How do I format a WD external hard drive for Mac?

How to format the WD element on your Mac device?
  1. Connect the WD elemental hard disk to your Mac powered device. …
  2. Go to the disk utility option. …
  3. Choose the hard drive you want to format. …
  4. Select the format options. …
  5. Erase the drive.

How do I get my WD Passport to work on my Mac?

Part 2 – How to Format WD my Passport for Mac?
  1. Login into your Mac. Just turn on your Mac and when it boots up, plug in your My Passport drive to your WD. …
  2. Navigate to Finder if Your Drive Isn’t Visible. …
  3. Launch Disk Utility. …
  4. Access your Drives. …
  5. Select “Extended Mac OS (Journaled)” …
  6. Eject Your Drive.

Why can’t I use my WD Passport on my Mac?

Check whether the USB cable or USB port is broken by connecting other hard drives to this USB port or cable and see if that makes a difference. 4. Reboot your Mac to see if your My Passport for Mac drive is showing up in Disk Utility/Finder or not.

How do I fix my WD Passport not recognized?

If you encounter these issues, take the following solutions to fix it right now.
  1. Solution 1. Plug It into Another USB Port. …
  2. Solution 2. Change USB Cable. …
  3. Solution 3. Change Drive Letter. …
  4. Solution 4. Reinstall USB Controller. …
  5. Solution 5. Update WD Device Driver. …
  6. Solution 6. …
  7. About WD My Passport Ultra. …
  8. Bottom Line.

Which format is best for external hard drive on Mac?

exFAT
The Best Format for External Hard Drives

If you want to format your external hard drive to work with Mac and Windows computers, you should use exFAT. With exFAT, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.

Why is my WD passport read only on Mac?

When a WD My Passport drive is with an NTFS file system, Mac couldn’t directly access the content. By default, the drive will show as read-only on Mac. To fix this issue, you’ll need an NTFS for Mac software to help you get full control of this formatted drive.

How do I transfer wd my passport to another computer?

Plug in the device to your old computer. Go to “my computer” and open the folder for this device. Simply drag and drop files or copy and paste files into the folder. When finished just unplug device then plug into new computer.

What is exFAT on Mac?

ExFAT is a cross-platform solution for use with Mac and Windows devices, now serving as a base for files shared and edited between the two platforms. If you work with Mac and Windows computers often, ExFAT may be the best option for your Mac.

Is exFAT best for Mac?

exFAT is a good option if you work often with Windows and Mac computers. Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you don’t have to constantly back up and reformat each time. Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.

How do I format my hard drive for Mac 2020?

How do I open exFAT files on a Mac?

How do I change my Mac hard drive from NTFS to exFAT?

Launch Disk Utility; press Command+Space then type: disk utility. Select your thumb drive in the Disk Utility window, then click the Erase tab. In the Format list box, select ExFAT, enter a Volume Label if you want, then click Erase.

How do I convert my external hard drive to exFAT?

Right Click on the external drive to be formatted, and select “Format”. 4. Select exFAT as the File system option, type a name for the external drive in ‘Volume label’ box, click “Start”, then Click OK to format the disk.

How do I format my external hard drive to exFAT?

Format Hard Drive in exFAT for both Mac & Windows PC
  1. Plug-in your drive into the computer’s USB port.
  2. Open up File Explorer and right-click on the drive.
  3. Choose Format.
  4. In the File System dropdown, choose exFAT. Possible you might get NTFS or FAT32.
  5. Click Start and close this window when finished.

Should I use exFAT for external hard drive?

exFAT is a good option if you work often with Windows and Mac computers. Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you don’t have to constantly back up and reformat each time. Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.