Click on the erase tab in the disk utility toolbar. The most notable upgrades with this line are an increase in maximum capacity 3tb, customization options, improved backup capabilities, and a line of models designed specifically for use with mac os. The system requirements can be formatted ntfs for windows 7,8,10 and mac os x. Oct 11, 2018 want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. If first aid was unable to fix the errors in the wd my passport, which is quite common, the file system of this drive could be seriously corrupted and you have to fix the wd my passport for mac not showing up on mac problem by reformatting. Before proceeding further, it is recommended to take a backup of your important files. Buy wd 2tb silver my passport for mac portable external hard drive usb 3. Two easy methods to format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. After disk utility loads select the drive outdented entry with 1tb wd passport. When i select it to be the back up device i get this box cant connect to a current time machine backup disk. Recover deleted, lost, inaccessible photos, videos, audio, documents, etc. I like the 2015 my passport ultras rounded corner case better but its very minor point for me. Operating system compatibility your my passport drive and the wd drive utilities and wd security software are.
Wd external hard drive set up guide how to use on mac. Fully compatible whether using a pc or mac computer, your my passport go drive works easily right out of the box and includes automatic backup software for. I had this model replace a wd book version of usb external hard drive that i purchased 2 days ago and was supposedly formatted specifically for mac os x 10. My passport wont format external drives for mac wd. After tearing my hair out all evening trying to reformat this stupid drive, it turns out wd has decided to include hidden partitions that make reformatting it almost impossible. Formatting and reformatting a drive erases everything. How to erase my passport and reformat wd portable drives. How do i reformat a wd my passport for mac 31 admin 11 i am running 10. Watch my passport for mac s reimagined design come to life the reimagined my passport for mac drive will stop you in your tracks. The my passport for mac drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with password protection helps keep your digital lifes contents secure. Wd my passport 3tb portable external hard drive blue. In such a case, its necessary to reformat wd hard drive to make it compatible with mac operating system.
Where, i am seeing instruction links, for mac operating system, for as far back as mac os x 10. In the drop down panel set the partition scheme to guid. Dec 29, 2014 wd external hard drive set up guide how to use on mac. My passport portable hard drive, with the wd backup, wd security and wd drive utilities software usb 3. Among those external hard drive categories, wd my passport external hard drives are the most widely used ones. The situation is, reformatting will assign a new file system but will erase your data on this drive as. The wd 2tb external hard drive setup is lightweight, compact, where you can store movies, music, pictures, office documents and take it with you wherever you go. Buy wd my passport 3tb portable external hard drive black online at low price in india on. Back up all important information on the drive before beginning. You cant reformat them for use as just a normal drive with linux. When the finder window opens, on the menu bar, select go and then utilities. The mac is needed to store your files from the external hdd until youve. Included wd discovery software connects to popular social media and cloud storage services to help preserve your online life.
Its product line covers wd my passport, wd my passport ultra, wd my book, wd my passport for mac and more. Wd 1tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive usb 3. External hard drives free delivery possible on eligible purchases. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. Buy wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive usb 3. How to properly format reformat a hard drive for mac os a hard drive or hard disk can be used in any type of computer, whether for pc windows or for mac.
Wd my passport for mac is made to be plug and play. I formatted it for ntfs but it seems i should have used mac os extended journaled and now im at a loss as to how to reformat it. The my passport line of drives from western digital has been very good to me and my clients on mac, pc and linux systems. Starting macos time machine backups to my passport and external usb drives. Wd discovery software can also be used to manage your drive settings such as reformatting, led control and more. Also is it ok to erase all the present files on the disc. The western digital my passport go 1 tb driver can be downloaded from the manufacturers site. How to erase my passport and reformat wd community. The wd drive utilities software allows you to configure, manage, and recognize your wd drive.
Without replacing the drive there are two cost effective option to get more power the the passport. Easily format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. I recently purchased a 4tb wd my passport external hard drive from costco. If you want to use the drive with a windows computer, see reformatting the drive and troubleshooting. Back to the main topic, below is a step by step instruction on how to formatreformat a hard drive for mac os. Mac ready my passport ultra for mac is formatted for time machine and ready to deliver plugandplay storage out of the box. This my passport recovery tool has a userfriendly interface to help users retrieve files from a corrupted, unrecognized and formatted wd my passport external hard drive in just 5 simple steps. Fix wd my passport for mac not showing upnot working on mac. To format western digital my passport for mac or windows, you can rely on inbuilt applications of your system to format your wd my passport in exfat or fat32 format.
My passport for mac portable storage is ready right out of the box including all necessary. You can find effective ways here to format wd my passport for mac and pc to fat32 or exfat file system with the help of the professional format tool easeus partition master or other solutions. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under mac os. However, all of the solutions can be divided into two types. Requires reformatting for mac os x operating system max compatible dimensions outside. Wd 4tb black my passport portable external hard drive. Where and with working to reformat my new hd, i have been directed to base support and then knowledge base answer id 3865. So i followed the advice of a few forums and opened the disk utility and reformatted the drive for mac os extended journaled. Connect your western digital my passport drive to mac computer, and let the os detect and mount the drive for use. My passport wont format external drives for mac wd community. Wd builds drives to demanding requirements for durability, shock tolerance and longterm reliability. With wd discovery software, you can also work across both mac and pc.
Whats more, you can share digital files between mac and windows system easily. Jun 15, 2015 wd has released a seventh generation of their popular my passport line of external hard drives. Look for your wd my passport drive on your desktop. And we back up pardon the pun the trusted my passport for mac drive with a 1year limited warranty. Rather than send it back, id like to format it for my macbook air. In the next 5 minutes read, you will master yourself in formatting a wd my passport safely and in a manner best suited for sharing your digital files between a macos and windows os. Now, under the software for mac tab, select wd drive utilities for mac. This wd my passport mac model is an evolution over the 2015 my passport ultra. Trying to back up my imac with time machine to a wd my passport ultra. Worryfree portability engineered and manufactured by western digital, a leading storage company, the my passport go drive provides you with reliability and dependability you can trust. Joeysmyth, just wanted to let you know that i first tried to delete the data that was on the wd my passport.
With the help of the wd discovery software, download the ntfs driver for the mac operating system so that reformatting is not required. Inputoutput error when reformatting wd elements ext hard. Need to reformat wd hard drive for mac if you connect your wd hard drive without reformatting, youll be unable to copy files to the disk as mac read only supports ntfs file system. Youd need to use a mac to reformat your wd my passport in a file system that can be read by windows. Here is a stepbystep guide on how to format wd passport. About your wd drive my passport for mac user manual 2. Since i use a mac, i need to reformat the hard drive in order for it to be used. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using wd discovery. When i connected the drive for the first time in the mac os it was recognized in the finder but was not writable. Watch my passport for macs reimagined design come to life the reimagined my passport for mac drive will stop you in your tracks. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. Plug the external hard drive into your mac and use the drive. Wd my passport 3tb portable external hard drive black buy. Reformatting a western digital my passport hard drive to function well on windows and macintosh systems is neither timeconsuming nor technologically demanding.
Now, a new hard drive icon will appear on the desktop. The my passport for mac is wds newest release, and was designed to specifically serve mac users with the same outofthebox functionality that the my passport ultra offers. Mac os extended journaled file system is how its referred to on your mac. This answer explain starting macos time machine backups to my passport. Wd 2tb external hard drive setup and driver download. Not sure what extended format is and if its suitable. Before you can use it though, you need to properly format or reformat a hard drive so that it will become compatible or readable with the operating system that you are using. This reliable and good to excellent performing line has a long positive history with me. Formatting a wd my passport for a macbook air macrumors forums. I think the mac os doesnt know what to do with it in the windows format.
Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc instead of apple only. The my passport ultra has been formatted for the windows operating system to provide plugandplay storage. Ill pick it for new mac related purchases over the older model, but wont rush out to replace older drives. How to format and use wd my passport for mac just like on windows, your wd passport can be used on your mac too. Wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard. My passport for mac recertified western digital store.
Aug 16, 2019 hello all, today i bought the 4tb my passport from best buy. Buy wd my passport 3tb portable external hard drive blue online at low price in india on. Do i use disc utilities fat32 or is there some other format. On this popup screen, choose ntfs, fat32 or exfat among listed file systems and click ok. In the main console, locate the partition on the wd passport external hard drive, right click it and choose format partition. It maintains compatibility with pc operating systems which requires reformatting, and it is similar in functionality and performance to the seventh generation my.
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Formatted for mac os x, reformatting required for windows wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive usb 3. Pick your wd my passport in the external hard drive list. Can i reformat my wd passport external hd to work for a mac if it was used for a pc first.
Want to reformat my wd passport so i can use it on a pc. You just have to format it, and youll explore the numerous ways you can do that right here. Can i reformat my wd passport external hd to work for a. The wd elements is positioned as their entrylevel drive for the portable consumer and western digital is quite open in saying it is a basic drive. It will take a while, but that will set your drive up to be used on the mac. So, i followed the steps i went into disk utility, selected my passport, clicked erase, selected. Wd 2tb black my passport for mac portable external hard drive. Apr 16, 2020 to format western digital my passport for mac or windows, you can rely on inbuilt applications of your system to format your wd my passport in exfat or fat32 format. This article explains reformatting is required for macos compatibility. Wd my passport go 1tb setup and driver software installation. Easily use your wd my passport for mac and windows in 7 steps. Things appeared to run smoothly, and i even copied about 10gb from my old external onto the my passport. Formatted for mac os x, reformatting required for windows.