutions to format a hard drive under macos 10. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. Read about it and found that id have to reformat it in mac os extended journaled. How to reformat mac external harddrive for pc march 2014. It has many powerful features, such as migrate os to ssd, clone disk and so on.
Of course, you can keep every hard drive and flash drive youve ever owned. How to reformat my hard drive using my macbook air quora. External hard drives enjoy different forms, such as ssd, usb flash drive, sony pen drive and so on, and vary a lot in their capacities from gigabytes to terabytehowever, you may see external usb hard drive not formatted error, saying you need to format the disk before you can use it. Thus, the professional partition manager minitool partition wizard is recommended. Rightclick on the icon for your external drive on mac desktop, then select get info. A vast majority of video production will be done on a mac or windows. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep.
Hard drives, which are the primary storage devices on our computer, need to be formatted before we can use them. When your mac runs increasingly slow, you may want to reset your mac to give it a fresh restart but keep the files on it. With my previous laptops pcs, ive always stored my data on an external hard drive. Just transfer all useful files out from the external hard drive to other devices on mac. If these are important files, you should always keep two copies of them at an absolute. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. How can i reformat the internal drive and install mountain.
What should i do about the data on the hard drive before reformatting it. That allowed me to format a usb drive as ntfs with full readwrite access and then write the system update files to the usb drive. Mar 17, 2020 external hard drives enjoy different forms, such as ssd, usb flash drive, sony pen drive and so on, and vary a lot in their capacities from gigabytes to terabytehowever, you may see external usb hard drive not formatted error, saying you need to format the disk before you can use it. Click on the erase button to start erasing the external hard drive or usb. The complete guide to hard drive recovery successful hard drive recovery is important to everyone, because you have important and potentially irreplaceable data and files. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. Before reformatting the macbook, make sure to back up all data that you want to retain. Mar 14, 2014 reformat and reinstall windows 8 when i purchase my new laptop top,i received a usb stick with the windows program. I was told it needs to be extended journaled but im not sure how to reformat so that i can delete files on my external on my mac. Anyway, you know there are many ways to reformat external hard drive on mac. Mac or isnt formatted as required by time machine, you will need to reformat the disk. Guide how to factory reset macbookimac without losing data. Once you find the files, you can use the software to restore the deleted files.
The solution bellow can help you format mac hard drive partition and permanently erase the data on the formatted mac hard drive partition. Installed the paragon ntfs for mac using 10 day trial. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Feb 24, 2014 whether youre selling your computer, trying a new operating system or setting up an external drive for backups, sometimes you need to completely erase and format a hard drive. Keep in mind that you can only format storage devices that are currently not in use.
Aug 28, 2012 external usb hard drives are lightweight, portable and inexpensive. How to recover data from a crashed hard drive any hard drive. Aug 03, 2011 once you find the files, you can use the software to restore the deleted files. Heres how to reformat the hdd so you can recover your data later. Use disk utility to erase format a hard disk, ssd, flash drive, or other storage device. Reformatpartition external hard drive without erasing data i have an external 1tb hard drive that i previously used with my pc. However, this format doesnt support larger files, which can be. Whether youre selling your computer, trying a new operating system or setting up an external drive for backups, sometimes you need to completely erase and format a. How to format hard drive and still keep windows 10. The formatted hard drive recovery software will start scanning the disk ro searching the lost data and files. Formatting a hard drive allows you to use it on your computer to store files and install programs on. Nov 09, 2009 dear all, i am a novice at trying to backing up my files and data before my hard drive crashes but guess what, i am here to say that my hard drive has crashed and i cannot do that now. Fix you need to format the disk before you can use it.
Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Thankfully, reformatting an external drive on a mac is a relatively straightforward process apple even ships macs with a builtin utility to do so. To recover lost data after formatting hard drive with recoverit hard drive data recovery, follow the next 3step. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Keep in mind that a mac can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance. How to recover files after formatting hard drive new 2018. Cant erase or reformat a drive in macos disk utility. Its worth noting that reformatting a drive will erase everything stored on the drive, so make sure you transfer important files before you follow the. Once your data is backed up and youve signed out of everything that might connect your old mac to your personal information, you can erase everything on it by reformatting the hard drive. If yes, what is the best way to recover files after format. How to recover data from a crashed hard drive any hard. Is it possible to reformat or partition it without erasing existing data. Proceed based on whether youre erasing your startup disk or some other disk.
Do you want to reset your mac but keep the files on it. How to reformat to mac without losing files external drives. How to reformat the hard drive and do a clean install. Format a mac internal or external hard drive, even a mac ssd easily and without the feat of data loss. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing. Hard drive to be reformatted but need to save data and.
Can you format seagate portable expansion hard drive. They are great for backing up data, creating extra storage space on your computer and transferring large amounts of data between two or more computers. How to reformat mac os x without a recovery disc or drive. Now, i have a new macbook pro and all my data is still on. Keep in mind that a mac can generally read other file formats, but for the best performance and to create a bootable disk, formatting exclusively. Hi, you can restore your mac to factory settings by erasing your mac, then reinstalling macos using the builtin recovery disk. How do i reformat my external hard drive without deleting. Click on the erase tab, choose your external hard drive and select mac os extended journaled and then click. Now your external drive has been formatted to be fully compatible with apple macos, and you can edit, read, and write files to it as you want. Choose the seagate portable expansion hard drive, and then the software will scan it for lost files. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac.
I looked in disk utility and its formatted as msdot fat and remember i use mac. It is professional partition magic which is designed to optimize partition and disk use. Hard drive to be reformatted but need to save data and files. If you want to permanently erase the data during the formatting process, you can try another way to format the mac hard drive partition. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. But when i try to delete a file in my external hard drive it says it can. Dban will irreversibly erase all of the files and data on the selected hard drive.
Lets take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. How to recover files after format on mac macos catalina. Learn how to use macos recovery to reinstall the mac operating system on your builtin drive or an external drive. Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. Now, i have a new macbook pro and all my data is still on that external hd. I chose new install, when done i found many of my files are still there that means if any virus escaped detection removal will still be there. How to wipe your mac and reinstall macos from scratch.
I have backed up all my data i dont have enough hard drive space to make a time machine backup. How to securely erase a hard drive or solid state drive your computers hard disk drive hdd and solid state drive ssd hold a lot of sensitive data. What can you do when mistakenly formatting a hard drive. Whether the data has been lost due to a hard disk drive crash, or the computer has stopped working for some other reason, this article shows you how to safely recover your data and potentially save a lot of money by doing.
External usb hard drives are lightweight, portable and inexpensive. Select the partition you want to format and click on wipe now button. How to recover data after formatting hard drive 2019. How to reformat an external drive for mac cyber yard. However, the deleted files are not permanently gone from your drive.
How to erase and format a hard drive lifehacker australia. A user has to know how to convert mac formatted hard drive to windows formatted. How to reformat to mac without losing files external. Oct 15, 2015 you would have to copy the data on your hard drive to your mac, then reformat it with the disk utility application. If you have known how to format a hard drive under macos 10. First and foremost, you need to decide which file system to use. In a few simple steps you are ready to go and can save your backup files to the external drive, keeping your information safe and giving you peace of mind.
Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using. Of course, if you have a backup already, ignore this step. Proceed based on whether youre erasing your startup disk or. Convert formatted drive from mac to windows info remo. For example, if you need to reinstall mac os x on a macbook in your office and want to clear all the data off of the computer, you can use disk utility to reformat the laptops internal hard drive. To factory reset your macbook or imac without losing data, you can first back up your mac, then reset your mac, and last recover your files from the backup. How to format a hard drive or ssd to erase it forever. There really is no need to format mac os x if there is a disk problem the use. Click on the erase tab, choose your external hard drive and select mac os extended journaled and then click erase then simply drag and drop your data onto your newly formatted disk. Thanks for watching this video on how to recover files after formatting your hard drive. For example, if you need to reinstall mac os x on a macbook in your office and want to clear all the data off of the computer, you can use disk utility to reformat. If you have more than one partition, on the hard drive, you may wish to remove these and return the hard drive to a single partition, first.
Its a simpler, universal method if every file you store is less than 4gb in size. Reformat and reinstall windows 8 microsoft community. If a wireless network is available, you can choose it from the wi. Launch recoverit data recovery program, select the formatted hard disk to get started. How to format external hard drives for mac and windows. You would have to copy the data on your hard drive to your mac, then reformat it with the disk utility application. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. How to securely erase a hard drive or solid state drive.
The windows system uses a hard drive with a different file system than the mac systems. Jan 15, 2020 learn how to use macos recovery to reinstall the mac operating system on your builtin drive or an external drive. Using mfr provided recovery disk, which offered upgraderepair or a new install. Aug 10, 2018 what is formatting a hard drive or ssd. How to reinstall macos from macos recovery apple support. I would like to clean out my hard drive but still want to keep a genuine windows 10 like i have installed a fresh copy of windows 10.
Moving files from macformatted external hard drive to pc. But using a third party all the time for accessing a hard drive on windows is not good. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. Feb 08, 2020 rightclick on the icon for your external drive on mac desktop, then select get info. If you work solely on a mac, but need to send files to someone working on a pc, your external hard drive needs to be set up for both operating systems. This tool will quickly format the selected mac hard drive partition and permanently erase all. Guide how to factory reset macbookimac without losing. Dec 05, 2019 but using a third party all the time for accessing a hard drive on windows is not good. How to recover files after formatting hard drive new. How to securely erase data from your mac and external drives. Of course, its the easiest way to reformat external hard drive on mac.
Connect the seagate 500gb portable expansion hard drive to your computer and choose the proper recovery option. Weve shown you how to securely wipe a hard drive with your mac, and doing so in recovery mode isnt really different from doing so within macos. Now, how can i reformat and install os x from the installer placed in the external hard drive. Dec 26, 2017 if you want a truly clean installation, however, you need to first wipe your hard drive. The format you choose for the drive determines the drives compatibility. I have just saved necessary files and also the installer for os x 10. However, you need to make doubly sure that you complete a quick format.
This mac disk formatting software is pretty simple to use. I just recently updated to windows 10 with the ota update. Dec, 2007 how to reformat mac external harddrive for pc. If your macbooks disk utility wont let you erase drives, follow the steps. Formatting a hard drive will take a while and wait for it patiently. Unformat mac hard drive recover formatted hard drive on mac. Run it on your mac, choose this mode wipe hard drive. My hard drive crashed on my imac took it to computer repair they installed new hard drive, tried to recover data but could not, when we presented the imac to the apple store they told me i would have to buy back my old hd from them um hello no way, so thats why we went to another place that works on macs, so apple said i had lion on the mac, i.
How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing data. How to reformat the hard drive and do a new install on a clean hard drive. Mar 31, 2020 to recover lost data after formatting hard drive with recoverit hard drive data recovery, follow the next 3step. You just need to wait before the scanning is finished. I will offer three simple solutions to help mac users to forma hard drive under macos 10.
687 51 1314 225 1465 252 26 662 273 153 243 803 804 314 377 1295 1098 1141 172 1210 1445 1485 1117 151 923 1183 1074 527 261 747 1167 934 299 316