Wd 3tb my passport for mac portable external hard drive, usbc. Such as sony ps3, ps4, xbox one, xbox 360, media player, mac. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. When i install windows 7 professional 64 bit on my 3tb seagate barracuda drive, it partitions it to 2tb of storage, leaving the remaining inaccessible. However, my 3tb external hard drive was formatted by accident when a message popped out and said i needed to format the drive before using it. Besides, if you want to format the internal and external 3tb hard drive to. The my passport for mac drive includes usbc and usba cables, so you can save tomorrows content with the mac computers of both today and yesterday. Disk wont format external drives for mac wd community. It seems to be ok, however id double check the format to see that its set to mac os extended journaled.
How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. No worry, actually it is not impossible to realize it no matter you use an external or internal drive of your windows system. Seagate external hard drive how to set up on a mac. To give a clearer description of 3tb hard drive only uses 2tb, i have prepared a picture for you to show this issue. Mar 30, 2018 format 3tb hard drive to fat32 with aomei partition assistant. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. While windows systems suffer from the mbrs constraints, macs and 64bit. That means you must format the drive with at least 1024byte clusters.
May 16, 20 hi all, ive just installed a new western digital 3tb red hard drive in one my macpros bays the one nearest the front. When i booted up and opened disk utility it didnt show at all at first then afte a restart it now shows but wont let me format it. But in order for the computer and drive to talk to one another, the drive has to be formatted. Click the icon for your external hard drive in the sidebar on the left. How to format internal or external 3tb hard drive to fat32. Get the best deals on 3tb internal hard disk drives when you shop the largest online. Well, for that you need to understand how external hard disks mostly work. How to format an external hard drive the easy way in 2020. When you want to copy and paste your work documents, holiday photos or music. I am having a huge dilemma with my new western digital 4tb hard drive. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp.
While its convenient to purchase the hard drive that will work with your computer right out of the box, most external hard drives can also be reformatted so youre not limited to your initial choice. Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Im trying to format my wd red 3tb drives so they can be read on both my win7 and osx machines 10. However, you cant write or delete files from a mac. First, lets see how to format an external hard drive or usb drive in macos which works with both mac and pc platforms, first plugin your drive in macos machine. Jul 06, 2011 though not strictly a 3tb issue, all of the shipping 3tb hard drives also use advanced format a lowlevel storage scheme employed on newer drives. Format disk error in external hard drive fix you need to. Formatting 3tb internal or external hard drive from ntfs to fat32 so that. Support windows and mac system requires reformatting for mac os. Installed in drive bays 3 and 4 reboot, get message that computer cant read drive, click initialize to open disk utility choose erase tab, mac os extended. Recover data from formatted 3tb external hard drive. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. How to format an external drive for mac launch disk utility. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x.
Though not strictly a 3tb issue, all of the shipping 3tb hard drives also use advanced formata lowlevel storage scheme employed on newer drives. From the volume format menu, choose mac os extended. I just got two new 3tb seagate drives for my mac pro at work 4,1 snow leopard that disk utility will not format. Toshiba canvio,slim,connect, basics, 100gb 200gb 300gb 400gb 500gb 1tb, 2tb, 3tb, 4tb, 5tb, 6tb 7tb 8tb 9b 10tb 20tb, 40gb 50gb 60gb 70gb 80gb 90gb. Following site procedures for reformatting to mac os extended journaled and erasing the disk using mac disk utility, i received the message unmounting disk mediakit reports not enough space on device for requested operation. Format disk error external hard drive is the annoying error. The canvio premium for mac has a high quality diamondcut aluminium design that will complement your highend mac devices.
When i format it with osx, win7 wants me to format it. But dont panic read the post and find the best solution to fix you need to format the disk before you. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Dec, 2019 first, lets see how to format an external hard drive or usb drive in macos which works with both mac and pc platforms, first plugin your drive in macos machine. If however, you only need to use this drive on os x, then simply choose mac os extended journaled. Using a 3tb hard drive with windows 7 professional 64 bit. A mbr disk supports up to 2tb hard drive, which is the reason why your 3tb hard drive only shows 2tb, and why you cant create a new volume with unallocated space on 3tb hard drive. I have a 3tb secondary hard drive which disk utility will not let me format. Feb 08, 2020 how to partition an external hard drive on mac. Many people think it is hard to format the windows drive on macintosh. Wd 2tb my passport ultra for mac silver portable external hard drive, usbc.
Why you cant create a new volume with unallocated space on 3tb hard drive. A hard drive is perfect for music, video files and photos. May 08, 2012 im having the exact same problem with two seagate 3tb hard drives in a macpro. Now i need those files and other data that were stored on my formatted 3tb disk. Apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. Once disk utility is open youll see the list of available drives on the left. Seagate portable 4tb external hard drive hdd usb 3. I strongly suspect its a conflict between os x and seagate. It also offers macfriendly functionality, with apple time machine compatibility out of the box, and its own password tool. Wd backup software makes it easy to protect your important files, photos, videos and. Trouble formating 3tb harddrive logical volume group. How to create a new volume with unallocated space on 3tb hard. I also show to format the drive for usage with macintosh systems.
Mar 31, 2020 for instance, you can use the space analyzer function to scan the 3tb hard drive and give you a better view of the hard drive space usage, you can use the disk benchmark feature to test disk speed, etc. Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Now use minitool partition wizard to convert mbr disk to gpt so as to fix 3tb hard drive showing as 2tb. Does seagate expansion 2 or 3tb work on i apple community. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility. In order to be able to use a 3tb drive you need to format it as gpt as you have found. Select your macs hard drive in the lefthand column, to reveal more options, then select the partition button. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. Seagate expansion 3tb usb 3 drive unboxing and formatting for. When i did this, it partioned the drive into two drives 2tb and 700gb, and it will only allow me to format the 2tb partition.
Get the best deals on 3tb internal hard disk drives when you shop the largest online selection at. I checked the wd web site and it instructed me to format it using disk management answer id 3865. Mar 31, 2020 to give a clearer description of 3tb hard drive only uses 2tb, i have prepared a picture for you to show this issue. Its a good idea to backup your data for your mac using time machine. Toshiba external hard drive how to set up on mac youtube. Click on the erase option from the four options available in the main window.
Go to your macs dock at the bottom of your desktop. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. Here are the best mac hard drives and external storage options in 2020. Windows support for hard disks that are larger than 2 tb comkb2581408 authoring. Besides, if you want to format the internal and external 3tb hard drive to fat32, the aomei partition assistant must be the best choice. You may choose either method to apply for formatting your hard drive. However, it is not possible to format hard drive to exfat, the only option under the window of format file system is ntfs default. We here will show you the full guides on how to format fat32 and ntfs drives on mac as an example. How to create a new volume with unallocated space on 3tb. It came formatted for mac os and i need to format it under ntfs. Seagate backup plus portable 4 tb external hard drive hdd red usb 3. How to format internal or external 3tb hard drive to fat32 in.
Hi, i have a western digital external hard drive with 3tb capacity and it is completely filled with crucial files. The my passport for mac drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with password. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. I have a 4tb gpt external usb hard drive that i need to format as. Feb 03, 2020 disk utility in macos high sierra or later can erase most disks and volumes for mac using either the newer apfs apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. See disk 2 has a 3tb storage space, on which there is a partition f that takes up 2tb disk space and still 746gb disk space is shown as unallocated. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive. Operation failed dont understand the space issue and since the disk is unmounted ii am unable to do. Select your external hard drive or usb flash drive from the list on the left. Hi, if you wish to use the disk between a pc and a os x, then choose exfat as the format. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. Simply connect the power supply, and hard drive with desktop using a usb cable and the windows operating system will immediately recognise it. Seagate expansion 3tb usb 3 drive unboxing and formatting for mac. Oct 15, 2015 hi, if you wish to use the disk between a pc and a os x, then choose exfat as the format.
Seagate backup plus 4tb external hard drive portable hdd light blue usb 3. For instance, you can use the space analyzer function to scan the 3tb hard drive and give you a better view of the hard drive space usage, you can use the disk benchmark feature to test disk speed, etc. If its formatted as anything else then reformat using disk utility to mac os extended jornaled. If youre erasing your startup disk, you might be prompted to enter your apple id. Sometimes, you may want to try format directly to format your external hard drive partition to exfat for mac and windows. Ideally, any hard disk can be used on either mac or windows pc. Now, i guess you might know how to solve the 3tb drive only shows 746gb issue. How to format an external hard drive for mac youtube. Everything you need to know about 3tb hard drives pcworld. When you want to use your seagate expansion freely on your mac the best way is to format. The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. Dec 29, 2014 toshiba canvio,slim,connect, basics, 100gb 200gb 300gb 400gb 500gb 1tb, 2tb, 3tb, 4tb, 5tb, 6tb 7tb 8tb 9b 10tb 20tb, 40gb 50gb 60gb 70gb 80gb 90gb.
Format 3tb hard drive to fat32 with aomei partition assistant. Any hard drive can be formatted for mac and here is how you do it. Yes, you can use your seagate expansion portable hard disk on mac. The latest 3tb hard drives pack in the storage, but theyre only partially. Toshiba portable hard drives canvio premium for mac.
Seagate expansion on mac, want it but can i use on my mac. Formatting a 3tb external hard drive microsoft community. The my passport for mac drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with password protection helps keep your digital lifes contents secure. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. Jul 04, 2017 a mbr disk supports up to 2tb hard drive, which is the reason why your 3tb hard drive only shows 2tb, and why you cant create a new volume with unallocated space on 3tb hard drive. Toshiba wd seagate 1tb 2tb 3tb portable external hard disk. To format as a mac disk, choose either apfs or mac os extended journaled. Nov 19, 2009 i am having a huge dilemma with my new western digital 4tb hard drive. Aomei partition assistant is a good partition manager that can partition your hard disk safely and quickly.
Put in the settings for your seagate expansions formatting. If you have more than one partition, on the hard drive, you may wish to remove these and return the hard drive to a single partition, first. Seagate expansion desktop 3tb external hard drive buy. In this guide, well show you how to format an external hard drive so you can not only get rid of the. Hi all, ive just installed a new western digital 3tb red hard drive in one my macpros bays the one nearest the front. Wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive. This page includes two methods on how to format hard drive in windows 10, 8 and 7 via diskpart format or free thirdparty hard drive formatting tool. What do i need to do to format the entire 3tb drive i.
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