Which format for mac

For a Mac user, neither of these file systems is desirable. Open the Disk Utility app. In the sidebar, select the external storage device. Be sure to choose the device, not the volume or volumes it contains. In the toolbar, click Erase. Type in the disk name you want, then select your preferred option for both Format and Partition Scheme.

However, you can choose between the following formats: Mac OS Extended Journaled is the best option for most Mac users since it is compatible with all Macs.

This will immediately wipe the entire drive. After you turn off the Time Machine, redo steps 4 to 6. Last updated on November 11, am.

Was this article helpful? Yes No. Need to chat with an expert? Can't find the answer you're looking for? Don't worry, we're here to help. Now that you know which format to use, check out our guide on how to format your hard drive on a Mac. If you have a PC, you can also find out how to format a hard drive on Windows. See all results. Share Tweet. What Is a File System? However, if you want to use part of the drive for OS X's Time Machine backups, you should do this from the Mac, since there's an extra step to make the drive compatible for Time Machine.

Open Disk Utility. The easiest way to do that is hit CMD and the spacebar at the same time and type in "Disk Utility" to find the program.