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Overall storage space will typically play the main role in the final price you’ll pay for an external hard drive. In this range, you’ll find quality external drives that hold 500GB to 1TB of storage for Mac computers.
Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm), based on how fast the drive can spin. Most portable hard drives run at 5400 rpm. This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the Mac you plug the drive into. Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can.
Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
An external hard drive is just a storage device that is connected to your computer on the outside. Standard Hard drives draw power from their data source cable, which comes from the system itself. Some advanced disks may require an AC connection to derive power on their own. These storage devices come in varying storage capacities, but they all connect to a computer either by USB, eSATA, or wirelessly.
Plug and play functionality offers system compatibility and offers extensive storage options and portable design for the consumer. These memory devices are compatible with both Mac and Windows PC. These disks provide capacities ranged from 250 GB to 10 TB.
Compatibility issues between Windows and MacOS may have reduced over the years, but that doesn't mean they've been completely wiped out. Sharing files from Windows to Mac is a demoralizing task, but in this article, we will discuss how to overcome such issues as there are various methods to do such that. Also, the external hard drive file recovery will be mentioned.
Part 1. Situations Where to Share External Drive Between Mac and Windows
Many MacOS and Windows users today find themselves in mixed platform offices, where they need to share files and work on them. Sharing stuff between PCs and Macs is not as nearly simple as it should be. There are different ways for your computer systems to talk to each other and share files. The main problem occurs because each operating system supports a different set of data sharing protocol, think of them as different computer languages. We will discuss some of them in this section:
FTP (File Transfer Protocol): It is one of the well-known data sharing systems. If you've ever spent any time on the internet, then you know that FTP is one of the most convenient options for sharing stuff between your Mac and PC.
NFS (Network File System): It is a file-sharing protocol that the Unix-based systems like to use for sharing files, which both Windows and Macs can understand. It is more popular on the Windows PC side of the fence.
AFP (Apple Filing Protocol): It is only designed for MacOS. Windows do not understand it. But from Mac-to-Mac, it's what makes sharing extremely easy. The problem occurs when you intend to use an AFP disk drive on a Windows PC.
Fortunately, there are many methods to fix such a problem. One of it is that you can perform 'partition' on your computer's primary hard drive. You can divide the HDD of your Windows PC into different sections with different rules, storage space, and functions.
You can also perform a partition on the main drive of Mac so that part of it works during the file-sharing process. Both Windows and Mac have the essential tools to help in performing partition for your External hard drives. Here we will discuss how to do disk partition on Mac and Windows computers.
Part 2. Formatting an External Hard Disk Drive From a Mac:
To put in simple words, if you want to share the external hard drive between Macintosh and Windows PC, you need to format an external hard drive for the respective system.
Hard drives for Windows PC are formatted with NTFS by default, while hard disks for Mac are formatted with HFS+. Mp3 songs download for mac. However, when we connect an NTFS formatted disk to Mac, Mac OS X doesn't support it and would not allow you to write files to the drive. It also disables the ability to edit the pre-existing data in the drive. MacOS offers the user to read an NTFS drive. Windows OS will similarly ask you to format the HFS+ formatted drive when you connect such a disk to its PC. Creating a partition on the disk is the best option. Follow the step-by-step guide to partition the drive on a Mac.
Open Disk Utility on your Mac. Select the icon of Disk Utility by searching for it in Search in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Locate and select the hard drive you want to partition.
Select the Partition option.
If you intend to format the entire drive, then you can perform the procedure by clicking on Erase.
Select the Erase Free Space option to format the disk.
Specify the number of partitions on the external hard drive you want to create by entering the information in the partition column.
Enter the name and size of each newly formed partition of the drive. Please specify the details to proceed further.
It is recommended that you set the drive into two parts, one partition dedicated to the Mac and other for the Windows PC.
Select the format for the Mac portion as MacOS Extended (Journaled).
Select the Windows part as ExFAT. This format allows the drive to store a large amount of data.
It is recommended that you select the default option of GUID Partition. It is usually optimal with an external hard drive, as long as you don't intend to create a bootable drive out of it to install an operating system.
Once you are done with all of the methods mentioned above, click on Apply.
A warning pop-up will appear, click on Partition.
The partition process of your external hard disk drive on the Mac will finish. You will able to check exFAT format by plugging the drive onto a Windows PC nearby.
Part 3. Formatting an External Hard Disk Drive From a Windows PC:
Partitioning is an act of splitting a drive into pieces, and it is important to set at least one partition to store data and a pre-set-up folder.
There are many reasons why one would want to create a partition on their external drive. You should save some of the space for general file storage; data that you might need later, and the other to store backups of your most important files. You also may want an encrypted portion of a drive for private files. You may even want to put your media files like videos in one partition and photos and documents in another to speed up searches.
You can also create a bootable portion of the drive to install a different operating system on computers; you'll need to partition part of a drive for the OS. Formatting and creating a partition on an external hard drive is complicated in the Windows operating system. In this section, we will learn how to format an external HDD from a Windows computer.
Click on the Start menu to open Windows Disk Management.
Type diskmgmt.msc in the search bar.
Click on Create and Format Hard disk partitions.
Disk Management window will appear.
Click on Disk 1.
Format the drive if you haven't already. Formatting the disk is essential before partitioning it.
Right-click on Disk 1 option.
Click on Format.
Click on Initialize Disk.
A new window will open, asking you to select a partition style for your disk.
Select the GPT format; it is supported by all the external hard disk drives.
Click on OK.
You will notice a drive listed as unallocated.
Right-click on the unallocated drive and click on New Simple Volume. It will initiate the New Simple Volume Wizard.
Click on Next.
Specify the size and name of the Volume.
Select exFAT as the file system.
Create this partition in conjunction with the Mac device you want to use the drive on.
Click on Next.
Click on Finish.
Repeat the process and set the file system for the other volume as NTFS, to use the drive in conjunction with the Windows PC.
By following the methods above, creating partitions on the external hard disk will now seem pretty straightforward. You know how to set up the drive on any operating system, and it will take just a little bit of time.
Part 4. How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive?
The hard drive is a complex piece of storage device, and, commonly, even a slight bit of negligence can lead to loss of essential data. You should not save any new information on the formatted hard drive, or it will be completely overwritten.
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Reasons Why Data get Erased on a Portable Hard Drive:
In this section, we will discuss some of the factors why your data can get deleted. Some of those reasons are mentioned below:
The Virus can enter the Hard drive when you insert it into some virus infected computer.
Neglecting any sort warnings after inserting the drive on to the system
Not properly removing the storage device from the computer.
Preparations before data recovery:
Before starting the recovery process, you should follow the necessary precautions listed below to avoid any inconvenience:
You need to Plug your External hard disk drive with the computer.
Directly Insert the drive in the USB port on your computer.
Do not remove the external hard disk from the computer, during the recovery scan.
Maintain the Backup of essential media before the recovery procedure.
You can recover your data by using data recovering software like Recoverit Data Recovery by Wondershare. The tool provides a high recovery rate of 96%. It allows you to connect almost every type of portable devices like the memory card or USB and recovers data from them.
It recovers documents and photos from all type of file formats which includes: Docx, pages, JPEG, PNG, GIF, Avi, MP3, MPEG exFAT, FAT, HFS, NTFS, and much more. Follow our step-by-step guide for the solution to your Data recovery problem.
1. Select the Location of the External Drive:
After launching the Recoverit Mac data recovery software, follow these steps:
Select the 'External Drive Location' where data was deleted or lost.
Click the 'Start' button to initiate the process.
2. Scanning for Lost Data:
Data scanning will start in Recoverit.
A scan completion pop up will appear on the screen.
The scanning time depends a lot on the size of your Hard drive. The larger the file, the longer the time it will take to finish the scan.
3. Recover the Lost Data:
The recovered files will be sorted by the File Path and File Type on the Recoverit window.
Select the file you want to view and hit the Preview button
Click on the 'Recover' button after checking the authenticity of the data.
Part 5. How to Encrypt your External Hard Drive:
In this day and age, data protection is essential. It is necessary to encrypt your portable storage devices to ensure safety. It will prevent individuals to hack into your files. In this section, we will discuss how to protect your drives and folders on both MacOS and Windows PC.
Encryption on MacOS:
Press Command + Shift + A to open the Applications folder on your Mac.
Open Utilities.
Click on Disk Utility.
Click on View.
Click on Show all Devices.
Select the External Drive that you want to encrypt.
Click on Erase.
Choose the GUID Partition Map and Format the drive.
Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) as the encrypted file format. You can also change to a Windows supported format like exFAT.
Enter and verify a password.
Click on Choose.
Click on OK.
Your drive will be Encrypted.
Encryption on Windows PC:
Encrypting a file or drive on a Windows PC is simple. Follow the steps below to enable the option:
Click on This PC.
Right-Click on the drive that you want to encrypt.
Click on Turn on BitLocker.
Check the option ' Use a Password to Unlock the Drive.'
Enter and verify your password.
Click on Next.
Save the password to your Microsoft Account or a USB.
Click on Next.
Choose Encrypt Entire Drive.
Choose New Encryption Mode and click on Next.
Click on Start Encrypting
Closing Words:
Having to share and edit different files across several platforms can be unavoidable in some situations. That is the case when you need to open an external hard drive on your Mac or Windows PC. This article will help you in dealing with this kind of issue. It is essential to create a back up for your files and save the data before performing the partition and formatting the external disk. You can freely use the method for both the MacOS and Windows OS. If in any case, your data is formatted or lost, then you can quickly recover the formatted disk data by using Recoverit Recovery Software. It guarantees hassle-free data recovery in no time.
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By Juno | Posted to NTFS for Mac Tips, updated on September 3rd, 2020 |
It's important to know how to format an external hard drive for your Mac and PC before you use it to free up space and transfer files between computers. If you don't format the external hard drive correctly, it won't work to the utmost extent. For instance,Windows uses NTFS, while Mac uses HFS+ or APFS. Out of the box, Windows can't read or write to HFS+/APFS drives and Macs can't write to NTFS drives either.
Though the default hard disk file system (also known as format) of Windows and Mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external drive for both Mac and PC. After reading this post, you'll know what is the best file system for your camera's SD card and what is the best format for your Mac and PC. More importantly, you will know how to format flash drives for Mac and PC and make hard drives compatible with macOS and Windows.
Table of contents
1. Common File Systems for Mac and PC
2. How to format external hard drives for Mac and PC?
3. How to partition an external hard drive for Mac and Windows PC?
4. Make external hard drives compatible with Mac and PC without formatting
Common File Systems for Mac and PC
The file system is one of the most important part for an external hard drive because it manages how your files are stored and retrieved. So, every hard disk needs a proper file system, including desktop drives and portable storage devices like external hard drives, USB flash drives and SD cards. However, different file systems have different advantages and disadvantages. So before you know how to format a hard drive, you should know the pros and cons of each file system.
1. FAT32
FAT file system includes three major file system variants but the majorly used one is FAT32. FAT32 is commonly used in floppy disks, SD memory cards, USB flash drives, digital cameras, as well as many portable and embedded devices.
Pros
Works universally with all versions of Mac, Windows, Linux, game devices, as well as other devices supporting a USB port.
Cons
Doesn't support a file size larger than 4GB and a drive partition size larger than 32GB on Windows.
Doesn't support the drive partition larger than 2TB on macOS.
2. exFAT
exFAT is a good option for external hard drives (e.g. Seagate Backup Plus Slim), especially for large-capacity removable storage devices. It also is frequently used in flash memory drives such as USB flash drives and SD cards. exFAT is easily often implemented in firmware that has low memory and low power requirements, such as cameras, mobile phones, media players, etc.
Pros
Supports the largest partition and file sizes by today's standards.
Cons
Not compatible with too much old operating systems.
Not a good option for drives less than 32GB because it can't maximize space utilization.
3. NTFS
NTFS is a proprietary journaling file system developed by Microsoft. It is used as the default file system of Windows system hard drive (e.g. Windows 10). NTFS does well in data security based on its encryption, access permission control, and log file.
Pros
Improved performance, reliability, and disk space use.
Performs better in protecting data security, data management.
Compatible with all versions of Windows and latest hardware.
Cons
Read-only in macOS and the disabled-by-default write support for NTFS in macOS is unstable.
4. Mac OS Extended (HFS+)
HFS Plus or HFS+ is a journaling file system developed by Apple Inc. It's the startup disk’s default file system before macOS High Sierra. It also frequently used as Time Machine backup external hard drives of WD, Seagate, etc.
Pros
Supported by all versions of Mac OS X and macOS.
Has journaling, compression, and encryption features.
Cons
Has no access permission control.
Perfoms slow or crash in dealing with a large number of files.
Harder for data recovery when an HFS+ hard drive is corrupted.
5. Apple file system (APFS)
APFS is the new proprietary file system of Apple. It has been known to increase read/write speeds on solid-state drives (SSDs), as well as increase storage space due to the way in which it calculates the available data on disk.
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Pros
Allows full-disk encryption with single or multi-key encryption for added security.
Efficient in management of free storage space
Cons
Not good for Time Machine backup due to no support for hard links to directories.
Can only be used on macOS 10.13 and above.
After knowing their unique specifications, it becomes easier to choose the best file system for your storage device. For instance, you would know why exFAT is better for camera SD cards, or why NTFS is better for external backup drive on Windows 10. In a word, you can format or reformat your external hard drive per your requirement, either for Mac and PC.
Warning: Formatting will erase data on this drive. So, if you have important files on this external hard drive, make sure you have a backup. However, if you have formatted this drive and lose files, you can recover lost data from formatted external hard drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
How to format external hard drives for Mac?
To format external hard drives on Mac, you'll need the built-in disk management tool called Disk Utility. Then, you need to choose the best file system for your external hard drive when erase it.
Tips: Remember to back up the files on the external hard drive if you have saved anything important on it.
• Guide to format external hard drive on Mac computer.
How to format external hard drives for Windows computer?
Similarly, you can also format your drive on Windows computers with a utility called Disk Management.
Tips: To prevent data loss during formatting, make sure you haven't saved important files on the drive. If you have, backup them first.
• Guide to initialize and format external hard drive on Windows computer.
How to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC?
Sometimes, users need to use the same external hard drive interchangeably on Mac and PC. To make it compatible with both macOS and Windows, you need to reformat the external hard drive.
Whether you are using an APFS/HFS+ or a Windows NTFS formatted external hard drive on Mac, you can reformat the external hard drives for both Mac and PC. File systems like FAT32 and exFAT can make the external HDD compatible with both Macs and Windows PCs.
Warning: Reformatting will wipe files off the external hard drive. So, you should make sure you have backed up your files on the external hard drive before you continue any steps.
When should you choose FAT32 file system?
FAT32 works with almost any operating system as well as video game consoles, Android USB expansions, media players, and other devices. However, FAT32 can only support files up to 4 GB in size. So, If all your files on the external hard drive are smaller than 4 GB, and the drive itself is smaller than 2 TB, then FAT32 is a better choice for you to use the hard drive on Mac and PC.
When should you choose exFAT file system?
Similarly, exFAT is also a widely compatible file system. The difference is that exFAT has no limitations on file size and hard drive size. So, when the external HDD you want to used for both Mac and PC is larger than 2 TB, exFAT is the best choice.
After you choose the best format for your drive, you can format or reformat the external hard drive in Disk Utility as it was introduced. Then the external hard drive will work both for Mac and PC.
When should you choose NTFS file system?
Some users would prefer to the features of Windows NTFS file system. However, naturally, Disk Utility can't format external hard drive to NTFS. If you want an hard drive that you can only read on Mac but have full access on Windows, NTFS is the best choice. You can also use iBoysoft NTFS for Mac to reformat the external hard drive with NTFS on Mac.
Step 1: Download and install iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your Mac.
Step 2: Connect the external hard drive to your Mac and launch this software.
Step 3: Find Disk Management in its main menu and click on it.
Step 4: Locate the volume you want to reformat, select it, and then click on Erase to NTFS.
What to do if you can’t format the external hard drive on Mac?
Usually, to format the external hard drive as FAT32 or exFAT, you are advised to do this on a Mac computer via Disk Utility. But if you have formatted the external hard drive under the Windows system, it would cause some inconvenience. You can't add or re-partition volumes of the external hard drive again on Mac. In this case, your only choice is to backup your files and reformat the whole disk.
How to partition an external hard drive for Mac and Windows PC?
Except for having the whole external hard drive formatted, you can also split this disk with two partitions. One is formatted with the file system that is compatible with macOS, another partition is compatible with Windows conversely. By this means, you can use all the advantages each format has on the respective system.
Warning: Still, you need to back up files on this drive before you begin to create two separate partitions to work for Mac and Windows PC.
For some Mac models, the partition option would be greyed out in Disk Utility. So, we suggest that it's better to use a PC to partition an external hard drive for macOS and Windows. Here are the steps to partition an external hard drive for Mac and Windows PC, which is a little tricky.
Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to your PC and then launch Disk Management.
Step 2: Check if the external hard drive is initialized or not.
If the drive is not initialized, you need to initialize the external hard drive with Master Boot Record (MBR). Then you can create two new partitions. You need to format one of them as NTFS for Windows use and format the other as your wish.
Best External Hard Drive For Mac And Pc
If the external hard drive is initialized, you need to right-click the disk to check if it's an MBR external hard drive.
If you see Convert to GPT Disk in the context menu, be it greyed out or lighted, it’s an MBR hard drive. Then you can create two or more partitions. And you need to prepare one partition for NTFS file system, and reformat with any file system.
If you see Convert to MBR Disk in the menu, it's an GPT hard drive. In this case, you need first backup files, delete the existing partitions, then click the Convert to MBR Disk button. Then, you can create two new partitions. You need to format one partition as NTFS for Windows use, and then format the other randomly.
Step 3: Up to now, there should be at least two partitions on the external hard drive. And one of them (the NTFS one) is ready for Windows use. Then, you need to safely remove the external hard drive and plug it into a Mac.
Step 4: Open Disk Utility and select the other partition (not the NTFS one) under the name of your external hard drive.
Step 5: Click Erase on the top, choose Mac OS Extended format when it asks, and chose Erase to finish.
Up to now, the external hard drive will have two partitions. One is HFS+ formatted for Mac, and the other is NTFS formatted for Windows.
By creating two separate partitions, you can use this external hard drive on both Mac and Windows. You won't be able to write to the Mac partition from your Windows computer, and vice versa. Thus, it's a good solution for people who need to swap between two operating systems but with separate work.
Make external hard drives compatible with Mac and PC without formatting
Many famous external hard drives like Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch and WD My Passport are pre-formatted with NTFS. However, the NTFS file system is a hassle for users who need to use the same external hard drive on both Mac and Windows. The external hard drive is not letting you add files if you use an NTFS external HDD on Mac. It will be read-only and you can't write to this drive normally in this case.
Many users don't know this and use the external hard drive directly. And when they want to reformat the hard drive to use it interchangeably, only to find that files on the drive are erased as well.
Then, can you solve external hard drive read-only without formatting?
External Drives For Mac And Pc
Definitely! If you want to use NTFS formatted external hard drives on Mac, software like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac that might be helpful.
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac - professional NTFS driver for Mac
External Hard Drives For Mac And Pc
iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a professional NTFS for Mac software, which can automatically mount NTFS drives in read-write mode on Mac. It supports macOS Catalina 10.15/Mojave 10.14/High Sierra 10.13/Sierra 10.12 and Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11/Yosemite 10.10/Mavericks 10.9/Mountain Lion 10.8. With this useful tool, you'll have full access to NTFS drives on Mac and make your external hard drive interchangeable between Macs and PCs without formatting. Also, you can mount and unmount NTFS drives from the Mac menu bar with advanced and optimized options.
External Hd For Mac And Pc
What's more, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is also a handy tool to manage NTFS external drives. You can use it to easily mount, unmount, repair, erase NTFS external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, memory cards, CF cards, pen drives, etc. on Mac.
Tutorial to mount NTFS external hard drive on macOS with read-write mode with iBoysoft NTFS for Mac
Step 1: Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your computer.
External Hard Drive Works With Mac And Pc
Step 2: Connect your NTFS external hard drive to Mac, and iBoysoft NTFS for Mac will automatically mount it.
External Drive For Mac And Pc Format
Step 3: Write to NTFS external hard drive after the disk has been mounted in read-write mode successfully.
If you want to use HFS+ or APFS formatted external hard drives on Windows, you can also attempt to install HFS+ for Windows software or APFS for Windows software on your PC to get read and write access to this external hard drive.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is easy to format an external hard drive for both Mac and Windows PC. You can either choose to format the whole disk as exFAT/FAT, or you can create two separate partitions of HFS+ and NTFS if you prefer. But compared with formatting, an NTFS for Mac driver like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac is a better and feasible solution.