It will take a short while to delete all the files and change the format of the disk.Apple File System (APFS), the default file system for Mac computers using macOS 10.13 or later, features strong encryption, space sharing, snapshots, fast directory sizing, and improved file system fundamentals.

Enter a name for the drive in Volume label and select the format type in the File system dropdown box.

Right click on the drive and select Format.

Complete the following steps in Disk Management: Use the start menu to search for and open the disk management utility – “Create and format hard disk partitions”. It will take a short while to delete all the files and change the format of the disk.

Select the format type you wish to use and give the drive a name.

Select the drive you wish to format from the list.

Next, complete the following steps in Disk Utility To find it quickly, do a search for “Disk Utility” in the spotlight (magnify glass) icon on the upper right side of the screen. To reformat a hard drive or USB stick first open Disk Utility.

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) – Standard MAC only formatįormat Drive Instructions MAC Instructions.

ExFAT – Compatible with Windows and Mac Operating Systems.

This process only takes a few minutes but will erase all files on the drive so make sure you copy off any files you need before reformatting.

To copy files to the drive you must re-format it using a different type of formatting.

This is common with new drives which frequently come formatted for Windows computers in the NTFS format, which is not comparable with Mac OS. If you can’t copy a file to your hard drive it likely isn’t formatted for the operating system you are using.

Format hard drive in mac