Western Digital External Hard Drive will work on Mac if it is formatted as FAT 32 or exFAT. If it is formatted as NTFS, it can still work if you have NTFT for Mac software such as Paragon installed on the Mac.
NTFS for Mac allows you to easily read and write to Windows-based volumes. It also allows you to unmount, verify, and format your Windows-formatted disks as a startup drive.
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How Does Western Digital External Hard Drive Work on Mac?
An external hard drive can be used with both Windows and Mac OSX. It can be used to transfer files between two different environments.
Most WD Drives are formatted in the NTFS or HFS+ format. This means that they cannot be read and written to in a Windows or Mac computer.
There are many limitations with FAT32, such as a 4 GB per-file limit. The only solution is to format the drive to exFAT.
There are some limitations when it comes to the size and file format of the FAT32 file system.
How to Make Western Digital External Hard Drive Work on Mac
To format a Western Digital hard drive on both Windows and Mac computers, you need to use the FAT32 file system. Although Windows 7 can format up to 32GB, it cannot format drives with more than 1TB.
Western Digital External Hard Drive on Mac
- Connect your WD drive to Mac
- Double click the drive icon
- From the left pane, click Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility
- Choose WD in drive label
- Click Options
- Click Master Boot Record
- Click OK
- Under dropdown menu Volume Scheme, choose 1 Partition
- Choose MS-DOS
- Click Apply
- Choose Partition to confirm
Western Digital External Hard Drive on Windows
- Connect your WD drive to PC
- Click Start, enter “cmd” in search bar
- Enter “format /FS:FAT32 X:”
- Press Enter
- Replace “X” with your WD drive letter
- Press Y to confirm formatting
My Passport for Mac
If You don’t want to deal with formatting and just want to plug in and work, try My Passport for Mac
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- 2 TB
$89.99$74.99 - 4 TB
$129.99$109.99 - 5 TB
$159.99$109.99 (Best Deal)
The My PassportTM for Mac drive is a portable storage device that’s ideal for carrying around. It features a built-in USB-A connector and is compatible with USB-C and USB-A.
The My Passport for Mac is a stylish, new storage system that fits in the palm of your hand. It features a built-in organizer and a built-in backup software that helps keep your files safe and organized.
This was very useful for me since I mostly use my Macbook Air. It saves me time and helps me keep my computer running smoothly.
I like the fact that my files are secure and are protected using a password. This external hard drive is also portable and can be used anywhere.