

- #Formatting mac external hard drive for windows how to#
- #Formatting mac external hard drive for windows for mac#
This will allow you to use the hard drive on both a Mac and PC.įAT32 is often used among general users, but FAT32 has limitations that can affect filmmakers. To do this, you will need to use either exFAT or FAT32 formats. If you need to send them RAW files or an edited sequence, you will need to make sure the external hard drive is set up for both operating systems. You may be using only Macs or PCs in your own office, but you will also need to take into account what type of machines your client is using. That said, if you are using both a PC and Mac in the workflow, you’ll need to use a different format. Hard drives set up for use on Windows machines only will often use NTFS, while Macs will use HFS+. Formatting the Hard DriveĪ vast majority of video production will be done on a Mac or Windows operating system, so we aren’t going to cover Linux. Let’s take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. 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. Eventually you will find out that you may not be working on the same operating system (OS) as others. Part 3: Bonus Tip – Data Recovery from Formatted Hard Drive on Mac.Īs a video editor or Digital Imaging Technician, you will often need to share files with others. Step 2 Follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac system.

Step 1 Open Finder, Applications, then go to Utilities and Disk Utility.
#Formatting mac external hard drive for windows for mac#
To format an external hard drive for Mac with Time Machine, you must follow the steps below. Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to your Mac that you want to format. As we can format the drive from Disk utility, Therefore, we will do it with the disk utility option.
#Formatting mac external hard drive for windows how to#
How to Format External Hard Drive on a Mac? Now, I will show you how to format external hard drive on a Mac using the below steps.

This article explains about file systems and provides instruction to format a drive on Windows and Mac. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted. Use these steps to format external hard drives for both operating systems.Ī drive can be used on any type of computer - PC or Mac. Video editors will often find that they need to share files between a PC and a Mac.
