I put it in my win 7 pro machine to format it for win7. Formatting usb flash drive means emptying all files in the drive and returning to the initial state. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Go ahead and plug in your flash drive in the usb port on your mac. Select the drive you want to format and click erase button. However, once in a while, windows was unable to format flash. Format a flash drive for both mac os x and windows youtube. Go to the applications folder on your macs hard drive, then go to the utilities folder, and launch disk utility. Have you ever ran into a problem where youre trying to use a flash drive on both windows and mac. In the file system list box, choose exfat, type in.
So, if you want to format a flash drive connected to a usb, firewire, or thunderbolt usb type c or not on a mac you need do the following procedure. Rename the usb flash drive, choose the format as msdos fat for format, master. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Rightclick your flash drive and then select format. Rightclick on the drive you want to format, click on format. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. On windows 10, the ability to format a usb flash drive can come in handy in a number of scenarios. It recognizes the drive, installs the drivers, yet never shows up as an active. For apple mac users, the easier way to format usb flash drive to fat32 is using the disk utility. Make sure the flash drive is fully compatible with mac.
In the dialog, enter a name for the drive, choose msdos fat from the format popup menu, choose master boot record from the scheme popup menu, then click erase. Oct 29, 2019 just like windows, mac also allows a seamless solution to do pen drive format. It can help you manage system partitions, erase an external unit like a thumb drive, and even repair your disk. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. By the way, we will talk about production usb and nonproduction usb. There are various reasons why you should format the usb flash drive on a mac. Rather than use a mac formatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. If you want to use the drive between a windows and mac machine, you can format it to fat32. Under file system box, select exfat for this drive.
To learn how to format write protected usb drive via the registry editor, follow these steps. To put it simply, if you want to share external hard drive between mac and pc, you need to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. To do this, you can take the assistance of disk utility, which is a dedicated system component in mac. Apr 14, 2020 why need to format external hard drive for mac and pc. Once the disk utility is opened, select your flash drive from the sidebar and click the erase button. Go to applications utilities double click and open disk utility. Format usb mac is easy to do and anyone that knows how to use a mac can do it without any issue. Following are the top features of this usb flash drive. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmaclinux. How to format usb flash drive on windows or mac os. How to format internal andor external drive to work properly on mac and windows computers. To format the usb drive to fat32, follow the next steps.
Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. But somehow, macos doesnt allow you to write data to the drive. Install windows 10 on your mac with boot camp assistant. As you can see, exfat is the only file system that works with all versions of windows and. Mar 15, 2018 rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. How to format inaccessible or unmounted usb flash drive on. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. Rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs.
The overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. Fat32 file allocation table readwrite fat32 from both native windows and native mac os x. Among many quality flash drives, sandisk extreme pro 128 gb drive is considered the most popular usb flash drive for windows and mac. How to format inaccessible or unmounted usb flash drive on mac. Jul 29, 2019 formatting usb flash drive means emptying all files in the drive and returning to the initial state. The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os x, though with some drawbacks. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x. The instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. Formatting your flash drive will remove all files or folders on the drive, so make sure you back up your files before formatting your drive.
There are many ways to make a usb flash drive inaccessible or dismantled, the most common are. Choosing the best format to work between macs and pcs with a flash drive. For example, you might want to reformat a new or used removable storage device to make sure it. If the drive comes formatted in ntfs, which is the default file system for windows, youre going to want to reformat the drive because mac os x. Connect the usb fash drive to the mac os x computer. Follow these instructions to partition flash drive on mac. Most flash drives are formatted for use with windows. How to format a flash drive for mac and pc compatibility in macos. How to format usb drives on windows 10 make tech easier. In this article, we will introduce 5 disk formatting tools for windows and mac to help you securely format hard driveusb flash drive or memory card on a pc or a mac. Is it possible to format the inaccessible usb flash drive on the mac to fix the issue. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows.
Hi there, i have a usb flash drive which was formatted for a mac. External data storage devices such as usb flash drives, external hard disk drives hdds, and solid state drives ssds provide one of the easiest ways to transfer files between separate computers without accessing the internet. Go to the applications folder on your mac s hard drive, then go to the utilities folder, and launch disk utility. You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. How to format usb flash drive on mac stepbystep tutorial. Dec 29, 2015 the instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. If you have an old flash drive or one that was formatted to work with windows or another operating system, you can still format your flash drive to work on a mac. Select your usb flash drive on the sidebar, choose erase. To format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. If you are a personal user, you can try its professional edition. You can format a hard drive or usb flash disk specifically so that it will be compatible with both mac os x and windows pc computers.
How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on a mac. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. The first technique to format write protected usb drive is by using the registry editor on windows. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. May 29, 2018 to format external drive to file system compatible with mac and pc, connect the drive to your computer and follow the detailed steps given below take formatting hard drive to exfat in windows 7 for example. It is a dedicated system utility tool that stores all the vital details and parameters related to windows settings. Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. If you want to format a hard drive or usb flash drive on your computer, disk formatting tool is the best choice. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. Usb flash drive format tool free download and software. Jun 14, 2019 unlike windows in file explorer, mac os x and macos do not include a format drive option in the finder. How to format a usb flash drive on a mac techwalla.
Format usb or flash drive software free downloads and. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos. Nov 01, 2011 choosing the best format to work between macs and pcs with a flash drive. Its below the file system heading near the top of the page. In the file system list box, choose exfat, type in a volume label. So, you just bought an external hard drive or a portable ssd and wanted to use it on your mac. An external usb flash drive with a storage capacity of 16gb or more, unless youre using a mac that doesnt need a flash drive to install windows. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. You can use this format if you share the drive between mac os x and windows computers and have no files larger than 4gb. The difference between macos and windows is that they use different file systems. To format hard drive for mac and windows without data loss, we suggest using minitool partition wizard and its convert ntfs to fats32 function. How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on. In the main interface, right click the partition on that need. This option is near the middle of the dropdown menu.
A dropdown menu will appear with the following options. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmac. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. In the essay, we will talk about how to format usb flash drive on windows and on mac os and how to recover usb data. Macs and pcs use different file systems, which can make it tricky to put data from your mac on a flash or hard drive and give it to a windows.
Its exactly the same procedure if you need to reformat a flash drive on a mac. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x admfactory. Just like windows, mac also allows a seamless solution to do pen drive format. Learn how to format usb flash drive using cmd in windows 10, 8 and 7.
Apr 30, 2016 now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. Apple mac machines support a different file system. Aug 16, 2019 on windows 10, the ability to format a usb flash drive can come in handy in a number of scenarios. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. This is the easiest way and simply requires you to plug in your usb drive, open the windows file explorer and right click your drive to view a number of actions that you can perform. Jan 15, 2019 its exactly the same procedure if you need to reformat a flash drive on a mac. We all make mistakes, and you wouldnt be the first person in the world to accidentally format a usb flash drive.
Now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. Unlike windows in file explorer, mac os x and macos do not include a format drive option in the finder. To format a usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x follow these steps. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos easeus. A 64bit version of windows 10 home or windows 10 pro on a disk image iso or other installation media. Insert the flash drive or hard drive you want to format for windows compatibility. A drive with two partitions, for example can have one partitioned in exfat and another in a mac os extended format, so you can use the same drive on a mac and a windows computer.
After that, go ahead and launch the finder and click on your flash drive detected by your mac. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and. Learn how to format your usb flash drive or usb external drive so you can use it on both mac os x and windows computers. Volume format most manufacturers use the fat 32 or msdos fat volume format. Connect an external usb drive or insert a flash drive into the usb port on your mac. Generally, the formatting process can go smoothly via file explorer, disk management or diskpart command. Disk drill, a premium data recovery solution for mac os x with support for all popular file formats and common storage devices, is here to help you recover deleted files from usb flash drive. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. Plug the drive into a usb socket if you have a recent macbook or macbook pro that only has usbc connectors, youll need a usbc to usba adaptor. It recognizes the drive, installs the drivers, yet never shows up. Sep 19, 2011 the overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats.
Sometimes, you might have to format your usb flash drive to either wipe it or fix errors, etc. By using the command prompt, you can format any usb flash drive, pen drive or memory stick that is write protected, corrupted, damaged, unreadable, unrecognized by pc and mobile. Thats all because its been initialized with windows nt file system ntfs, which is primarily for pcs. Apr 28, 2020 learn how to format usb flash drive using cmd in windows 10, 8 and 7. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. To share a usb drive between a mac and a windows pc, there are two disk formats to choose from. Do these steps and you will then be able to format your flash drive on your mac.
How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility youtube. Usb drive format tool is a tiny freeware utility designed for formatting any usb storage devices usb flash drive, usb stick, usb pen drive, usb portable drive, and sdcard in fat, fat32, exfat. Formatting a usb flash drive is something everyone should know. Jan 30, 2017 usb drive format tool is a tiny freeware utility designed for formatting any usb storage devices usb flash drive, usb stick, usb pen drive, usb portable drive, and sdcard in fat, fat32, exfat. Feb 21, 2020 to format the usb drive to fat32, follow the next steps.