How to Format an External Hard Drive Time Machine Compatible with Mac

Are you tired of dealing with an external hard drive that only shows partial storage or is inaccessible? Have you received a new external hard disk formatted in NTFS or exFAT, but it's not fully compatible with your Mac? If so, formatting the external hard drive may be the solution to your problem.

When Do You Need to Format an External Hard Drive for Mac Usage?

Before we dive into the tutorial on how to format an external hard drive in a Mac-compatible format, let's take a look at some scenarios where you might need to do so:

• Your external disk is only showing partial storage.

• The external hard drive is inaccessible.

• You have received a new external hard disk formatted in NTFS or exFAT, which are not fully compatible with your Mac.

Why Format an External Hard Drive for Mac Usage?

Formatting the external hard drive is the best way to make it fully compatible with your Mac. This process will erase all data on the disk, so be sure to back up any important files before proceeding.

How to Format an External Hard Drive in Mac

Step 1: Connect the External Disk to Your Mac Computer

Connect the external hard drive to your Mac computer using a USB cable or FireWire connection.

Step 2: Open Disk Utility and Format the External Hard Drive

Open Disk Utility, which is located in the Applications/Utilities folder. Select the external hard drive from the list of devices on the left-hand side of the window, then click on the 'Erase' button at the top of the window.

Selecting the Best Format for an External Hard Drive in Mac

When you open Disk Utility and select your external hard drive, you will be given the option to choose a format. For a Mac-compatible external hard drive, it's recommended that you choose the APFS (Apple File System) or HFS+ (Hierarchical File System+) format.

Formatting an External Hard Drive with NTFS Formatted Data

If your external hard drive is currently formatted in NTFS and you want to access the data on the disk without reformatting, you can use a third-party utility like Paragon NTFS for Mac. This software allows you to read and write to NTFS-formatted disks from within macOS.

Accessing and Backing Up External Hard Drive Data

If your external hard drive is corrupted, partitioned, or inaccessible, formatting it may be the best option. However, before doing so, you may want to try to recover any important files by scanning the disk for errors or using data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.

In conclusion, formatting an external hard drive in a Mac-compatible format can resolve issues with partial storage, inaccessibility, and compatibility problems. By following these steps and selecting the best format for your external hard drive, you can ensure that it runs smoothly on your Mac computer.

External hard drive time machine format