[English] How to format a HDD for Mac and Windows

As you know Windows and Macintosh computers use different file format systems, and because of this, some hard disk drives and external units are not compatibles with two both operative systems (Win & Mac). Today, I am going to show you how to do easily a fully format, for Windows & Macintosh, on your HDD. After that, you will be able to use the HDD/external Drive with Windows and Mac computers.

It’s so easy to format a HDD and make it work properly on Windows and Macintosh computers

Follow next steps:

1.- Open the app ‘Disk Utility”. You can find it using Spotlight engine or directly selecting it with the LaunchPad (push down F4 key) at ‘Utilities’ folder. You can also try to search it by Finder (Applications\Utilities\Disk Utility.app)

2.- Search at the left HDD’s list, the one that you want to format. In my example, the HDD is named “Vicente HDD”. Once it is selected, just ‘click’ on the ‘Erase’ tab at the middle of the window.

3.- Now, just choose “MS-DOS (FAT)” among the other options at the ‘Format’ menu. This sort of format will give to your HDD the ‘power’ to be able for the both Mac and Windows OS (Operative Systems). Type at ‘Name’ area a new name for the HDD if you like to get another one. For this example, I will keep its original name.

Please, be careful with the data in your HDD because it is going to be full erased. To format a disk drive means to delete and remove all data in it. Take care and look into your HDD before to push the ‘Erase’ button down.

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4.- Push the ‘Erase’ button down to start the format process on you Hard Disk Drive. You will find this button at the bottom of the window. Look at next picture.

5.- Choose the option ‘Erase’ if you are sure that the format (erase) process should start. That process could take several minutes. Those minutes depend on your computer, disk condition and storage size. While the process is going on, the desktop’s HDD icon will disappear. But it will appear again when the format process finishes.

6.- When the process finishes, you could finally enjoy a lot with your “new” and full file system compatible HDD for Windows and Mac.

Finally, following these steps, you will get ready to use your HDD on Mac and Windows computers. You will not need to make strange things with your HDD to make it works on two both operative systems.