#External drive for both mac and windows full
#External drive for both mac and windows software
#External drive for both mac and windows windows

NTFS is also a good choice for external drives because it’s compatible with a wide range of devices.

#External drive for both mac and windows windows

NTFS: If you want to format your primary drive (which contains your OS), you must use NTFS (NT file system), which is the default Windows file system. If you’re using Windows, you can choose between NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT:

When you format a hard drive, you’ll be asked to choose your desired file system. File systems are rules that govern how an OS stores and reads files. Now that you’re clear on the differences between erasing and wiping, and between internal and external drives, it’s time to select a file system. An external hard drive is located outside of your computer, and it can take the form of a flash drive (also called thumb drive or USB) or a larger enclosure that can contain either a solid-state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). This happens when your disk is partitioned (separated) between the primary drive and additional internal drives. You may also have additional internal drives to store more files on your computer. Your primary hard drive or C drive (C:) is the internal hard disk where the operating system (OS) resides. There are different types of hard drives you may be looking to reformat. Identify which type of hard drive you have Now that we’ve got that down, there are a few more things you should know about the formatting process, for both Windows and Mac computers. Reformat: Some people use the term reformat - it’s the same as format! This ensures that you don’t end up with corrupted files down the line.

#External drive for both mac and windows full

A full format will also scan your disk for any bad sectors and remove them. The drive in question can be your hard drive, or a removable drive such as a USB. Generally, a quick format will simply delete the data on the drive, while a normal format will erase everything (wipe the drive). If you want to use the device again (or sell it), you’ll probably want to use the former method.įormat: Depending on your operating system (OS), you’ll probably have a few options available.

#External drive for both mac and windows software

As with erasing, you can use data destruction software - or just break out a hammer.

Wipe: Wiping refers to erasing everything on a given storage device or hard drive. The more recently the files were deleted, the more likely it is that you can recover them.Įrase: Erasing or scrubbing a file gets rid of it for good.

Before they get overwritten, though, you can still recover the files using data recovery software. That means when your device needs to save new data, it can (and will) use the space occupied by the deleted files. If you empty the Recycle Bin or Trash, the files can then be overwritten by new data. While still in that folder, the files can be recovered easily. But people often use other terms like delete and format interchangeably, while they’re actually quite different.ĭelete: Deleting data actually just moves it into a folder, out of sight, like the Recycle Bin in Windows or the Trash on Mac. First, hard disk and hard drive have the same meaning. Before jumping in, there’s a bit of terminology you should know.