Method 1: Partition an external hard drive using Windows 10 Disk Management. Step 1: Connect the external hard drive you want to add partition to your computer and make sure it can be recognized correctly. Step 2: Open Disk Management. Right-click Start menu and select Disk Management. In that case, there is a way to format the secondary Windows partition to NTFS, but it requires connecting the hard drive to a Windows computer. You can review our Windows section for more.
Sep 27,2020 • Filed to: Hard Drive Recovery • Proven solutions
'How to format an external hard drive Mac? What format system to use when reformatting my storage drive for a Mac?'
This is a frequent question asked by first-time, as well as the not-so-tech-savvy, macOS users. Learning how to format an external hard drive Mac is essential. Because saving all your data on the Cloud is nice and all, but physical storage is still popular. Especially if you don't have a stable internet connection or if most of your files are large.
Luckily, you don't have to learn rocket science to be able to format an external hard drive for Mac or PC. The operation is pretty straightforward. When it comes to your iOS device, we have listed two methods for you, read below and explore more.
Part 1: What Is the Best Format for External Hard Drive Mac?
The first step to formatting your external drive for a Mac computer is choosing the right format. There are four possible choices:
- APFS (Apple File System)
- HFS+ (Mac OS Extended)
- exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
- FAT (MS-DOS)
To understand which is the best for you, let's have a comprehensive overview of each of them.
1. Apple File System
The APFS was first introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the HFS+. Nowadays, all new Macs come with the operating system preinstalled on APFS, as this system is optimized for use with SSD and flash storage drives. However, it still works with traditional HDD drives too.
This is the best format to pick if you have an external SSD or USB flash drive that you don't intend to use with a Windows device.
The biggest strength of this system is the speed, as well as the encryption and metadata handling. However, you won't be able to use this system with Time Machine.
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The HFS+, or Hierarchical File System plus on its real name, was the main file system used for Mac until 2017.
This type of file system is suitable to use with both HDD and SDD drives, but the latter will perform slightly better with the APFS mentioned above. If you have an older Mac, though, choosing the HFS+ is your best bet.
In general, all external drives formatted to HFS+ work nicely with older Mac versions but are incompatible with Windows.
3. Extended File Allocation Table
Designed by Microsoft, the exFAT is a good choice if you plan to use the external hard drive with both macOS and Windows systems. Yet, you won't get top performance on either. This choice is more appropriate for USB flash drives, although you can still use it for SDD and HDD units too.
The main issue with exFAT is that your drive will be more prone to fragmentation when used with Apple devices and is less stable than NTFS on Windows. If you really have to share the drive between Mac and Windows machines, that's your best option though.
4. MS-DOS
Macs also support FAT32 drives, marked as FAT in Disk Utility. Kilohearts disperser. This format should be avoided at all costs unless you're dealing with a really old Windows computer, which you really have to use in parallel with your Mac system.
Typically, there is no reason to choose this option unless you're planning to use the external hard drive on a Windows XP or earlier machine.
Part 2: How to Format an External Hard Drive Mac?
Now that you know which format to choose, it's time to learn how to format an external hard drive for Mac. There are essentially two methods, with Disk Utility or Time Machine function.
Note: If you plan to format an older external drive, perhaps one you used with another device, make sure to backup all data before proceeding. Formatting is a permanent procedure that can't be reversed. While there are data recovery software you can use if you lost data, it is always better to prevent.
That said, here's how to format an external hard drive Mac:
Method 1: Format Mac Hard Drive with Disk Utility
Disk Utility is a utility application proprietary to macOS that is used to both format and manage internal and external disks. Here's how to use it:
Step 1 Connect the external hard drive you want to format to your Mac, then start the Disk Utility app that you can find under Applications -> Utilities.
Step 2 On the left side of the Utilities screen, find the name of the external hard drive you want to format and select it. Then, on the top side under the Disk Utility, click on the Erase button.
Step 3 Follow the on-screen prompts to select the desired file system and allow the drive to format. That's it! After the process is complete, you can either start using the drive or choose to create partitions on it.
Method 2: Format Mac Hard Drive with Time Machine
Formatting an external hard drive with Time Machine is as easy as formatting it with Disk Utility. Time Machine, however, gives you the possibility to create an automatic backup of the data on your hard drive before formatting it.
Before you proceed, therefore, you should first set up the external drive to use with Time Machine. To do this, open System Preferences and select Time Machine after you've connected the external drive to your Mac.
Now, click on Select Disk and select the desired drive from the list. Click on the Use Disk button. At this point, the system will run an automatic backup two minutes after you've clicked on the Use Disk button, or you can proceed with the formatting if the hard disk is empty.
To format an external hard drive for Mac with Time Machine, you must follow the steps below.
Step 1 Open Finder, Applications, then go to Utilities and Disk Utility.
Step 2 Follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac system.
Part 3: Bonus Tip – Data Recovery from Formatted Hard Drive on Mac
Sometimes, it may happen that you accidentally formatted an external hard drive containing important data. Whether it's your wedding pictures or your bachelor's degree thesis, chances are you want to get that data back as quickly as possible.
If you have a newer version of Mac, you can use the Apple Time Machine to recover your canceled files, or you could choose to use external software, such as Recoverit Data Recovery.
1. Recover Data with Apple Time Machine
In the former hypothesis, you can try to recover your data with the Time Machine. This app is Apple's backup feature present on the newer systems. If you followed the steps above before formatting the hard drive with Time Machine and allowed the app to execute the backup, then there are high chances that you can recover any lost data without too much hassle.
To do so, just launch the Time Machine and browse through the folders to see if it has saved the files you require.
For easier browsing, you can use the time stamp feature on the right side of the screen and select the date or time when you executed the backup. Once you found the files, simply click on Restore to get them back.
2. Recover Data with Recoverit Data Recovery
If you didn't use the Time Machine function or couldn't find the files you need, you can try to recover any lost files with trusted third-party software, such as Recoverit - Data Recovery.
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- It allows you to recover unlimited lost or deleted files from your Mac device, including photo, video, and audio data, document files, and more.
- It supports all types of Mac files irrespective of their extension.
- Compatible with both internal and external drives, USB pens, memory cards, and other hardware, so you can rest assured it will retrieve your data if it's there.
- Retrieve data from accidentally deleted files, lost or formatted partitions, data lost due to virus attacks, system crashes, or data lost by the Time Machine.
- It is free to download and supports all leading macOS versions, including the 10.14 release.
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This system is also very easy to use, in just three easy steps:
Step 1Install the application and choose the desired location
Download and install the software on your Mac computer, then open it and select the external hard drive, partition, or location where you want to retrieve data.
Step 2Start the scan to retrieve your lost data
Click the Start button. The software will now scan the selected drive and display all retrieved data in an easy-to-scour list.
Step 3 Preview the recovered files and save them in your chosen location
Review and select the target files, then launch the recovery process. That's it. The software will restore your lost data.
Conclusion
As you can see, how to format an external hard drive Mac is not particularly complicated. The Disk Utility allows you to format the desired drive to the desired system in a blink of an eye. Backing up the data on your drive with Time Machine also allows you to avoid the recovery hassle. If you still lost some data, you even know which software to use to recover all lost files.
Now it's your turn. Use this guide to format your unreadable external drive, download, and use the data recovery software if needed, and don't forget to share this article with your Mac-addicted friends. They might make good use of it too.
Sep 28, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions
If you have tried partitioning a hard drive without any previous experience then you understand that it is a daunting task. Handling the Mac partition manager is not as easy as it sounds. Once you learn the process, it gets pretty easy. The good thing is that you don't need any external or third-party tools for partitioning.
So, in this article, we are going to guide you through partition and un partition on Mac without any hassle.
Part 1. What Does Other Mean in Mac Storage?
Before you step into detail, first you need to understand what exactly the term partitioning means.
By Partitioning your Mac drive, you split the hard drive in two or more separate, usable systems. This feature allows the users to run multiple OS on the same system/device such as Windows and macOS simultaneously. You can even run two versions of macOS on the same system. The partitioning also divides the storage space on the hard drive. And a specific portion goes to each partition. So, if you are running out of storage, it is advised that either you extend the storage or avoid partitioning at all.
Here are some advantages of Partitioning that will convince you that it is beneficial for the users.
- You get to switch between different versions of OS X including Tiger, Leopard, or Snow Leopard at the same time.
- The users can use the Boot Camp Assistant to run Windows OS on the Mac system. This way, you get to save some bucks and efforts to maintain two separate systems for your needs.
- During the startup Volume disk errors, it is needed that the repair program is run from another volume to fix the errors. Partitioning of Mac allows the users to keep a disk where the bootable copy of OS X is stored and it can be used to run Disk Utility.
- You can share your iPhoto Library between two or more user accounts on Mac after partitioning.
- Partitioning also allows Mac users to manage their backups efficiently. You can use Mac Time Machine without using an external hard drive.
If you opt-out for partitioning, make sure that your Mac has enough space otherwise the disk performance would decline and you might experience some working issues in both drives.
Part 2. How to Partition a Hard Drive on Mac?
There are two methods that allow the users to create a partition on Mac. S3 browser mac. The first method is using Disk Utility and the second one is using Boot Camp. Both these methods work great to partition hard drive on Mac.
Method 1. Disk Utility:
The Disk Utility is used when you wish to partition Mac and wants to install a different version of the same OS. As we all know, Disk Utility can perform various tasks on Mac including repair and partition. The Mac partition Manager is used for this process. Before you initiate the process, it is advised that you create a full backup of your device data in case some fault arises. This way, if anything goes wrong, you will still have a copy of your data files.
Now, follow the steps given below to partition your Mac drive:
- Press Command + Shift + U keys from the keyboard or access the Utilities in the Application folder. Open the Disk Utility application and select the Mac Internal drive.
- You will see two options in the window, i.e. First Aid and Partition. Click on the Partition option and hit the '+' icon.
- A new partition will appear on the screen and you can set the storage space according to your requirements.
- Give a name to the new drive and tap on the Apply button. You might have to click on a lock symbol to finalize the actions.
You can make changes to the drive even after you've created the partition. When the process is finished, the partition will be visible on the main drive. The partition size can also be modified later when required.
Method 2. Boot Camp:
Remember that you cannot partition hard drive on Mac using Disk Utility if you want to install Windows on the other partition. The Boot Camp Assistant is a handy application for partitioning your Mac drive so that you can run and operate macOS and Windows altogether. In the later version of Mac, this application is pre-installed, so you only need to open it and follow the steps below:
Partition External Drive Mac
- Open Application and go to Utilities. There you will find the Boot Camp Assistant. Double-click on the option to open the Boot Camp and print a copy of the installation and setup guide.
- Click on the Create or Remove a Windows Partition option and Continue with the steps.
- Now, you have to select a hard drive for partition. If you already have multiple drives, you can select any one which you prefer.
- Determine the size of the partition for Windows OS. You can't make a partition smaller than 5 GB and it is recommended that you at least keep 20GB of space for your partitions.
- Click on the Partition button at the bottom of the interface and your new partitions will be ready to use.
Now all there is left to do is to insert the Windows installation disk and you will have multiple OS working on the same Mac system.
Get to know how to share external drives between Mac and Windows.
By following the same methods you can partition an external hard drive on Mac whenever you want.
Part 3. How to Delete Other Storage on Mac?
We have learned how to create a partition but knowing how to un partition hard drive on Mac is also crucial. The good thing is that the steps are not much different from the above procedure.
Using Disk Utility:
If you wish to erase or remove the macOS partition, then you'll have to use Disk Utility. You need to follow the steps as:
- Launch Disk Utility and click on the Partition which you want to delete from the volume.
- Here, select 'Go'>' Go to Folder' or you can use 'Shift + Cmd + G' shortcut.
- Switch to the Erase tab and ensure that the Mac OS X Extended is chosen. Tap on the Erase button to delete the partition.
- After that, choose the app folder you want to get rid of it. Next, drag it to trash to delete them from your Mac.
Within a while, the reallocated space will be distributed and you will be able to close Disk Utility.
Using Boot Camp:
As you used Boot Camp Assistant to create the Windows partition, you'll also have to use the same app for removing the partition.
- Boot your Mac into Mac OS X and open the Boot Camp Assistant. As the application interface opens up, you will see the Install or remove the Windows option.
- Continue and choose the Restore Disk to a single Mac OS partition option from the screen. Finalize the changes and hit the Restore button to begin the removal process.
It will take a while to remove the partition and when it is done, you can exit the Boot Camp.
Part 4. How to Recover Lost Data When Partitioning Mac?
The most common reasons why data get lost from a drive are given below:
- During hard drive partition
- Drive format
- System crash
- Virus attack
Apart from these, there are other reasons too but these are the reasons which mainly affect the Mac hard drive. And as a result, data gets lost from the system. But you don't have to worry about that now as Recoverit is here.
Recoverit - The Best Software to Recover Word Files:
Whenever you experience a data loss situation, Recoverit Data Recovery Mac will help you to retrieve it. This data recovery software will come in handy even when you've never made a backup of your device. You now know how to partition Mac hard drive and un partition it. But knowing how you can recover the lost or deleted files from the drive is also necessary.
How to Recover Lost Word Files on Mac:
Step 1: Select a Location
Launch the software and select the drive from where the data files are lost. If you don't know which drive to search, tap on the 'I can't find my partition' option, and hit the Start button.
Step 2: Scan the Location
Typically, the software will run an All-Around Recovery scan and search for the lost and deleted files on the entire drive.
Step 3: Preview and Recover
When the scan completes, the files will be listed on the screen. The software will sort out the files according to format to make the search easier. You can select multiple files at a time and have a preview at them.
Part 5. Tips for Deleting Other Files on Mac
Maybe you even know how to un partition a hard drive on Mac; you still have to be careful during carrying out the procedure. So, here are some tips worth keeping mind to make sure that you don't end up with some random error using partitioning or un-partitioning.
- The most important thing that you should do before starting is to create a backup of your Mac data.
- Keep this in mind when you are creating and removing the partition that the partition created by Disk Utility can only be removed by Disk Utility. And the partition created by Boot Camp will only be deleted by Boot Camp Application.
- After you create a partition, you'll also have to install the other version of OS you want to run.
- You can also create a partition on the system using the external drive.
- It is recommended that you keep a standard amount of 50 GB space for the partition.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that creating and removing a Mac drive partition is not that tough. You just have to careful during the process. And in case of a mishap, Recoverit is always here for your help so that you don't have to suffer from data loss situation.
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