Wd Formatting For Mac



Western Digital Dashboard. Software for Mac GoodSync for WD. Install WD Discovery for Mac. WD Drive Utilities for Mac. WD Security for Mac. Product Firmware Product. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. If you want to transfer files from a Mac to Windows PC and vice versa using an external portable hard drive then you have to have the external drive formatte.

Erasing your disk: For most reasons to erase, including when reformatting a disk or selling, giving away, or trading in your Mac, you should erase your entire disk.

Erasing a volume on your disk: In other cases, such as when your disk contains multiple volumes (or partitions) and you don't want to erase them all, you can erase specific volumes on the disk.

Erasing a disk or volume permanently deletes all of its files. Before continuing, make sure that you have a backup of any files that you want to keep.

How to erase your disk

  1. Start up from macOS Recovery. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities window and click Continue.
    If you're not erasing the disk your Mac started up from, you don't need to start up from macOS Recovery: just open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  2. Choose View > Show All Devices from the menu bar in Disk Utility. The sidebar now shows your disks (devices) and any containers and volumes within them. The disk your Mac started up from is at the top of the list. In this example, Apple SSD is the startup disk:
  3. Select the disk that you want to erase. Don't see your disk?
  4. Click Erase, then complete these items:
    • Name: Type the name that you want the disk to have after you erase it.
    • Format: Choose APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Disk Utility shows a compatible format by default.
    • Scheme: Choose GUID Partition Map.
  5. Click Erase to begin erasing your disk and every container and volume within it. You might be asked to enter your Apple ID. Forgot your Apple ID?
  6. When done, quit Disk Utility.
  7. If you want your Mac to be able to start up from the disk you erased, reinstall macOS on the disk.

How to erase a volume on your disk

  1. Start up from macOS Recovery. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities window and click Continue.
    If you're not erasing the volume your Mac started up from, you don't need to start up from macOS Recovery: just open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  2. In the sidebar of Disk Utility, select the volume that you want to erase. The volume your Mac started up from is named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name. Don't see your volume?
  3. Click Erase, then complete these items:
    • Name: Type the name that you want the volume to have after you erase it.
    • Format: Choose APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Disk Utility shows a compatible format by default.
  4. If you see an Erase Volume Group button, the volume you selected is part of a volume group. In that case, you should erase the volume group. Otherwise, click Erase to erase just the selected volume. You might be asked to enter your Apple ID. Forgot your Apple ID?
  5. When done, quit Disk Utility.
  6. If you want your Mac to be able to start up from the volume you erased, reinstall macOS on that volume.

Reasons to erase

You can erase at any time, including in circumstances such as these:

  • You want to permanently erase all content from your Mac and restore it to factory settings. This is one of the final steps before selling, giving away, or trading in your Mac.
  • You're changing the format of a disk, such as from a PC format (FAT, ExFAT, or NTFS) to a Mac format (APFS or Mac OS Extended).
  • You received a message that your disk isn't readable by this computer.
  • You're trying to resolve a disk issue that Disk Utility can't repair.
  • The macOS installer doesn't see your disk or can't install on it. For example, the installer might say that your disk isn't formatted correctly, isn't using a GUID partition scheme, contains a newer version of the operating system, or can't be used to start up your computer.
  • The macOS installer says that you may not install to this volume because it is part of an Apple RAID.

About APFS and Mac OS Extended

Disk Utility in macOS High Sierra or later can erase 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.

How to choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended

Disk Utility tries to detect the type of storage and show the appropriate format in the Format menu. If it can't, it chooses Mac OS Extended, which works with all versions of macOS. If you want to change the format, answer these questions:

  • Are you formatting the disk that came built into your Mac?
    If the built-in disk came APFS-formatted, Disk Utility suggests APFS. Don't change it to Mac OS Extended.
  • Are you about to install macOS High Sierra or later for the first time on the disk?
    If you need to erase your disk before installing High Sierra or later for the first time on that disk, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). During installation, the macOS installer decides whether to automatically convert to APFS—without erasing your files.
  • Are you preparing a Time Machine backup disk or bootable installer?
    Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for any disk that you plan to use as a Time Machine backup disk or as a bootable installer.
  • Will you be using the disk with another Mac?
    If the other Mac isn't using macOS High Sierra or later, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Earlier versions of macOS don't work with APFS-formatted volumes.

How to identify the format currently in use

If you want to know which format is currently in use, use any of these methods:

  • Select the volume in the Disk Utility sidebar, then check the information shown on the right. For more detail, choose File > Get Info from the Disk Utility menu bar.
  • Open System Information and select Storage in the sidebar. The File System column on the right shows the format of each volume.
  • Select the volume in the Finder, then choose File > Get Info from the menu bar. The Get Info window shows the Format of that volume.

If your disk or volume doesn't appear, or the erase fails

  1. Shut down your Mac, then unplug all nonessential devices from your Mac.
  2. If you're erasing an external drive, make sure that it's connected directly to your Mac using a cable that you know is good. Then turn the drive off and back on.
  3. If your disk or volume still doesn't appear in Disk Utility, or Disk Utility reports that the erase process failed, your disk or Mac might need service. If you need help, please contact Apple Support.

Learn more

  • If you can't start up from macOS Recovery, you can use a different startup disk instead.
  • If Disk Utility shows a Security Options button in the Erase window, you can click that button to choose between a faster (but less secure) erase and a slower (but more secure) erase. Some older versions of Disk Utility offer the option to zero all data instead. These secure-erase options aren't offered or needed for solid-state drives (SSDs) and flash storage.

Download WD Quick Formatter Alternative to Format External Hard Drive

Formatting Wd For Mac And Pc

  1. 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master - WD Quick Formatter alternative, right-click the partition on your external hard drive and choose the Format option.
  2. 2. Assign a new partition label, file system, and cluster size to the selected partition, then click OK.
  3. 3. Click the Execute Operation button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click Apply to start formatting your WD hard drive.
  • Applies to Windows 10/8/7
  • Supports NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4
PAGE CONTENT:
Part 1. How to Reformat WD External Hard Drive Using WD Quick Formatter
Part 2. Format Wd External Hard Drive Using Easeus Free Partition Software

Everything About Wd Quick Formatter - Wd External Hard Drive Format Tool

WD Quick Formatter, also called WD advanced format utility is a tool that allows you to reformat WD external hard drive to NTFS, FAT32, etc in Windows 10/8/7 or other Windows versions. It is usually used to repair corrupted hard disk when it is unrecognized or inaccessible, fix format issues when Windows was unable to complete the format, change file system, or optimize the performance of the drive. The WD Quick Formatter is ONLY for external drives. Once the WD Quick Formatter is finished reformatting the drive, the drive will only have one partition. This is necessary in order to optimize the performance of the drive.

Part 1. How to Reformat WD External Hard Drive Using WD Quick Formatter

WD Quick Formatter is available on the Western Digital official website. You can use it to repair a corrupted external hard disk. The typical symptoms - the power LED is on but the drive is not accessible. Meanwhile, you'll receive error messages like:

  • You need to format the disk before you can use it.
  • Drive X: is not accessible. Access is denied.

The most effortless way is to format the external hard drive if you want to get access to the drive. Follow the steps below to format the external hard drives with WD Quick Formatter.

Step 1. Connect WD external hard drive to your Windows PC. Download and run the WD Quick Formatter.

Step 2. In the welcome screen, click 'Continue' to move to the next screen.

Step 3. In the End User License Agreement page, click 'Accept'.

Step 4. Next, the WD Quick Formatter tool will scan for WD external drives to be formatted.

If the drive is to be used with a computer running Windows system like XP, then select XP Compatible. It is the same case with Windows 10/8/7. And if the drive is not to be used with Windows OS, then select Factory Default. Once this selection is made, click on the drop-down menu to view and/or select different external drives from the list, should there be additional drives connected to the system. When ready, click 'Format Drive'.

Step 5. Once the Format is completed, click the 'Format Another Drive' button to select another WD external drive to format, or click the 'Exit' button to exit the program.

Also read:How to Format WD My Passport for Mac and PC

Part 2. Format Wd External Hard Drive Using Easeus Free Partition Software

However, WD Quick Formatter might fail to format WD external hard drive due to some errors. When it happens, a reliable external hard drive formatter alternative - EaseUS free partition tool is needed. Many users have used this tool to complete the disk formatting job in Windows 10/8/7 while WD external drive format failed with the WD Quick Formatter tool.

Step 1: Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card which you want to format and choose the 'Format' option.

Step 2: Mac os file system. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click 'OK'.

Step 3: In the Warning window, click 'OK' to continue.

Step 4: Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting your external hard drive/USB/SD card.

Conclusion

Chrome for mac pro. You can always format the wanted drive with WD Quick Formatter. If WD Quick Formatter failed in formatting external drive, try WD Quick Formatter alternative - EaseUS Partition Master. You can easily format your HDD, SSD, SD card, or USB drive for free. You can learn more in the table below.

ComparisonEaseUS Partition MasterWD Quick Formatter
Supported DeviceHDD, SSD, external hard drive, USB, SD card, etcOnly external hard drive
Supported Operating SystemsWindows XP - Windows 10macOS 10.5-10.9 &Windows XP/2000
InterfaceNew and user-friendlyold-fashioned
EasinessVery easyA little bit hard
Other featuresPartition a hard drive, migrate OS, wipe data, clone a hard drive/

WD Format Tool Frequently Asked Questions

If you have other questions about the Western Digital format tool, you can read the questions and answers below.

Formatting Wd Elements For Mac And Windows

Formatting

How do I check my WD firmware version?

Your firmware version can be found by going to the device's web interface and looking for the Firmware section.

How do I reformat a WD external hard drive on Mac?

Step 1. Connect WD My Passport to your Mac. Apps like bluestacks for mac.

Wd backup for mac

Step 2. Once that's done, double left-click on the Mac HD, the internal Mac hard drive visible on the top-right corner of the desktop screen.Select 'Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility'.

Step 3. Select your WD My Passport on the sidebar, choose 'Erase'.

Step 4. Rename the drive, select the 'Volume Format' drop-down list and choose 'MS-DOS (FAT)' or 'ex-FAT File System'. Then click 'Erase'.

How do I update my WD firmware?

  1. 1. Select your Current Firmware, connect the computer to the My Passport Wireless Wi-Fi network.
  2. 2. Using a web browser, open the My Passport Wireless dashboard.
  3. 3. Go to Firmware Tab.
  4. 4. Under the section Auto Update.
  5. 5. You will see a pop up confirming to upgrade your firmware, click OK.

How do I format my WD external hard drive for Windows 10?

Step 1. Open Windows File Explorer, locate and right-click on WD My Passport that you need to format, select 'Format'.

Step 2. Rename the drive, reset its file system to FAT32 or exFAT.

Wd Passport Formatting For Mac

Step 3. Click 'Start' to begin the formatting.

Formatting Wd Drive For Mac

Which is better exFAT or NTFS?

Wd Passport For Mac

NTFS is ideal for internal drives, while exFAT is generally ideal for flash drives. Both of them have no realistic file-size or partition size limits. If storage devices are not compatible with the NTFS file system and you don't want to limited by FAT32, you can choose the exFAT file system.





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