Wd elements, wd my book western digital, my passport wd, we my cloud, wd my. I show you how to format a western digital or any brandhard drive for use on any device be it a mac, pc, linux, ps3, xbox 360, etc. Next is the file system, which controls how the data is read and written. About your wd drive my passport for mac user manual 2. My passport shows up on mac but not on windows, no way to format. Thank you for helping us maintain cnet s great community. Accidentally format wd my passport external hard drive.
Use full scan to recover data from how to format my wd my passport for mac on to windows 10 which can not be found with undelete and unformat and recover partition,after showing an error,display as raw file system,unformatted,unknown partition,unpartitioned,needs to be formatted,or the file system is not exfat,not fat32,not ntfs. Fix wd my passport for mac not showing upnot working on mac. This guide introduces three common scenarios in which you might find your wd my passport external hard drive readonly on mac. This article explains reformatting is required for macos compatibility. Download wd quick formatter to format external drive in. Now, under the software for mac tab, select wd drive utilities for mac. Also is it ok to erase all the present files on the disc. Everything about wd my passport is great except one, reparability. There are specific thirdparty systems, like digital camcorders, and sony playstation 3, which need the drives to be formatted in either fat32 or exfat format to perform read from and. This answer explains how to setup and use wd security and wd drive uti. Set the file system to ntfs, which is the default windows file system, and leave the allocation unit size to default. The wd my passport for mac hard drive is specially designed for mac mini computers, imacs and macbooks. Hard drives usually come formatted in two different ways, one catering to windows and one catering to mac. Ill pick it for new mac related purchases over the older model, but wont rush out to replace older drives.
It has pretty much every bit of information i really hold dear, and on any mac computer i can find everything on it. Jun 15, 2015 users can run diagnostics and format the my passport with wd drive utilities, but other than that it is a plug and play drive that can be used to transfer and store up to 3tb of data. Format your western digital my passport external hard drive to fat32 or exfat format so to transfer the data between a mac and windows system conveniently. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. Try wd advanced format utility alternative easeus external hard drive formatter to format disk while wd external drive format failed with wd quick formatter tool. Hd my passport ultra 2tb for some reason i cant figure out why it is not working in win10. Apr 16, 2020 to format western digital my passport for mac or windows, you can rely on inbuilt applications of your system to format your wd my passport in exfat or fat32 format. I then found the instructions to format it to mac but now whenever i connect it to a pc, it wont work. Reformatting a western digital my passport hard drive to function well on windows and macintosh systems is neither timeconsuming nor. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. My passport ultra was previously used on my windows 7 pc. Wd passport external hd not recognized on windows 10. I used to have a macbook air so it would always read the devise cause i guess it was formatted just for mac.
In the format window, navigate to the file system field, and select either the exfat or fat32 option. If you want to use wd my passport or any other hard drive on mac and pc, you need to format a western digital my passport external hard drive in exfat or fat32 format. How to make external hard drive work with mac and pc youtube. Whether you need to know how to format wd my passport for your mac. For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac. If you want to use wd my passport or any other hard drive on mac and pc, you need to format a western digital my passport external hard. Its modern metal design complements your mac, and out of the box, its formatted for macos and time machine compatibility.
You format your wd my passport to mac os extended journaled file. Just like on windows, your wd passport can be used on your mac too. Unable to format wd my passport for mac external hard drive in windows 10 mini spy. How easy is it to format for mac or should i just take it back. So how do i get to see my files from my external hard drive on my pc aidfile recovery software keyfeature. West digital hard drives, such as wd my passport for mac, wd elements, or wd easystore, are trusted by a large number of users to store the massive amounts of photos, videos, and.
Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. Your my passport drive and the wd discovery, wd drive utilities and wd security software are compatible with the following operating systems. Unable to format wd my passport for mac external hard drive. I recently came into possession of a 500gb passport marked for macintosh, needed to be repartitioned and formatted for use on windows. If you run into the issue of not having enough space format it to be the ex fat as. How to reformat wd my passport for mac mediakits report not. Download wd quick formatter to reformat wd external hard drive to ntfs, fat32, etc in windows 1087. Apr 16, 2020 if you want to use wd my passport or any other hard drive on mac and pc, you need to format a western digital my passport external hard drive in exfat or fat32 format. And hard disk errors can happen from both the hardware and software side of things. External drive like wd elements, my book and my passport can be formatted to fat32 via this tool. The difference in mac and windows native format systems are to blame for this. Youll find below the ten quick steps, using words and pictures.
Wd elements vs my passport which is best for your mac. Wait for 1 minute and then reconnect the usb cable. Fat32 works with all versions of windows, mac os, linux, game consoles, etc. This wd my passport mac model is an evolution over the 2015 my passport ultra. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. Connect your western digital my passport hard drive to your windows pc through the usb cable.
There is a video after that you can watch as extra help. On the main panel, click the wd my passport ultra 1tb drives icon, and select the format button. You can format a western digital my passport external hard drive to exfat or fat32 format using a free exfat or fat32 converter. My question is if i am able to set my hard drive to a format in which it can work on both windows and mac. External hard drives are key in a content creatoryoutubers life. My passport shows up on mac but not on windows, no way to. This reliable and good to excellent performing line has a long positive history with me. In this video tutorial, i show you how to easily format an external hard drive to work on both a mac and a pc. It doesnt register that the drive even exists, though the device connected noise sounds. Check the box labeled perform a quick format and click next. If the wd my passport readonly on mac problem is caused by the ntfs file system, installing iboysoft ntfs for mac to edit, rename, delete the saved files and transfer files to the readonly wd my passport hard drive. Both fat32 and exfat have advantages and disadvantages.
Try to format wd passport for windows and thus you can use it again. How to fix wd my passport for mac hard drive not mounting. Users can run diagnostics and format the my passport with wd drive utilities, but other than that it is a plug and play drive that can be used to transfer and store up to 3tb of data. Right now it wont let me add anything to it because it wont let itself me modified. This answer explain starting macos time machine backups to my passport. To format western digital my passport for mac or windows, you can rely on inbuilt applications of your system to format your wd my passport in exfat or fat32 format. You just have to format it, and youll explore the numerous ways you can do that right. Format the drive as exfat requires windows 7 or later, or appropriately updated windows vista sp2 or windows xp with kb955704. I have a wd 320 passport external that i was using for my pc. How to use my wd passport external hard drive both in windows. Didnt see that option at best buy when i got itit doesnt say for mac so im assuming its formatted for windows. How do i initialize my external usb hdd wd my passport.
Wd my passport go 1tb setup and driver software installation. Format your wd elements drive for both your home mac and work windows pc makes your life. Ya, i ended up going with the wd my passport for mac, because the price on amazon was the same, and i like the silver look. Windows users dont need to do much other than plug in the wd passport to use it, but for mac, its not as straightforward as that. Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc. So before you jump into conclusions, you need to understand the root of the problem. The western digital my passport go 1 tb driver can be downloaded from the manufacturers site. This trusted portable storage always offers quick and easy way to expand the storage space of your computer and to store a massive amount of photos, videos, music and documents. What you should know that formatting will erase all data on the drive. The wd drive utilities software allows you to configure, manage, and recognize your wd drive. If using on both mac and windows could use exfat formatting.
To format your wd elements with a partition for mac and pc. The volume label field can be customized in order to give the volume a desired name, such as my book or wd black 1. Windows 10 doesnt recognize wd my passport drive as it. After the hard drive is uninstalled, unplug the usb cable. I do stress, i buy the right format passport drive for my mac or pc. Nov 21, 2019 the wd my passport drive is read only on your mac. However, single files on a fat32 drive cant be larger than 4gb. 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 formatted in. Equipped with usbc technology, the my passport ultra for mac portable drive offers an easy way to expand your storage. Luckily, you can easily format wd my passport for your mac. How do i make my wd passport work on both windows and mac. I have 2 wdc 4tb usb drives that came as exfat, the packaging is marked as usable on both mac and windows. Mypassport for macs seem to always be out of stock, so i bought the 4tb.
How to switch a wd passport from a mac to pc small business. Wd my passport vs for mac version macrumors forums. I have since reformatted it on my pc just to get all the info off of it. May 21, 2018 in this video tutorial, i show you how to easily format an external hard drive to work on both a mac and a pc. Wd quick formatter, also known as wd advanced format drivers afds, is an external hard drive format utility for windows and mac, developed by western digital technologies, inc. Nov 04, 2019 two effective ways to format wd passport for windows. This utility is a frontend to the optional utilities and hardware encryption tools. Shop wd my passport ultra for mac 4tb external usb 3. How to format a hard drive to work on mac and pc youtube. Wd my passport ultra 1tb setup and troubleshooting guide.
Follow the tutorial in this article to fix the issue and recover lost data from not showing upnot working wd hdd without data loss. Im planning to install windows through bootcamp so then i would need to use exfat volume format to use the external hd. Free download western digital fat32 formatting tool for. Before proceeding further, it is recommended to take a backup of your important files. This answer explains how to format a wd drive for use on windows and macos. The my passport line of drives from western digital has been very good to me and my clients on mac, pc and linux systems. Unable to format wd my passport for mac external hard. Format western digital passport to fat32 with wd quick formatter. It also has a tool to backup data from different consumer cloud services into the drive. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b.
Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. And with up to 5tb1 of storage and a 3year limited warranty, you get storage to rely on for years to come. Easily use your wd my passport for mac and windows in 7 steps. Not sure what extended format is and if its suitable. Then, ill introduce you to workable and easy ways to format wd passport external hard drive, wd elements external hard drive and other external hard drives.
Below the format options field, make sure to checkmark the box next to the quick format option. Reformat wd my passport ultra for mac not apple community. Do i use disc utilities fat32 or is there some other format. As long as we format the external hard drive to one of these 2 file systems, it can be shared between mac and windows. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. If you want to use the drive with a windows computer, see reformatting the drive and troubleshooting. It comes with wd discovery for mac and for windows. How to use my wd passport external hard drive both in. May 21, 2020 as long as we format the external hard drive to one of these 2 file systems, it can be shared between mac and windows.
Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you dont have to constantly back up and reformat each time. Oct 25, 2018 wd quick formatter, also known as wd advanced format drivers afds, is an external hard drive format utility for windows and mac, developed by western digital technologies, inc. Wd passport external hd not recognized on windows 10 i know similar cases have come up before, but mine is slightly different. Note connecting your usb external hard drive into a. The small form factor means that wd my passport repair is not the easiest one to do.
I have tried several data recovery programs, but they failed to search all lost files and couldnt perform the hard drive recovery. How do i format it so that i can use it with my mac. I want to format it to work on my macbook pro for time machine, so i looked into how to do that. So i have a my passport drive that i had back before my mac computer killed itself.
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