Is there an external hard drive for Photos backup that comes from the factory already formatted for use with High Sierra 10.13.6.? I would prefer to just connect it and use it rather that format it myself. 5 TB would be nice.
iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.13
There are a few that come pre-formatted for Mac as HFS+, but finding them is not always straightforward.
For example: https://www.seagate.com/manuals/backupplushub/optional-formatting-partitioning/
However I've only ever seen the Windows formatted version.
There are others that claim to be Mac formatted directly but its hard to be 100% certain. For instance: https://www.amazon.com/Fantom-GF5000QU3-External-Firewire-Aluminum/dp/B00YUU3XJG?th=1
Reviews and questions claim some were already formatted as HFS+ out of the box, other say it came as NTFS for Windows. So you take your chances.
Formatting is not difficult though. Its juts a matter of opening Disk Utility, selecting the drive, setting the format (HSF+ or APFS), and hitting the format button.
In that case, OWC - MacSales is your best bet.
They'll have HFS+ fomratted drives, and have great customer service in case by any chance you get a Windows formatted drive.
Those from MacSales.com are. But I would verify the formatting before using no matter what vendor, even Apple, provided it. Also remove any software that might be included with the drive. It's not needed to use the drive if it's formatted for macOS.
They only offer 4 or 6 GB capacities.
You would have to erase the Windows formatted partition of the drive. This is done in Disk Utility by selecting the drive, clicking erase, and then selecting the format. So it formats the entire drive in one go.
You don't have to mess with any software on the drive. The drive's format is not software.
Thank you. That reinforces my opinion that it is hard to get a certain answer from manufacturers. It seems as though I still have to erase the “Windows compatible“ software on the device before reformatting though. I am a novice here and erasing things still worries me a bit, as I don’t want to erase anything on my Mac.
If the drive is formatted for FAT 32 then you would have to reformat the entire drive to HSF+ or OS X Extended (journaled). That will erase any software that might have been included with the disk
I prefer to reformat new drives no matter what so I know it's done right.
Thank you. I agree...it is not a clear path here. I would still have to erase the windows formatted portion of the software, no.?
Is there an external hard drive that comes from the factory already formatted for use with High Sierra 10.13.6?
