You can reformat a hard drive on mac os x by using disk utility. And there you have it, youve formatted your wd my passport for mac in 10 quick steps. Just know that this is a file system that your mac uses for a time machine backup. I followed these directions, and it was effortless. Your whole drive is now formatted as mac os extended journaled file system. In this guide i will show you how you can properly formatreformat a hard drive for mac os. Wd drive utilities macos catalina support wd software. How can i reformat my external hard drive without losing data. From the volume format menu, choose mac os extended. Formatting a wd external hard drive does not require any additional software. So you figured, fine, ill just get an external hard drive.
It comes formatted for pc, but they claim it can be reformatted for any mac system. Step one if your hard drive is an external drive, connect it to the computer. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. Unboxing wd elements portable hard drive and reformatting.
There is a button on the top left of the disk utility window for view. It is also compatible with mac os x once required formatting has. Unboxing wd elements portable hard drive and reformatting for mac. Jan 08, 2020 dont fret you can change the formatting. How to get external hard drive to work with mac os x. Mar 20, 2020 quick workarounds to formatting wd elements for mac. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system answer id 291 a western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Make sure mac os extended journaled is selected in the format menu for the partition that will be used for backups.
How to get external hard drive to work with mac os x guiding tech. Inputoutput error when reformatting wd elements ext hard. Every time i connect my 1 tb wd elements external drive to. Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. Formatting failed external drives for mac wd community. Wd elements play cannot be modified june 2011 forums cnet.
Wd elements drive macos wd portable drives wd community. Yes, it had some software specifically made for os x on it, but even that didn. First to format your wd elements external drive to mac os extended journaled file system. How to format wd external drive for mac apple community.
Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc. Just select the desired format from the format select box and do the same for the video quality with the quality select box. Reformat wd my passport ultra for mac not apple community. Whether you have mac os sierra, high sierra or mojave the way you format your wd elements drive for mac is the same. Connecting the wd elements drive to a computer running windows operating system, you will get quick workarounds to formatting wd elements for mac. Create a name and choose mac os extended journaled assuming you have a current vision of os x. Partition failed partion failed with the following error. I have erased dated and want to format for microsoft pc. New december 2017 wd elements drive will not format to mac os extended journaled. How to make wd elements compatible with macbook pro quora. In the lefthand side inside of disk utility you will see a list of all the connected hard drives. Buy wd 1tb elements portable external hard drive usb 3. However, all of the solutions can be divided into two types.
Choose your wd elements external hard drive on your. Format a hard drive using mac os x disk utility iclarified. Try wd advanced format utility alternative easeus external hard drive formatter to format disk while wd external drive format failed with wd quick formatter tool. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto. Ill store my media files on it while keeping the internal hard drive clear for apps and the os. Two effective ways to format wd passport for windows. Error message when formatting a new drive wd community. I have a gtech drive which has content from an fcp edit and i need to make a duplicate of the content onto the western digital so that the client who has a pc can open the files. At the top of your disk utility screen youll see the button to partition. Setup time machine and setup to work in windows pc and mac. Connect your western digital my passport drive to mac computer, and let the os detect and mount the drive for use. It is similar to exfat which can be read by both windows and mac, but it can store more than 4gb files. How to make external hard drive work with mac and pc youtube. Having attempted this now says erase process failed and has called the disk disk 2s1 and is all greyed out.
Fortunately i had an old macbook running snow leopard lying around. Sep 30, 2010 hey guys, has probably asked a million times, but im pritty busy, so cant hang about searching. As the default file system in windows, it can only read by mac os, writing to it is not available. Luckily, there are thirdparty tools to help you do so. Or drag and drop files from your mac onto your wd elements drive. Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. Enter a name for the external hard drive in the name field. When it comes to backups, software is only part of the equation. Format a western digital elements for mac and pc i have a new western digital elements and i need to format it for mac and pc. Your disk utility program lives within a folder called utilities. How to format wd external drive for mac more less apple footer this site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. This video from acquevara shows you the formatting on a mac using mac os sierra. Select external devices recovery with recoverit hard disk recovery, please select a data recovery mode.
In the next 5 minutes read, you will master yourself in formatting a wd my passport safely and in a manner best suited for sharing your digital files between a macos and windows os. A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. Whats more, you can share digital files between mac. Quick workarounds to formatting wd elements for mac. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. All functions in disc utility such as run first aid for the disc or partition are similarly unresponsive. You just need to plug in, open up mounty and remount in readwrite mode. Wd elements drive will not format to mac os extended. Im wondering how i reformat the hard drive, which comes from the factory formatted for pcs. After realizing that you can reformat wd hard drive to fat32 or exfat to make it compatible with mac os x and still can be used under windows, it is time to check out how to reformat wd hard drive for mac and pc in windows successfully. I bought two wd elements discs and the same thing happened to me.
This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system os to move files between the two environments. Out of the both its not mac compatible, but you can format it for use with your mac in just a few minutes. I have a wd elements 1tb which works perfectly when i use it with timemachine. Is there maybe a way to format it for a mac on my pc more less. This formatting is also known as mac os extended journaled file. Compatibility may vary depending on users hardware configuration and operating system. Each physical drive is shown with the partitions of that drive nested below. Before you can use it though, you need to properly format or reformat a hard drive so that it will become compatible or readable with the operating system that you are using. Wd elements drive will not format to mac os extended journaled. Wdeasystore external hard drive set up guide for mac. You can find effective ways here to format wd my passport for mac and pc to fat32 or exfat file system with the help of the professional format tool easeus partition master or other solutions. The idea is that i can save avis etc on it and then play them through my.
Purchasing the best hard drive is all about what you need out of it. Read about it and found that id have to reformat it in mac os extended journaled. I have a wd 500 gb passport wd pn wd5000mt00 2309a formatted for mac. The exfat file system is a better option when it comes to formatting wd my passport on mac. Whether you have mac os sierra, high sierra or mojave the way you format your wd. Oct 14, 2017 new instruction says that we first need to reformat ntfs into mac os extended journaled, and then convert it to apfs format. After clicked on this button, vgurusoft video downloader for mac will get the video resolutions and available subtitles for users. List of all wd firmware and software available for download. After successful formatting, you can directly save or move files to it like any other external hard drive.
There are many good tools on the market, but having a dependable hard drive on the receiving end as important, too. A tiny tool to remount writeprotected ntfs volumes under mac os x 10. Free download western digital fat32 formatting tool for. Then, ill introduce you to workable and easy ways to format wd passport external hard drive, wd elements external hard drive and other external hard drives. I bought a wd elements 320gb today with is mac compatable, but i just tried to drag some of my photos onto it, and its saying this item could not be moved because elements cannot be modified. Aug 29, 2015 when i bought the wd my passport ultra drive, i was surprised to see that it didnt support os x out of the box. However, many users complain their wd my passport is readonly on mac like the user below in wd community. Will a wd elements 1tb hard drive be compatible with mac os x. I bought a wd elements 320gb today with is mac compatable, but i just tried to drag some of my photos onto it, and its saying this item could not be moved because elements cannot be. What you should know that formatting will erase all data on the drive. Once the wd external hard drive has been formatted, it can be used like any other hard drive that is attached to the computer.
Now, a new hard drive icon will appear on the desktop. Download wd quick formatter to reformat wd external hard drive to ntfs, fat32, etc in windows 1087. Once you have formatted your western digital elements drive 2. Youtube video showing the format of wd my passport for mac. Our favorite external hard drive wd my book hard drive for mac. Two easy methods to format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. How to format new portable hard disk for macos wd elements. External drive like wd elements, my book and my passport can be formatted to fat32 via this tool. If you want to get on with formatting your wd my passport on your mac, youll find the step by step walk through just below. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Find efficient methods of wd external drive format for mac here. Wd my passport format problem high sierra im having some trouble formatting my wd my passport in high sierra. How to perform western digital disk recovery download and install recoverit data recovery on your computer, launch it and follow the next steps to scan your wd elements hard drive to perform western digital disk recovery.
Connect it, power it up, go to disk utility in applicationsutilities, select the wd disk on the left, go to the erase tab, and choose mac os. Locate your drive under external drives it should show something like disk1s1 3. If you experience the same issue, your only recourse is to reformat it in one of two formats. Hello all, im on my second elements 2tb drive that i cannot format using disk utility. Here are two ways offered and you can choose on based on your own situation. Free trial of wd smartware pro auto and cloud backup software wd quality and reliability 1year limited warranty. Hey guys, has probably asked a million times, but im pritty busy, so cant hang about searching. Highlight the physical drive you wish to reformat and on the menu at the top to the right select erase. Easily format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac.
Mar 21, 2012 will a wd elements 1tb hard drive be compatible with mac os x lion. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto move files between the two environments. Formatting a hard drive for windows will be discussed in another article. I want to use this new disk as a time machine backup disk.
Download wd quick formatter to format external drive in. Where and with working to reformat my new hd, i have been directed to base support and then knowledge base answer id 3865. When the finder window opens, on the menu bar, select go and then utilities. Tutorial on how to format a western digital elements harddrive for a mac. Mounty for nfts mounty for ntfs mounty is a true lifesaver. For earlier versions of the mac operating system, screens may be slightly different. Wd elements, wd my book western digital, my passport wd, we my cloud, wd my. I m attaching the drive using the supplied usd cable and it appears on my desktop as an elements disk, but when i use disk utility to format the disk for mac os extended journaled it gives me the following message. To format your wd elements with a partition for mac and pc 1. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under mac os. Advice youll find useful ahead of formatting your my passport drive on your mac. I know i am supposed to format it for mac via disk utility before i can use it, but this process also fails. Even if that is the case, the drive will still appear in the lefthand column of the finder menu under devices.
It could be that your mac already recognizes the device, but just isnt showing its icon on the desktop screen. If you connect your wd hard drive without reformatting, youll be unable to copy files to the disk as mac read only supports ntfs file system. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided. How to format new portable hard disk for macos wd elements 2tb usb 3.
Ive just bought a wd elements play which i guess is really an external hard drive. This formatting is also known as mac os extended journaled file system. In such a case, its necessary to reformat wd hard drive to make it compatible with mac operating system. Format will erase all data on the partition of wd hard drive. Mac cant read wd elements external drives for mac wd. Wd passport much like my wd my passport ultra, most. Jan 03, 2018 new december 2017 wd elements drive will not format to mac os extended journaled. Format external hard drive for mac with disk utility. Oct 11, 2018 want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. Hello, i just bought a western digital wd elements 1. May 09, 2008 these are instructions on how to format a hard drive using mac os x disk utility. I had this model replace a wd book version of usb external hard drive that i purchased 2 days ago and was supposedly formatted specifically for mac os x 10. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system.
Top level view of formatting wd elements for a mac and a pc. Among those external hard drive categories, wd my passport external hard drives are the most widely used ones. Step 5 thereafter, click on the erase button and let the system erase everything on the drive and reformat wd elements for mac by exfat or fat32 format. All three sorts of files work when i connect the hd to my computer mac.
Mac cant read wd elements external drive solved mac data. Formatting wd elements for mac by quick workarounds. How to partition and format a wd drive on windows and macos. Macs dont limit these partition sizes, so if you have access to both operating systems, format the drive using a mac. How can i use my wd elements drive with my samsung hdtv. Will a wd elements 1tb hard drive be compatible with mac. If you own a wd elements drive in ntfs, it will be only readable. Out of the both its not mac compatible, but you can format it for use.
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