Formatting Flash Drive For Mac And Pc
Step 5: Look for the Disk Utility icon and double click it. Note: From this step on please be careful. Scan downloaded files for viruses mac. You don’t want to erase the wrong disk. Doing this will delete all the data on the disk. If you accidentally choose the wrong disk you will not be able to recover the data without special software or even a data recovery specialist, which can be extremely expensive.
Since these file systems are key to the operating system making sense of the data, an OS cannot read data off of a disk without support for the file system with which the disk is formatted. When you format a disk, the file system you choose essentially governs which devices can read or write to the disk. Many businesses and households have multiple PCs of different types in their home—Windows, macOS, and Linux being the most common. And if you carry files to friends houses or when you travel, you never know what type of system you may want those files on. Because of this variety, you need to format portable disks so that they can move easily between the different operating systems you expect to use.
Once you have done with formatting, your external hard drive will be able to write and read files from both a PC and Mac. The resulting FAT32 file system will be compatible with all versions of Mac OS X, and Windows including Windows 10 back to 95. I have a SanDisk Cruser drive that was formatted for a Mac and now I want to use it for a PC (and I don't have access to the Mac. How do I format a usb drive on a PC that was formatted on a Mac? Ask Question. Used space on an “empty,” formatted flash drive.
The overwhelming majority of USB flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats:. The first format, FAT32, is fully compatible with Mac OS X, though with some drawbacks that we'll discuss later.
But it can be confusing understanding what devices and operating systems supports which file systems—especially when all you want to do is transfer some files or keep your collection readable by all the devices you use. Skype for mac snow leopard. Replacement external hard drive for mac time machine. So, let’s take a look at the major file systems and hopefully, you can figure out the best solution for formatting your USB drive.
I have an IMAC running OSX 10.7.5 I recently bought a Trekstor DataStation pocket light 500 GB external portable hard drive 2.5″ I need it to transfer 190 GB of video and audio files to give to an editor. I received it and a small paper inside said it’s not compatible with my IMAC.
Step 6: Locate your USB flash drive. Mine displays as 2 GB SMI USB DISK Media, then underneath it you will see USB DISK. Click on USB Disk.. Step 7: When you click on USB Disk you will see a few tabs. Click on the Erase tab. Step 8: You will see Format: Select ExFAT.
Unmount your drive, then plug it back in. It won’t show up anymore. Back in the terminal, type: open /Volumes press “return” There’s your NTSF drive! Now you can do whatever you want with it in Mac OS X. (tip: create an alias of the volumes so you don’t have to go back to the terminal every time) Another free method: “EaseUS ALL-IN-ONE Partition Manager” software I’ve not tried it myself, but I’ve only heard good things about it. You can download it here:.