how to reformat wd external hard drive for mac

If the Security Options button is not available, Disk Utility cannot perform a secure erase on the storage device. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. FAT32 has several limitations, including a 4 GB per-file limit. For a hard drive to be able to be read from and written to on both a Windows and macOS computer, it must be formatted to ExFAT or FAT32 file format. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK. Most WD Drives come formatted in the NTFS (Windows) or HFS+ (macOS) format. If you’re using more than one drive, be sure that it’s the one you want to reformat as the process is largely irreversible. If the Scheme pop-up menu isn’t available, make sure you selected the storage device you want to erase-it’s at the top of the hierarchy.Ĭlick the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. Select the external drive under the External Drive subheading on the left-hand side. Ĭlick the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose GUID Partition Map. In the sidebar, select the storage device you want to erase, then click the Erase button. If you want to erase any other type of storage device: Double-click Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities folder. Type diskpart into the Command Prompt window and press Enter. Note: If you want to get your Mac ready to trade in, sell, or give away, and your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip, use Erase Assistant.

How to reformat wd external hard drive for mac