Oct 06, 2019 youtube video showing formatting a seagate hard drive for mac. Seagate ships the 4tb backup plus in an ntfs format, so to use the drive without formatting, users will need to install seagate s ntfs driver for mac. Seagate backup plus slim user manual optional formatting. As a computer user you need know that different operating systems organize files in different ways. If you are willing to reformat it for windows pc then fat32 or ntfs should be used where as fo. Use disk management windows or disk utility mac to format your drive in non. Dec 01, 2019 mac users can still enjoy the generous set of features of seagate backup plus. However, its default file system is ntfs, if you want use fat32 with this product, you need to convert it first. Correct, or you can format the drive as fat32 and both systems will read and write to it.
After realizing the respective properties of fat32 and exfat, you should know what you should format seagate drive to. How to format large external hard drive to fat32 i have a 500gb external hard drive that i need to use at home with my windows 7 pc and at school where i use a mac. Please keep in mind that reformatting will result in the loss of all the data on the hard drive so. Seagate expansion vs backup plus whos on top for mac. I chose option one, because i use a mac and a pc, and i want to move files between the two, which is what this drive is advertised to do. So stay on the move and safely take along your documents.
However, fat32 is a legacy file system designed for low. That being said, dont expect much file compatibility between mac and pc if thats what youre looking for. Theres even an xbox logoed version of the seagate backup plus hub for use with xbox one. While installing the seagate backup plus on my mac originally, i was given two options. I have a 250 gb iomega and it works fine for windaz and os x. Bonus tip data recovery from formatted hard drive on mac.
How to format a seagate external hard drive on mac using disk utility. Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system part 3. And youll detailed tutorial on how to format seagate drive for mac and pc in the following text. Of course, if you have a backup already, ignore this step. However, fat32 is a legacy file system designed for low capacity hard drives and it is not recommended for modern. Seagate backup plus slim user manual optional formatting and. I did the initial backup using the included memeo software. You have to if it comes with an ntfs format, because mac os x can only read but not write to hard drives using that format at least out of the box, although you can buy paragon ntfs or use a free tool such as mounty for that, but you will have to. Backup plus for mac desktop, stca100, stca2000100, stca3000101, stca4000100, stcb2000100, stcb2000900, stcb3000100. It seems to me it may only need to be formatted for mac use using disk utility. Formatting a large drive greater than 32gb with a fat32. How to format seagate backup plus and backup plus slim duration.
The free specific utility format fat32 drives beyond. Purchased 3 months ago, and not knowing any better, i allowed it to setup and install the windows and mac software. The biggest problem of the external hard drive read. Ill store my media files on it while keeping the internal hard drive clear for apps and the os. Would you like to see a video showing you how to format your seagate drive. If you are willing to reformat your seagate external hard drive then you should have decided to which file system you want to format your hard drive in.
Seagate backup plus slim price details are updated april 2020. For example, windows operating system cannot open hfs the filing structure of mac os x drives, while macs can read only ntfs drives. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. Seagate and wd external hard drive read only on mac. Seagate backup plus is preformatted exfat for compatibility with both mac and. Fat32 is an older file system that used by windows and mac os. Seagate backup plus hub is available in two models, windows and mac. Reformat the disk to fat32, which as suggested by michael sturm is the lowest. How to format a hard drive to work on mac and pc youtube. This video shows, how to format seagate backup plus external hard disk. Seagate backup plus is preformatted exfat for compatibility with both mac and windows computers. To format external hard drive for mac with time machine, you must follow the steps below. If you have documents on the drive either from a windows pc or from your mac, copy them off first.
And thats it youve learnt how to format a seagate hard drive for mac. Why seagate and wd external hard drive read only on mac. View and download seagate backup plus desktop user manual online. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive. Mac users can still enjoy the generous set of features of seagate backup plus.
How to format seagate backup plus and backup plus slim youtube. This video shows, how to format seagate backup plus external hard. I need it to exchange files between my ibook, and the multitude of windoze pcs i cant seem to escape from at work. I allowed it to setup and install the windows and mac software. You may also format your external drive into fat32 for use between windows and mac computers. This is the required format for a bootable mac hard drive. However i have been unable to format my external hard drvie to fat32. But if youre only formatting your seagate drive for mac, youll see all you need to know in the first 3 minutes. Seagate ships the 4tb backup plus in an ntfs format, so to use the drive without formatting, users will need to install seagates ntfs driver for mac. Is it necessary to reformat a new, seagate backup plus in order to partition it.
Step 1 open finder, applications, then go to utilities and disk utility step 2 follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with time machine on your mac system. Seagate is a big brand of hard disk, and it has the products of hard disk drive, solid state disk, as well as some data recovery implements. Seagate backup plus can be used for both mac and pc. Perhaps an odd choice for a mac user, but it was a good price. Fat32 is less robust and has file size restrictions. Maybe connected is a better description word than installed. Jan 03, 2006 i have just purchaced a 100gb seagate usb2. Jan 07, 2015 the 1tb seagate backup plus slim appears to be engineered very closely to usb 2. Jun, 2012 the seagate backup plus backup software is effective and easy to use. It is worth using the fat32 formatter in macrorit free partition software and other advanced editions. Read on as we have thoroughly explained the secure method of formatting seagate drive using macs disk utility. This format was optimized to minimize the amount of drive storage space used for a single file the previous version used sectors loosely, leading to rapidly lost drive space. But if you are not using such brand hard drive, in that case, you might turn some 3rd party programs for help which will allow you to format an external hard drive with the larger size. Dong ngo cnet features out of the box, the goflex turbo is formatted using the ntfs file system, making it.
Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Seagate backup plus drive, seagate dashboard preloaded on drive, ntfs driver for mac preloaded on drive, usb 3. You can also choose between different seagate backup plus slim variants with 1tb 3. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. Dec 12, 2016 how to reformat seagate portable external hard drive. How to reformat my seagate external hard drive quora. Seagate and wd external hard drive read only on mac aomei. This free third party fat32 format tool can help you to break the limit of 32gb in partition size.
Oct 25, 2018 after realizing the respective properties of fat32 and exfat, you should know what you should format seagate drive to. Dong ngo cnet features out of the box, the goflex turbo is formatted using the ntfs file system, making it work immediately. As for mac os using fat32 device and exfat device, you can try to format the hard drive into fat32 or exfat. I have a seagate freeagent goflex usb drive as my location to backup my win 7 64 bit system. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. So the first step you must do is move all of your important data to your pc mac, or to cloud storage service. Seagate backup plus desktop user manual pdf download. Macs proprietary junk doesnt fare well with anyones o. The seagate backup plus hub is available in both a windows and mac format as well as several sizes from 4tb to 8tb. How to use seagate backup plus on mac, 15 mins and start.
I know ntfs is for windows only and i know fat32 works on both windows and mac. Err, ummm ahem, a seagate backup plus slim portable drive is a usb external portable drive. Though the default hard disk file system also known as format of windows and mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external drive for both mac and pc. If the external hard drive is pre formatted for mac, disk management will list 3 partitions and you will not be able. Seagate backup plus hub hard drive apple tech talk. Before you jump in and format your seagate backup plus on your mac or macbook. How to format a seagate hdd in mac pro wi apple community. First of all, as i said before, reformating will erase all your data that stored on the hard drive permanently. The seagate backup plus slim is now available in singapore. Features point to be noted here is that to use the goflex with any windows computer you need to format it into the ntfs file system. Know that formatting deletes all the information on the drive. Therfore, you can connect backup plus desktop to a windows pc without formatting the hard drive.
How to reformat seagate backup plus portable drive from. Then, connect seagate drive to your pc and make sure that it can be detected by windows. How to format seagate drive for mac and pc quickly and securely. So the first step you must do is move all of your important data to your pcmac, or to cloud storage service. To use macos native backup systems like time machine, please check with their. So if you are formatting a drive that has already been used, be sure to copy any files you will ever want to see again onto a computer or backup drive. Seagate backup plus slim 2tb external hard drive portable hdd a blue usb 3. Convert ntfs to fat32 seagate with third party tools. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods. Your backup plus desktop is formatted as ntfs for compatibility with windows out of the box. Drag and drop files onto seagate external apple community. Seagate backup plus hub user manual optional formatting. Shop for seagate external hard drive for mac at best buy.
So you figured, fine, ill just get an external hard drive. Jan 14, 2010 how to format large external hard drive to fat32 i have a 500gb external hard drive that i need to use at home with my windows 7 pc and at school where i use a mac. How to format seagate backup plus and backup plus slim. Do i need to format seagate external hard drive for mac. How to use seagate hard drive for both mac and windows super. Feb 08, 2015 this video shows, how to format seagate backup plus external hard disk. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a mac, please reference the following links. This is a tutorial explaining how to format a large drive greater than 32gb with a fat32 file system using seagate discwizard. I say this because when i plugged in the drive to the wii u, the drive spins up, prepares itself, and then on the wii us screen pops up a dialog asking if i want to format this new usb device to be used with the system. However, ntfs is not fully compatible with mac computers. While mac os x can read hard drives formatted as ntfs, write access is not available.
Our evaluation unit was an 8tb windows version which comes out of the box in the ntfs format the mac version comes in. Seagate backup plus hub user manual optional formatting and. As software exclusively designed for windows systems, it is not only able to work with windows 7, but also with windows 810, xp and vista. If youre running an older mac os x version, format it as fat32 from either os. Hey will this allow my hard drive to work on both mac and windows. How to format external hard drive mac 2 simple methods revealed.
Adding a 1tb seagate backup plus slim hdd to my wii u or. How to fix seagate external hard drive not showing. Learn about seagate backup plus slim for mac 2tb external usb 3. Seagate backup plus desktop user manual optional formatting. A hard drive can be used on any type of computer pc or mac. From the popular slim drives to the ridiculous capacity and mobility of the portable drives, you can always rely on the backup plus family. How to reformat seagate portable external hard drive. All backup plus drives are compatible with time machine and come with cool features, including seagate dashboard and windows mac compatibility.
A fat32 partition can reach up to 32gb when formatted on a windows pc. Is it necessary to reformat a new, seagate backup plus in. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. Remember, once the data is gone, theres no way to recover it. How to format hard drive to fat32 file system up to 2tb. So naturally, my intention was to stick with its default fat32 format. How to reformat seagate backup plus portable drive from mac. How to format seagate drive for mac and pc quickly and. The seagate backup plus backup software is effective and easy to use. Just transfer all useful files out from the external hard drive to other devices on mac.
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