Step 6: Selecting a drive will list its properties, including the capacity and current file format. Step 5: You will find all your drives – internal and external, listed in the left pane of the app. Step 4: Double-click on ‘Disk Utility.app’ to launch the Disk Utility program. A new Finder window with all the installed utilities will now open. Step 3: Click on ‘Utilities’ in the drop-down menu. Step 2: Select the ‘Go’ option situated in the menu bar on the top left portion of your screen. Step 1: Open a Finder window on your Mac. It’s also important to take a backup of all the data in the drive since formatting it is going to erase it completely. To format an external drive, connect it to your Mac via a USB port and then follow the instructions. If you’re trying to format an internal drive, you can directly launch Disk Utility and proceed with the steps. How to Use Disk Utility to Format a Drive ExFAT is ideally the format you should pick for multi-device read and write support. However, it doesn’t work with devices meant for video games, cameras, and others. The only problem is that you cannot copy a file larger than 4GB on a device with this file system.ĮxFAT: Similar to FAT but without the 4GB restriction.
MS-DOS (FAT): This is a legacy format works across all devices. But, if you also plan to use it with a Windows computer or an Android smartphone, don’t select this format as those devices won’t be able to write to the drive. This format will give you the best compatibility with Macs. If it’s an external drive, select it only if you plan on using the drive solely with a Mac. Mac OS Extended: Select this format if it’s an internal drive. Here’s a brief idea about the differences in each format. Disk Utility offers several formats to choose from. When erasing or formatting a drive, you will have to choose what file format you want the drive to be in. Some uses of Disk Utility include troubleshooting a non-functional drive, creating or removing a partition, mounting and unmounting a drive, formatting a drive, etc.ĭisk Utility also displays important information about a drive, including the type, format, capacity, used and available space, etc.
So, if you’re using a USB drive, an external hard disk, or even a DVD on an old MacBook, Disk Utility will recognize it and let you perform functions on it. The best aspect of Disk Utility is that it works with internal and external drives. If you ever want to make any changes to the disk drives on your Mac, this is the tool you should use. What Is Disk Utilityĭisk Utility is an in-built program on macOS that comes installed with all Mac computers. So, to format a drive on your Mac, here’s the easiest way to use Disk Utility for that. Beside creating partition and fixing disk errors, it can also let you format and change the file system of an external drive. The Disk Utility is usable to format internal and external (portable) drives along with memory cards.
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