Format Hard Drive On Macbook Pro

1. Hard Drives For Macbook Pro
2. Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement
3. How To Format Hard Drive On Macbook Pro
4. How To Format A Hard Drive On Macbook Pro

How to Format a Hard Drive for Mac. Note: If you already used your external hard drive on a PC, be sure to back up any files on it. Formatting your drive will wipe out all the data in it. Connect an external hard drive to your Mac. Some external hard drives need to be plugged into an outlet to work.

In this digital age, we all are pretty much acquainted with the storage media forms. From online/cloud storage to portable devices, we depend on all. However there are many reasons why you would want to erase the hard disk drive on MacBook Pro. If you don't properly delete the data, that data can be stolen. Once the data gets stolen you will regret it. The stolen data can be your personal pictures, videos, bank details etc. Sensitive data can be used for personal benefits. You would not even dare to imagine these things happening to you, so it's better not to take risk like this. Regardless of your reasons, make sure that you backup the data before wiping the drive clean.

1. Method 1: Format Your Hard Drive on MacBook Pro. Let's say you wish to erase only a particular partition volume instead of the entire hard disk. This is the simplest way to erase the hard disk on your MacBook Pro. Here is how you can do that. 1) Access Finder menu by clicking on the Dock icon. You can also access it through Spotlight.
2. How to Format MacBook Completely? To make it easier for users to format MacBook entirely, Apple has come up with an inbuilt tool – Disk Utility. Using it, you can erase a partition or format the entire hard drive. Apart from that, it can also help you manage the partitions or repair a broken disk.

Here are some of the ways to erase everything on MacBook pro hard drive.

Method 1: Format Your Hard Drive on MacBook Pro

Let's say you wish to erase only a particular partition volume instead of the entire hard disk. This is the simplest way to erase the hard disk on your MacBook Pro. Here is how you can do that.

1) Access Finder menu by clicking on the Dock icon. You can also access it through Spotlight.

2) On the left click Applications, scroll down a bit to the Utilities. You will need to double click on it.

3) Once the folder opens you will the Disk Utility application. Again, you will need to double click it to launch it.

4) Choose the hard disk drive you wish to erase. The drive names will appear in the left sidebar.

5) Click the Erase tab as shown in the image above.

6) In the erase tab you will see the Format section. Next to this option is the dropdown from where you can choose how you wish to format the drive. For instance, if you wish to use the drive only for one of the Mac OS versions, select Mac OS Extended. If you wish to install the Windows OS on the hard drive, then choose MS-DOS (FAT).

7) You can also give the name to the partition in the Name text box (under Format option).

8) Once you have chosen the Format type and given the name to the partition, click on 'Erase..' button.

NOTE: Remember that this method can only be used to erase the hard disk drive which does not have the Mac OS installed on it. This method uses the utilities which can be run only on the Mac OS. If you need to remove the hard drive with OS files, you can use Method 2.

Method 2: Erase Everything on MacBook Pro with Data Wiper (Recommend)

The problem with the Method 1 we discussed above is that once the data has been erased it can still be recovered. The next owner can use some free or professional data recovery software to retrieve your already deleted or formatted data that may still be on your hard drive somewhere. We need to protect our data and personal information. Especially if you are giving the MacBook Pro to someone else, you will need to make sure that your information remains safe.

This is where Safewiepr Eraser for Mac comes into picture. This application not only erases the hard drive but also makes sure that it becomes unrecoverable.

Safewiper Data Wiper for Mac

Hard Drives For Macbook Pro

• The program includes powerful as well as fast wiping algorithms that can permanently erase everything from hard drive . Completely destroy and erase all existing data, deleted/lost data and traces on MacBook Pro
• Wipe your MacBook hard drive and files/folder data with advanced algorithm which overwrites data with 7 times.
• Wipe exactly what you need - hard disks, separate partitions or free space
• Compatible with macOS Sierra and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6

First of all, you need to download and install the program on your MacBook Pro, then launch the program. The while installation process is very easy.

In the last update, you may have noticed that the program provides three wiping options, 'Erase File/Fodlers' and ' Wipe Drive' and 'Wipe Unused Space' . Here, to completely destroying your all data on MacBook hard drive, just select the second wiping option.and click on 'Next' option.

Before starting to wipe your MacBook pro, a window pops up asking you to choose a 'wiping method', it offers 4 wiping algorithm. 7 wipe and 35 wipe will take much time to erase your MacBook Pro. So, we recommend you select 3 wipe.

Upon confirming your Wiping Mode, click the Start wiping button to being wiping your MacBook Pro. After the wiping process is complete, an intimating message will be displayed.

If you need to erase everything on MacBook Pro, only formatting the hard drives separately is not a good choice. It is best to use the Data Wiper to wipe clean everything. This way the data will be rendered unrecoverable and your personal information will remain safe. You can reinstall the OS afterwards.

After wiping your MacBook Pro hard drive, you will get a totally new MacBook without any personal information in it. The software will destroy, shred your data and overwrite the disk space of the data for many times. After the process finished, the data in your hard drive will be lost permanently without recovery, you will get a totally new MacBook without any personal information in it.

Sep 27,2020 • Filed to: Hard Drive Recovery • Proven solutions

'How to format an external hard drive Mac? What format system to use when reformatting my storage drive for a Mac?'

This is a frequent question asked by first-time, as well as the not-so-tech-savvy, macOS users. Learning how to format an external hard drive Mac is essential. Because saving all your data on the Cloud is nice and all, but physical storage is still popular. Especially if you don't have a stable internet connection or if most of your files are large.

Luckily, you don't have to learn rocket science to be able to format an external hard drive for Mac or PC. The operation is pretty straightforward. When it comes to your iOS device, we have listed two methods for you, read below and explore more.

Part 1: What Is the Best Format for External Hard Drive Mac?

The first step to formatting your external drive for a Mac computer is choosing the right format. There are four possible choices:

• APFS (Apple File System)
• HFS+ (Mac OS Extended)
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• FAT (MS-DOS)

To understand which is the best for you, let's have a comprehensive overview of each of them.

1. Apple File System

The APFS was first introduced in 2017 as a replacement for the HFS+. Nowadays, all new Macs come with the operating system preinstalled on APFS, as this system is optimized for use with SSD and flash storage drives. However, it still works with traditional HDD drives too.

This is the best format to pick if you have an external SSD or USB flash drive that you don't intend to use with a Windows device.

The biggest strength of this system is the speed, as well as the encryption and metadata handling. However, you won't be able to use this system with Time Machine.

2. Mac OS Extended

The HFS+, or Hierarchical File System plus on its real name, was the main file system used for Mac until 2017.

This type of file system is suitable to use with both HDD and SDD drives, but the latter will perform slightly better with the APFS mentioned above. If you have an older Mac, though, choosing the HFS+ is your best bet.

In general, all external drives formatted to HFS+ work nicely with older Mac versions but are incompatible with Windows.

3. Extended File Allocation Table

Designed by Microsoft, the exFAT is a good choice if you plan to use the external hard drive with both macOS and Windows systems. Yet, you won't get top performance on either. This choice is more appropriate for USB flash drives, although you can still use it for SDD and HDD units too.

The main issue with exFAT is that your drive will be more prone to fragmentation when used with Apple devices and is less stable than NTFS on Windows. If you really have to share the drive between Mac and Windows machines, that's your best option though.

4. MS-DOS

Macs also support FAT32 drives, marked as FAT in Disk Utility. This format should be avoided at all costs unless you're dealing with a really old Windows computer, which you really have to use in parallel with your Mac system.

Typically, there is no reason to choose this option unless you're planning to use the external hard drive on a Windows XP or earlier machine.

Part 2: How to Format an External Hard Drive Mac?

Now that you know which format to choose, it's time to learn how to format an external hard drive for Mac. There are essentially two methods, with Disk Utility or Time Machine function.

Note: If you plan to format an older external drive, perhaps one you used with another device, make sure to backup all data before proceeding. Formatting is a permanent procedure that can't be reversed. While there are data recovery software you can use if you lost data, it is always better to prevent.

That said, here's how to format an external hard drive Mac:

Method 1: Format Mac Hard Drive with Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a utility application proprietary to macOS that is used to both format and manage internal and external disks. Here's how to use it:

Step 1 Connect the external hard drive you want to format to your Mac, then start the Disk Utility app that you can find under Applications -> Utilities.

Step 2 On the left side of the Utilities screen, find the name of the external hard drive you want to format and select it. Then, on the top side under the Disk Utility, click on the Erase button.

Step 3 Follow the on-screen prompts to select the desired file system and allow the drive to format. That's it! After the process is complete, you can either start using the drive or choose to create partitions on it.

Method 2: Format Mac Hard Drive with Time Machine

Formatting an external hard drive with Time Machine is as easy as formatting it with Disk Utility. Time Machine, however, gives you the possibility to create an automatic backup of the data on your hard drive before formatting it.

Before you proceed, therefore, you should first set up the external drive to use with Time Machine. To do this, open System Preferences and select Time Machine after you've connected the external drive to your Mac.

Now, click on Select Disk and select the desired drive from the list. Click on the Use Disk button. At this point, the system will run an automatic backup two minutes after you've clicked on the Use Disk button, or you can proceed with the formatting if the hard disk is empty.

To format an external hard drive for Mac with Time Machine, you must follow the steps below.

Step 1 Open Finder, Applications, then go to Utilities and Disk Utility.

Step 2 Follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac system.

Part 3: Bonus Tip – Data Recovery from Formatted Hard Drive on Mac

Sometimes, it may happen that you accidentally formatted an external hard drive containing important data. Whether it's your wedding pictures or your bachelor's degree thesis, chances are you want to get that data back as quickly as possible.

If you have a newer version of Mac, you can use the Apple Time Machine to recover your canceled files, or you could choose to use external software, such as Recoverit Data Recovery.

Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement

1. Recover Data with Apple Time Machine

In the former hypothesis, you can try to recover your data with the Time Machine. This app is Apple's backup feature present on the newer systems. If you followed the steps above before formatting the hard drive with Time Machine and allowed the app to execute the backup, then there are high chances that you can recover any lost data without too much hassle.

To do so, just launch the Time Machine and browse through the folders to see if it has saved the files you require.

For easier browsing, you can use the time stamp feature on the right side of the screen and select the date or time when you executed the backup. Once you found the files, simply click on Restore to get them back.

2. Recover Data with Recoverit Data Recovery

If you didn't use the Time Machine function or couldn't find the files you need, you can try to recover any lost files with trusted third-party software, such as Recoverit - Data Recovery. How do you install photoshop software.

Recoverit (IS)

A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!

• It allows you to recover unlimited lost or deleted files from your Mac device, including photo, video, and audio data, document files, and more.
• It supports all types of Mac files irrespective of their extension.
• Compatible with both internal and external drives, USB pens, memory cards, and other hardware, so you can rest assured it will retrieve your data if it's there.
• Retrieve data from accidentally deleted files, lost or formatted partitions, data lost due to virus attacks, system crashes, or data lost by the Time Machine.
• It is free to download and supports all leading macOS versions, including the 10.14 release.

This system is also very easy to use, in just three easy steps:

3. Extended File Allocation Table

Designed by Microsoft, the exFAT is a good choice if you plan to use the external hard drive with both macOS and Windows systems. Yet, you won't get top performance on either. This choice is more appropriate for USB flash drives, although you can still use it for SDD and HDD units too.

The main issue with exFAT is that your drive will be more prone to fragmentation when used with Apple devices and is less stable than NTFS on Windows. If you really have to share the drive between Mac and Windows machines, that's your best option though.

4. MS-DOS

Macs also support FAT32 drives, marked as FAT in Disk Utility. This format should be avoided at all costs unless you're dealing with a really old Windows computer, which you really have to use in parallel with your Mac system.

Typically, there is no reason to choose this option unless you're planning to use the external hard drive on a Windows XP or earlier machine.

Part 2: How to Format an External Hard Drive Mac?

Now that you know which format to choose, it's time to learn how to format an external hard drive for Mac. There are essentially two methods, with Disk Utility or Time Machine function.

Note: If you plan to format an older external drive, perhaps one you used with another device, make sure to backup all data before proceeding. Formatting is a permanent procedure that can't be reversed. While there are data recovery software you can use if you lost data, it is always better to prevent.

That said, here's how to format an external hard drive Mac:

Method 1: Format Mac Hard Drive with Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a utility application proprietary to macOS that is used to both format and manage internal and external disks. Here's how to use it:

Step 1 Connect the external hard drive you want to format to your Mac, then start the Disk Utility app that you can find under Applications -> Utilities.

Step 2 On the left side of the Utilities screen, find the name of the external hard drive you want to format and select it. Then, on the top side under the Disk Utility, click on the Erase button.

Step 3 Follow the on-screen prompts to select the desired file system and allow the drive to format. That's it! After the process is complete, you can either start using the drive or choose to create partitions on it.

Method 2: Format Mac Hard Drive with Time Machine

Formatting an external hard drive with Time Machine is as easy as formatting it with Disk Utility. Time Machine, however, gives you the possibility to create an automatic backup of the data on your hard drive before formatting it.

Before you proceed, therefore, you should first set up the external drive to use with Time Machine. To do this, open System Preferences and select Time Machine after you've connected the external drive to your Mac.

Now, click on Select Disk and select the desired drive from the list. Click on the Use Disk button. At this point, the system will run an automatic backup two minutes after you've clicked on the Use Disk button, or you can proceed with the formatting if the hard disk is empty.

To format an external hard drive for Mac with Time Machine, you must follow the steps below.

Step 1 Open Finder, Applications, then go to Utilities and Disk Utility.

Step 2 Follow the steps above to format the drive, and then you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac system.

Part 3: Bonus Tip – Data Recovery from Formatted Hard Drive on Mac

Sometimes, it may happen that you accidentally formatted an external hard drive containing important data. Whether it's your wedding pictures or your bachelor's degree thesis, chances are you want to get that data back as quickly as possible.

If you have a newer version of Mac, you can use the Apple Time Machine to recover your canceled files, or you could choose to use external software, such as Recoverit Data Recovery.

Macbook Pro Hard Drive Replacement

1. Recover Data with Apple Time Machine

In the former hypothesis, you can try to recover your data with the Time Machine. This app is Apple's backup feature present on the newer systems. If you followed the steps above before formatting the hard drive with Time Machine and allowed the app to execute the backup, then there are high chances that you can recover any lost data without too much hassle.

To do so, just launch the Time Machine and browse through the folders to see if it has saved the files you require.

For easier browsing, you can use the time stamp feature on the right side of the screen and select the date or time when you executed the backup. Once you found the files, simply click on Restore to get them back.

2. Recover Data with Recoverit Data Recovery

If you didn't use the Time Machine function or couldn't find the files you need, you can try to recover any lost files with trusted third-party software, such as Recoverit - Data Recovery. How do you install photoshop software.

Recoverit (IS)

A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!

• It allows you to recover unlimited lost or deleted files from your Mac device, including photo, video, and audio data, document files, and more.
• It supports all types of Mac files irrespective of their extension.
• Compatible with both internal and external drives, USB pens, memory cards, and other hardware, so you can rest assured it will retrieve your data if it's there.
• Retrieve data from accidentally deleted files, lost or formatted partitions, data lost due to virus attacks, system crashes, or data lost by the Time Machine.
• It is free to download and supports all leading macOS versions, including the 10.14 release.

This system is also very easy to use, in just three easy steps:

Step 1Install the application and choose the desired location

Download and install the software on your Mac computer, then open it and select the external hard drive, partition, or location where you want to retrieve data.

Step 2Start the scan to retrieve your lost data

Click the Start button. The software will now scan the selected drive and display all retrieved data in an easy-to-scour list.

Step 3 Preview the recovered files and save them in your chosen location

How To Format Hard Drive On Macbook Pro

Review and select the target files, then launch the recovery process. That's it. The software will restore your lost data.

Conclusion

As you can see, how to format an external hard drive Mac is not particularly complicated. The Disk Utility allows you to format the desired drive to the desired system in a blink of an eye. Backing up the data on your drive with Time Machine also allows you to avoid the recovery hassle. If you still lost some data, you even know which software to use to recover all lost files.

Now it's your turn. Use this guide to format your unreadable external drive, download, and use the data recovery software if needed, and don't forget to share this article with your Mac-addicted friends. They might make good use of it too.

How To Format A Hard Drive On Macbook Pro