• How to format a disk on a MacBook. How to make an external drive compatible with Mac and Windows? Formatting on Mac with NTFS

    In this article, I will talk about various ways to format an external hard drive (or flash drive) for full use with Windows and MAC OS. This question affected me when I bought my first MacBook Air.

    Having a 500Gb Western Digital external drive, I wanted to use it with both operating systems, because... still worked frequently on Windows computers (at work and on a second computer at home). Read on to find out what methods I tried for this and what came out of it.

    When buying a hard drive in a store, it will most likely be in the format NTFS, which is designed for use with Windows. Mac computers work with a different file system - HFS+.

    There are also FAT32 And ExFAT, which are compatible with both operating systems. Below I will provide a summary table of these file systems.

    File systems

    NTFS (Windows NT File System):

    • Allows you to read/write information in Windows. Read only on MAC OS.
    • Maximum file size: 16TB
    • Maximum disk volume size: 256TB
    • AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS

    HFS+ (Hierarchical File System):

    • Allows you to read/write information in Mac OS.
    • To read (not write) information in Windows, you need to install HFSExplorer.
    • Maximum file size: 8EiB
    • Maximum disk volume size: 8EiB

    FAT32 (File Allocation Table):

    • Maximum file size: 4GB
    • Maximum disk volume size: 2TB

    exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table):

    • Allows you to read/write information in Windows and MAC OS.
    • Maximum file size: 16EiB
    • Maximum disk volume size: 64ZiB

    « So. It turns out that exFAT is the most optimal way to format a hard drive for full use with Windows and MAC OS“,” you say. But let's not rush and consider all possible options. I generally like to consider “all possible options” for whatever it is related to before making a choice in any direction.

    Nobody puts the question bluntly" Either exFAT or nothing at all!". There are other solutions. Here they are!

    Format the drive to NTFS and use NTFS-3G for writing in OS X.

    If you don’t want to part with NTFS in favor of FAT32 or exFAT, there is a way to try to make friends with such a disk on your MAC. To do this you will need a special NTFS-3G driver.

    Combining NTFS-3G and OSXFuse should theoretically allow your Mac to work with NTFS partitions. I tried this method, but I stepped on a rake and got a big bump.

    In order for all this to work you need to: install OSXFuse, then NTFS-3G and after all this an error will still pop up when connecting NTFS drives, which can be fixed using a patch for NTFS-3G.

    In short, a method that does not initially work, but requires some kind of muddy patches, is not a method at all for me. You decide for yourself.

    Format disk in HFS+ and use HFS Explorer for reading in Windows

    That's it, READINGS! information from disk. There can be no talk of any recording. Although if you pay $50 for the MacDrive program for Windows, you can get full access and control of the HFS+ drive.

    This method does not cause me much sympathy, because... requires the installation of third-party programs on other people's computers.

    Split the disk into two partitions and use them separately for each OS

    This method differs from the previous two in that instead of one partition for both OSes, you will divide the hard drive. into two parts, each for its own OS.

    When I “split” my 500GB disk into two parts of 250GB each and formatted them in NTFS and FAT32, it seemed to me that “this is the golden solution!!! “You can use each disk with one or another OS, albeit with different capabilities.”

    But my joy ended the moment I was unable to copy information from one disk to another and back again in any operating system. My Macbook saw both drives, but Windows only recognized one NTFS. Using an external hard drive this way didn't work for me.

    Having tried the above methods, I still chose exFAT for myself. The option is also not ideal and has a number of disadvantages. Here are the main ones:

    • Most likely you will not be able to connect an exFAT hard drive to your favorite TV, because... at the moment this format is only supported by Windows and Mac OS operating systems
    • exFAT support is available in Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and 3 with update KB955704, Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8, as well as Mac OS X Snow Leopard starting from version 10.6.5

    To perform various manipulations with disks (split, format, clean, etc.) in Mac OS there is Disk Utility. It's intuitive to use. So, in order to create two partitions on a disk, you need to select the disk you need on the left side, and on the right go to the Partition tab and select 2 Partitions in the Partition Layout field.

    After this, you can set the size for each partition, specify the names and file system type. We confirm Apply - then everything will be done for you.

    So, you bought a new MacBook or iMac and were successfully using macOS until you were faced with the task of formatting a flash drive. On macOS, this process is different from what we're used to on Windows, but it's just as simple. Read about formatting a flash drive in macOS in this article.

    1. Open Disk Utility. To do this, find the “Launchpad” icon in the lower Dock and click on it. A list of all applications installed on your computer will open.

    2. Find the folder called "Others" and open the Disk Utility application in it. You can also use Spotlight's built-in search to find an app. To do this, open “Launchpad” and start typing the phrase “Disk Utility” on your keyboard. A search will find this application.

    3. In the Disk Utility interface, find your flash drive in the left column. Please note that you should highlight the top line, that is, the device itself, and not the bottom line, which is shifted to the right. The partitions are displayed at the bottom, while we need to format the device itself.

    4. So, select your flash drive, the Disk Utility workspace should display information about its volume, how it is divided into partitions, as well as the file system.

    5. In the top toolbar, find the “Erase” button. Click it.

    6. The formatting settings window will open. Enter the name of the flash drive that it should receive as a result of the operation, and also select the file system and partition scheme (you will find information below on which file system and partition to choose).

    7. Click the Erase button. The formatting progress will be displayed on the screen, after which you will receive a message indicating the successful completion of the operation.
    8. The flash drive is formatted. You can start using it.

    This note will help you avoid Disk Utility crashes and you will not see messages like this:

    To rename a flash drive after formatting, find it in Disk Utility and click on the second line (yes, now we need the partition). After that, click once on the name of the flash drive and change it to any one of your choice. Press Enter to apply the changes.

    File systems and partition schemes

    Note! It's worth talking more about file systems and partition schemes in macOS. It all depends on where and how you plan to use your flash drive in the future.

    Let's start with partition schemes:

    • GUID partition scheme. Works ideally with macOS of all versions and Windows starting from 7. If your flash drive will be used on these systems, select this option, because the speed of the flash drive will be much higher. But in this case you will have to put up with incompatibility with older versions of Windows;
    • Master Boot Record (MBR). This partition scheme is compatible with all versions of Windows and macOS, but is slightly slower than the previous point. If you need compatibility - your choice;
    • Apple partition scheme. Specific scheme, compatible only with macOS. Practically not used. I highly do not recommend using it.

    Now let's look at file systems. Everything is quite simple here:


    Video - How to format a flash drive on Mac

    In this article, we will tell you how to erase partitions and format a hard drive on a Mac using Disk Utility.

    Attention! Before performing the actions described below, take care of the safety of important data. Make a backup or use the utility.

    What do you need to know about Disk Utility?

    This is a free Apple app that comes with macOS. It is distinguished by its simplicity and functionality sufficient for ordinary users' needs. It works with hard drives, SSD drives and disk images. Disk Utility can erase, format, repair, partition disks, and even provide first aid.

    The program works with disks and partitions. A disk is a physical storage device, and a partition is a formatted section of a disk. Any disk contains at least one partition.

    It is very important to know and understand the interaction between the disk and the partition(s). You can erase an individual partition without affecting the entire drive, but if you erase the drive, you will also erase all the information on each partition.

    Interface Disk Utility consists of three main elements:

    • toolbar (top of the program, header);
    • left side menu containing disks and partitions;
    • work area.

    How to erase a disk or partition using Disk Utility

    Erasing a disk or partition is one of the easiest ways to free up space. There is no fundamental difference between cleaning a disk or partitions.

    1 . In the left side menu, select the disk or partition of interest (the disk icon has priority in the tree. By clicking on the triangle next to the disk, a list of partitions that it contains will open).

    2 . On the toolbar, click the " Erase».

    3 . Enter a name for the new drive and select a format.

    4 . Click the button Erase».

    How to safely erase a disk or partition using Disk Utility

    You can perform a secure erase if necessary. To do this, repeat steps 1-3 and click the “ Security Settings..." There are three types of secure erase. The higher the security level, the longer the erasing process will take. " Security Settings" include the following options, which will vary depending on the slider position:

    1) Securely erase files, without overwriting information with zeros. There is a high probability that the data can be recovered. Erasing provides a low level of security.

    2) Erasing files with an acceptable level of security, achieved by writing random data with a single-pass write of zeros over the entire disk.

    3) US Department of Energy erasure (writes random data twice and writes zeros over the disk three times).

    4) The most serious safety standard. This is how magnetic media is erased at the US Department of Defense. In addition to recording random data, it is rewritten seven times with zeros.

    Then click the " OK" And " Erase».

    We talked about how to install macOS on a formatted disk.

    “Rifat, I bought a new disk and I need to make it work on both Mac and Windows.” “Hi, I have a disk, but I can’t write anything to it on my Mac, what should I do?” “Listen, how to format a Mac disk, what would it be?”

    My friends and clients ask me approximately these questions once a week, if not more often! So now, I will show you how to format a disk in Disk Utility, for different cases!

    First, a short introduction to basic file systems (FS). If you don't want to bother with the theoretical aspects, you can skip below, directly to the formatting procedure.

    To format a disk, you need to go to Disk Utility, which is located in the Programs - Utilities (Utilities) folder or find it through Spotlight. In the window that appears, on the left side, you need to select the disk to format - the disk itself, and not the volume name. In my case it is 160.04 GB Seagate TOSH..., not Extended HD. Next, we need to click on the Disk Partition button, at the top in the middle, and here we can see all the options for formatting the disk for different needs! So, now I will describe all the sections and what they give us:

    1) Partition scheme - by clicking on “Current”, we can select the number of partitions on the disk. Someone may need to create a disk with 2 or more partitions to store different files or for use on different computers.

    2) Partition information - here you need to select the disk name and FS. For use on Mac and Win, select FAT or ExFAT. To use the disk for Time Machine, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

    3) Parameters - by clicking on this button we select the type of bootloader - this is a very important parameter, because It depends on it whether the disk will be detected on the computer or not!

    — GUID Partition Scheme- no matter which FS you select, the disk will only be detected on a Mac with an Intel processor (all modern Macs). Together with the HFS+ file system (Mac OS Extended), the disk will be available for creating backup copies via Time Machine! No other combination of the “Partition Scheme” and FS parameters will allow you to use the disk for copies!

    — Apple partition scheme- Designed for use on older Mac computers with a PPC processor. We won't need it.

    — Master Boot Record— when you select this item, the disk will be visible on computers with Win. But besides this, the format must be FAT or ExFAT.

    ATTENTION! FORMATING A DISK ERASES ALL DATA FROM IT!!! BEFORE FORMATING A DISK, MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO IMPORTANT FILES ON IT OR SAVE THEM TO ANOTHER DATA STORAGE!!!

    After selecting all the parameters, you can click on the “Apply” button in the lower right corner and this will appear:

    The system will warn you that all data will be deleted from the disk, and if you agree, then click on the “Disk Partition” button. Formatting is quite fast - from 3 to 20 seconds, depending on the disk size.

    If you have chosen the path for creation of Time Machine, then immediately after formatting a window may appear asking you to select this disk for backups.

    Let me clarify once again which items you need to select for:

    — Time Machine and disk operation only with Mac- Mac OS Extended file system and GUID partition scheme;

    — Disk for Mac and Win- ExFAT file system and Master Boot Record.

    So we figured out how to format a disk in a Mac, and what options you need to choose for different cases! This method is suitable for disks, flash drives, regardless of the connection interface - USB, FireWare or Thunderbolt. If you have any questions or difficulties in the process of formatting a Mac disk, write about it in the comments :)

    By the way, if you were interested in this article, then feel free to add to my groups at

    USB flash drives are the most convenient modern storage media; all owners of personal computers and laptops use them in one way or another. Including people who prefer Apple products.

    If you are one of them, and all your flash drives are already filled to capacity, then you will have to resort to a cleaning procedure - formatting. Let's figure out how to format a flash drive in Mac OS.

    Instructions for formatting memory cards

    Users of Windows-based operating systems are accustomed to the fact that formatting a flash drive can be easily started by right-clicking the mouse by selecting the appropriate item in the context menu. There is no such item on Mac OS.

    To format flash drives on a Mac, use a special utility called Disk Utility. It is already installed, and there is no need to download it from third-party sites.

    So, to format a flash drive on Mac OS, follow these steps:


    That's all, the USB drive is formatted, old data is deleted, and new information can be recorded.

    Formatting in FAT32 and NTFS

    If your flash drive will be connected to a computer running on the Windows operating system, then you need to format it in other formats. There are two such formats: FAT32 and NTFS.

    FAT32 is an old format; it differs in that files larger than 4 GB cannot be written to devices with this format. FAT32 is not suitable for large files, but it is readable on older machines and is easily recognized by both Windows and Mac OS computers.

    How to format a flash drive to FAT32:


    A more modern format on Windows computers is NTFS. It has no file size restrictions. Unfortunately, Macs do not read this format, so to format a USB flash drive on a Mac to NTFS, you will have to use a special driver. There are two to choose from: NTFS Seagate and NTFS Paragon.

    How to format a flash drive in NTFS format:


    Click on “Erase” and confirm. That's all, now you know how to format a flash drive on a Mac. Happy PC use!

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