Format external hdd

[rickyc]

Hi,

Is there any way or software whereby I can format an ext hdd so it can be read&write by both a windows laptop and a macbook pro ?

Thanks.

 

[speedster4005]

It's built-in to Disk Utility (OSX) and Format (Windows). No need for extra software. Just choose exFAT (FAT64) as the disk formaf.

 

[rickyc]

Hi Speedster4005,

Thanks for your respond. I'm afraid I'm very new to using a Mac laptop but learning. Are you able to provide me steps by steps guide ? Also, after doing your steps, does that mean whether I plug the ext hdd to a windows or to a mac laptop, I can straight away excess it read&write ?

Thanks.

 

[rickyc]

Hi Speedster4005,

Also what if I have an existing ext hdd with data. Is there a way to make it both windows and mac read&write access without having to re-format ?

Thanks.

 

[speedster4005]

Hi Speedster4005,

Also what if I have an existing ext hdd with data. Is there a way to make it both windows and mac read&write access without having to re-format ?

Thanks.

If there's an existing data, you will have to transfer the data first and copy it back after formatting. That is because "format to exFAT" will have to clear the partition, thus removing all data in it.

If you want to preserve the data (and the existing format too), then you need a 3rd party application, such as "NTFS for Mac 12" from Paragon software (the older version for Mavericks was the one I was using before). There are other 3rd party apps too but I am not familiar with them.

Hi Speedster4005,

Thanks for your respond. I'm afraid I'm very new to using a Mac laptop but learning. Are you able to provide me steps by steps guide ? Also, after doing your steps, does that mean whether I plug the ext hdd to a windows or to a mac laptop, I can straight away excess it read&write ?

Thanks.

It would take me time to write one, but here's a quick reference: http://bjokib.com/read-and-write-to-ntfs-for-mac-in-os-x-or-use-exfat-instead/

Please Refer to the section "Use ExFAT Instead".

ExFAT is a natively supported file system format by both OS X and Windows (from 7 onwards). There is no need for 3rd party application to use this format.

 

[pinkypoopy]

Hi Speedster4005,

Also what if I have an existing ext hdd with data. Is there a way to make it both windows and mac read&write access without having to re-format ?

Thanks.

As long as you're changing a disk format or partitioning, reformatting is required regardless of the OS you're using.

In Mac:

- Plug in your drive
- Open "Disk Utility" (Launch Spotlight = cmd + space, type in Disk Utility)
- On the left pane, your connected drives should appear. Select on your desired volume.
- On the right pane, there is a tab called "Erase". Select that.
- Dropdown list for "Format" - Select exFat
- Name the name of the drive
- Click "Erase" button.

It should be done in a jiffy. Note: Like what the previous poster said - Your items will all be erased, so it's important for you to back up your drive.

If you want to partition a disk:

- Disk Utility > Select "Partition" tab instead of "Erase"
- Select the number of partitions you want
- Click on the visual display to configure them individually - Whether you want Partition A to be (A) How big in size, (B) The format, (C) The name
- Click "Apply" when you're done.

Note: Your stuff will be entirely wiped out as well. And yes, it's possible to have multiple partitions with different volume format. E.g. Partition A is FAT, Partition B is Mac Journaled and so on.

Hope this helps.

 

[rickyc]

Hi pinkypoopy,
Hi speedster4005,

Thanks for your respond and help.

Fyi, I've bought a 2T Toshiba ext hdd and it comes with a software call Tuxera NTFS which is what I'm looking for. After installing this software, I am able to write to an existing ext hdd that was previously formatted for Windows without having to reformat it.