mac disk utility how to format usb for windows and mac

To reformat a hard drive or USB stick first open Disk Utility.

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) – Standard MAC only formatįormat Drive Instructions MAC Instructions.

ExFAT – Compatible with Windows and Mac Operating Systems.

This process only takes a few minutes but will erase all files on the drive so make sure you copy off any files you need before reformatting. To copy files to the drive you must re-format it using a different type of formatting. This is common with new drives which frequently come formatted for Windows computers in the NTFS format, which is not comparable with Mac OS. The drive will be formatted HFS+, but installing macOS High Sierra or Mojave will change the format to APFS, assuming you’re installing on an SSD.If you can’t copy a file to your hard drive it likely isn’t formatted for the operating system you are using. Disk Utility showing GUID option for drive formatĬlick Erase to wipe all the data that’s currently on the drive and reformat it for your macOS install. If you selected the drive name instead of its description you won’t see the Scheme option. Set the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and the Scheme to GUID Partition Map. Disk Utility’s View option shows devices, not just volumes Select the drive description just above the drive name for the device you want to format. Now you should see your drive device descriptions with the drive name nested underneath. Disk Utility hides the GUID format option by defaultĬlick the View widget in the upper left corner of the Disk Utility window and choose Show All Devices. The app is hiding in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder. Start by connecting the drive to your Mac.

We’ll use an external drive for this example. Unfortunately, Disk Utility in macOS High Sierra doesn’t make that option easy to find.

Formatting a drive so you can install and boot macOS requires the GUID partition map.

Mac disk utility how to format usb for windows and mac