![format external hdd for mac and windows format external hdd for mac and windows](https://pbblogassets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2015/12/exFat.gif)
- #Format external hdd for mac and windows install
- #Format external hdd for mac and windows Pc
- #Format external hdd for mac and windows windows 8
- #Format external hdd for mac and windows windows
The best format for video production is exFAT. A single high resolution file can easily go over 4 GB, so Fat32 may not the best format.
#Format external hdd for mac and windows Pc
The limitation affects both Mac and PC users. FAT32 has a maximum file size of 4 GB per file. This will allow you to use the hard drive on both a Mac and PC.įAT32 is often used among general users, but FAT32 has limitations that can affect filmmakers. To do this, you will need to use either exFAT or FAT32 formats. If you need to send them RAW files or an edited sequence, you will need to make sure the external hard drive is set up for both operating systems. You may be using only Macs or PCs in your own office, but you will also need to take into account what type of machines your client is using. That said, if you are using both a PC and Mac in the workflow, you’ll need to use a different format.
#Format external hdd for mac and windows windows
Hard drives set up for use on Windows machines only will often use NTFS, while Macs will use HFS+. Formatting the Hard DriveĪ vast majority of video production will be done on a Mac or Windows operating system, so we aren’t going to cover Linux. Let’s take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. If you work solely on a Mac, but need to send files to someone working on a PC, your external hard drive needs to be set up for both operating systems. Eventually you will find out that you may not be working on the same operating system (OS) as others.
![format external hdd for mac and windows format external hdd for mac and windows](http://www.newdesignfile.com/postpic/2012/02/hard-drive-icon_308711.png)
Use these steps to format external hard drives for both operating systems.Īs a video editor or Digital Imaging Technician, you will often need to share files with others. Type diskpart into the Command Prompt window and press Enter.Video editors will often find that they need to share files between a PC and a Mac.
#Format external hdd for mac and windows windows 8
To do this on Windows 8 or Windows 7, press the Windows key once, type cmd, and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Next, open a Command Prompt window as administrator. For example, in the screenshot below, the Mac-formatted drive is Disk 2. First, note the number of the disk in the disk management window. This process erases everything on the disk, including its files and all its partitions. To erase this partition, we’ll have to wipe the entire disk. This partition is marked as protected, so you can’t just right-click and delete it - the delete option will be disabled. The Mac drive may have an “EFI System Partition” on it.
![format external hdd for mac and windows format external hdd for mac and windows](https://cdn.osxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/format-drive-mac-pc.jpg)
You can then right-click in the empty space and select New Simple Volume to create a partition and format it with the Windows NTFS or FAT32 file systems. If you’re lucky, you can just right-click each partition on the Mac drive and select Delete Volume to remove the partitions. Be sure you’ve identified the Mac drive - if you accidentally delete partitions from another drive, you could damage your Windows installation or lose your files. Locate the Mac drive in the list of disks. This tool allows you to manage the partitions on drives connected to your computer - internal ones or external ones connected via USB. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog, type diskmgmt.msc into the box, and press Enter to open it. RELATED: Understanding Hard Drive Partitioning with Disk Managementįirst, open the Windows Disk Management tool. You’ll probably want to uninstall Java when you’re done.Įrase the Mac Partitions, Including the EFI System Partition
#Format external hdd for mac and windows install
HFSExplorer unfortunately requires you install Java to use it, but it’s the only free option here. If you only have Windows systems available, you can use HFSExplorer to copy files from the drive onto your Windows system drive or another drive. If you have a Mac lying around, you can plug the drive into a Mac and back up the files. Instead, we’ll just be wiping the drive and starting over from scratch. This process won’t actually convert the file system. First, back up the data on the Mac-formatted drive if you have anything important on it.