Although APFS is the suggested one, it is only compatible with macOS. There are 10 formats (file systems) you can select in macOS 10.13 or above. Edit the disk name, select a file format and a scheme. Choose your target external hard drive or volume, click the Erase button on the top. Launchpad → Other → Disk Utility, and click the Disk Utility. Connect the external hard drive with your Mac, and the computer will mount your drive. Format the external drive with Disk Utility on Mac:

Tips: Remember to back up the files on the external drive if you have saved anything important on it, formatting a disk will erase all the data on it.

Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft NTFS for Mac on your computer. Now, it also supports Monterey 12, Mac with M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max chips. It can solve external hard drive read only on Mac, and enables you to write to NTFS drives on the Mac with ease. Under such a circumstance, what you need is a professional NTFS driver for Mac like iBoysoft NTFS for Mac. Because you can read NTFS drive on Mac only and you can't write to this drive normally in this case. Many famous external drives like Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch and WD My Passport are pre-formatted with NTFS, as the Windows default file system. However, the NTFS format is a hassle for users who need to use the same external drive on both Mac and Windows. This method suits you most if you just want to use it occasionally on different OS or don’t want to lose files on your external drive by formatting. How to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting(No data loss)īefore you move to format external drives, you should know there is a more feasible way to make your external drives compatible with your Mac and PC. How to partition external hard drive to make it compatible with Mac and PC Which is the best format for external hard drive for Mac and PC How to format external hard drive for Windows PC How to format external hard drive for Mac How to make external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting Though the default hard disk file system (also known as format) of Windows and Mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external hard drive to make it compatible with your Mac or PC.

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