Q: How do I format external Seagate 4 tb HD "ExFAT"? from NTFS
I hear that I should reformat this HD but am unsure how to do this and what are the proper choices from format menu?
MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), Seagate external 4tb HD
Posted on Nov 28, 2015 7:14 PM
by Barney-15E,Apple recommended
Mac OS X
First, formatting will erase everything on the disk, so move anything you want to a temporary storage.
In Disk Utility, select the hard drive in the list on the left. Make sure you select the actual hard drive and not one of its volumes indented below it.
Click the Erase button on the toolbar.
Set the Format to:
- ExFAT if you wish to use it with both Mac (10.6 or later) and Windows (XP SP3 or later OS).
- Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you are only using on a Mac.
- You can use the encrypted option if you need that. If you are going to use it on Windows, it won't work. However, you can create an encrypted disk, then partition it with non-encrypted partitions for use with Windows.
- case-sensitive is only recommended for very specific situations and will often cause problems with some software.
Set the Scheme to GUID Partition Map
- That will work with both Mac and Windows (not sure of minimum OS required, though).
- MBR is an old Windows partition scheme which can be used on both Mac and Windows, but you won't be able to boot from the drive on a Mac.
Posted on Dec 6, 2015 7:32 PM