HT204664: AirPort: How to mount an AirPort Extreme USB hard disk volume in Mac OS X and Windows

Learn about AirPort: How to mount an AirPort Extreme USB hard disk volume in Mac OS X and Windows
TylerW.

Q: Do I need to format my drive first?

I want to mount my hard drive to my computer, but it won't show up in the discs section on the airport extreme settings.  Do I need to format my drive first?

AirPort Extreme, HP Photosmart D110

Posted on Jul 21, 2015 9:27 AM

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Q: Do I need to format my drive first?

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  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 21, 2015 2:15 PM in response to TylerW.
    Level 10 (105,268 points)
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    Jul 21, 2015 2:15 PM in response to TylerW.

    A hard drive will not show up in the Disks section of AirPort Utility unless it is formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled).....strongly preferred.....or in FAT16 or FAT32.

     

    If you don't know what format your drive is using at the present time, connect it directly to the Mac and wait a few seconds for the drive to mount. Right-click on the drive icon, then click Get Info.  Look for the Format.  Chances are, if the drive is not showing up in AirPort Utility, the drive is formatted for Windows in NTFS or exFAT, neither of which will work at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme.

     

    The USB port on the AirPort Extreme is not a high powered port, so in some cases you may need to used a powered USB hub with a hard drive if you know the drive is formatted correctly and it still won't show up in AirPort Utility.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 21, 2015 3:33 PM in response to TylerW.
    Level 9 (54,786 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 21, 2015 3:33 PM in response to TylerW.

    That would depend on what computer you are attempting to connect the hard drive to and what that drive is currently formatted as. Macs (& AirPort base stations) work best with external drives formatted in HFS+. They will also work with FAT 16 or FAT 32 formats. They do NOT work with drives formatted with NTFS.