More often than not, you will need formatting your USB drive on your Mac. Whether you have used the USB drive with another computer, which might be carrying viruses or the USB drive got malfunctioned. For fixing the issues and getting the flash drive back on track, you got to work around reliable solutions. Unless you deploy the best method in this matter, there is no assurance about the safety of your Mac or USB. Rather than wreaking havoc for your system or flash drive with a wrong choice, you can always look for our quick solutions. You have got you covered!
Nov 15, 2013 This video will show you how to format a USB flash drive on a mac running OSX Mavericks. I also show you how to securely format the drive if you have sensitive information on it. Jan 15, 2019 How to format a USB drive to FAT32 on a Mac. The main reason for formatting a USB drive as Fat32 on a Mac is that you want to be able to use the drive on a Windows PC, as well as a Mac — perhaps to transfer files between the two machines. You may also be preparing the drive for use as, say, a storage device for a media player or to record TV. How to Format a USB Flash Drive with Mac to FAT32. Many computer users who use a removable flash drive have the demand for formatting it to the FAT32 file system. Compare with the other commonly used NTFS file system on a flash drive, FAT32 has a compatibility advantage across many operating systems. How to Create Bootable USB Drive for Mac? USB drive with sufficient storage space. Access to a working and supported Mac. Format USB to Apple supported file system. Get installer file for macOS. Create bootable USB. Booting Mac from Startup Manager. If you are not able to login to your Mac, you need to use Time Machine backup disk. Otherwise you should have another Mac for creating a bootable USB.
Part 1: How to Format USB Dive on Mac?
For formatting USB drive Mac you don't have to be a pro in technology. Remember that formatting wipes off all the drive data. The process is same for Firewire, USB and Thunderbolt
Here is the guide:
Step 1. Attach the USB to your Mac while launching 'Disk Utility'. Go to 'Applications' and then 'Utilities'.
Step 2. Search your USB drive name over the left panel of 'Disk Utility' and tap it.
Step 3. Press 'Erase' tab and then against the 'Format' option tap on the contextual menu.
Step 4. Pick 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' and rename it if desired. Now, hit 'Erase' button for confirmation on the following screen. The time taken depends on the amount and size of the data in the drive.
Part 2: Format Choices for USB Flash Drive
Now that you know how to format USB on Mac, how about learning the various USB formats and their pros and cons. We have collated a list of the most popular formats.
APFS: This is the default Apple file system crafted to replace HFS+ with iOS 10.3 and MacOS 10.13. It has been developed keeping in mind SSDs, flash drives as well as encryption.
Advantages:
- Disk speed and directory/file duplication is faster.
- Crash protection and space sharing.
- Nanosecond timestamps supported.
- Copy-on-Write and Sparse file supported .
- Maximum number of files increased
- Doesn't support versions prior to MacOS 10.13.
- No AFP or Directory Hard links support.
- Doesn't support codepoints in Unicode 9.0 standard.
- Supports OS X Lion
- With the right file, setting up OS X startup drive is supported.
- There is no size limit with the 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' option.
- Maximum number of files increased
- Windows systems can read it but not write to it.
- You can't transfer files from Windows to Mac in this format.
- Usage less memory and runs faster.
- Scans disks quickly.
- More free space for data.
- Files larger than 4GB are not supported.
- Mac startup drive can't be created with this format.
- Doesn't support Mac OS X Lion version.
- You can read write files beyond 4GB size.
- Enhanced disk space management.
- You can create 32GB or larger partitions.
- Doesn't support older Mac versions before 10.6.5 or Windows XP SP2.
- Unsupported by camcoders, cameras, video game systems.
- Only supports computer systems.
Disadvantages:
Mac OS ExtendedIt is the default format for Mac OS.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
MS-DOS (FAT): It is a popular Windows and DOS supported file format. You can't format flash drives above 32GB in this format. it doesn't mean you will wonder how to format USB to FAT32 on Mac. As it supports major OSs.
Advantages:
Disadvantage:
ExFAT: If you are up for larger partitions, then it might be a suitable option.
Line apps for mac. Advantages:
Disadvantage:
Part 3: UltData – Mac: The Best USB Drive Data Recovery Software
When you are wishing for the best way to format USB on Mac, why not give Tenorshare UltData - Mac, a thought if data recovery is your concern. This wonderful tool from Tenorshare can even recover lost data for your Mac. 550 data types lost due to accidental deletion, software failure, virus attack or natural calamity can be retrieved back to your Mac computer with UltData – Mac. SSD, iMac, micro card, music and video player, camera or iPad data can also be retrieved. You get 100% assurance that your data remains protected while being recovered at high speed.
Secure Download
Secure Download
Here comes the quick guide for USB data recovery on Mac:
Step 1 Connect the USB with your Mac. After Installing Tenorshare UltData – Mac, run it on your Mac. Here you need to choose your USB flash drive as the location and then hit 'Scan'. It will find the lost, deleted or formatted files.
Step 2 Once the deleted files are scanned, you can preview them over the result section. All you need to do is tap on them.
Step 3 Press the 'Recover' button and select a target folder on Mac for saving the files. Keep in mind not to pick USB as the target as it might lead to permanent data loss.
Final Words
Whether you are formatting or reformatting USB on Mac. If you want to recover the accidentally lost data then there is nothing better than Tenorshare UltData – Mac for your rescue. It is 100 percent secure and fast. It supports over 550 data types, what else do you need to stay ahead of the game?
Secure Download
Secure Download
![For For](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134050484/584309166.jpg)
Not every USB drive can be used with a Mac out of the box, you’ll need to format the drive to the MacOS extended file system. You pretty much know that it is a difficult process. Here’s all you need to know about formatting a USB drive on Mac. If you want to ensure full Mac compatibility on your USB drive or flash disk, follow the easy steps below.
Format Usb For Mac On Pc
What You Should Do First Before Formatting USB Drive on Mac
Yоu hаvе tо be sure that уоu know whаt уоu are doing whеn you execute thе соmmаndѕ thаt because you саn еrаѕе your еntirе hаrd drivе if уоu do this wrоng.
The only way to be sure of the content you are formatting is to first remove the USB drive from Mac, know the title of other storage disks, insert the USB disk again and note the name of the disk. Now you are sure not to be formatting a wrong disk this way. Next, drag the USB data to a safe location for backup/recovery measures before formatting it. Then you are set to get it done!
Which File Format to Choose When Formatting USB Drive on Mac
For PCs operating on macOS High Sierra or newer version, you can select from two options of file formats: Mac OS Extended and APFS. Here is the difference, APFS format is not compatible with macOS versions older than High Sierra. Therefore, if you are sure to still insert your USB driver on older versions of macOS, then you should consider formatting as Mac OS Extended.
Also, if you are to use the USB drive as a destination for Time Machine, you should consider reformatting to Mac OS Extended as Time Machine cannot back up an APFS disk.
How to Format a USB Drive to FAT32 on Mac
As earlier stated, you need to first back up your USB drive before formatting the drive as you may not be able to recover the contents again. Now, you can follow the steps to be highlighted below to get it successfully formatted.
1Format a USB Drive to FAT32 in Mac OS with Disk Utility
Step 1. Insert the USB to be formatted to a Mac PC.
![Format usb for mac and windows Format usb for mac and windows](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134050484/804734716.gif)
Step 2. Navigate to Applications > Utilities, and click it twice to open it.
Step 3. Select the drive you want to format and click on Erase. https://ssvvfm.weebly.com/avery-5260-template-for-mac.html.
Step 4. Rename the USB drive (optional), and choose the MS-DOS(FAT) for format.
Step 5. Then select Master Boot Record for scheme, hit Erase.
Step 6. Once the process is done, you are ready to reuse the drive with FAT32 file system to save data again.
2Convert/Format USB Drive to FAT32
Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your Mac PC.
Step 2. Click on cmd + space to run spotlight, input terminal then tap Enter key.
Step 3. Type diskutil list to find the location of your UB drive (eg: dev/disk2 is the USB drive in the below picture).
Step 4. Type sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2.
- sudo gives you user right.
- Diskutil calls disk utility program.
- eraseDisk commands to format.
- FAT32 sets the file system.
- MBRFormat tells disk utility to format with a Master Boot Record.
- /dev/disk2 is the location of the USB drive.
After the process completes, type diskutil list in command once more to check if the USB drive has been formatted successfully.
If succeeded, you can use the USB drive with FAT32 file system to store data again.
How to Recover Lost Data after Formatting a USB Drive to FAT32 on Mac
If уоu have forgotten to extract files before formatting your USB drive to FAT32 on Mac, how can you restore your lost files? Here comes in handy the iMyFone AnyRecover.
Features of iMyFone AnyRecover:
- Your Comprehensive Mac Data Recovery Solution
Recover all sorts of files including photos, videos, audios, documents, etc.
Retrieve data from MacBook, any internal or external storage media: memory card, USB drive, virtual disk, HDD, SSD, and so on.
Resolve all data loss situations: drive formatted, trash emptied, partition lost, accidental deletion, virus attack, hardware failure and other cases.
Format Usb For Mac Install
It allows you to preview scanned files before recovery and select what you want to restore.
Format Usb For Macos
High success rate and 100% safe to use.
Here are the Steps to be Taken
Step 1: Launch AnyRecover software on your system and select the “Formatted Disk Recovery” mode. This can help you recover your lost data from your formatted USB drive.
Step 2: Select the hard drive or external drive you are trying to recover from. Then click “Next”.
Step 3: Click on the file type you want to recover and then press the “Scan” button to start the scanning.
Step 4: The software will automatically begin the scanning process. If you are unable to find your lost files, repeat the same steps selecting “All-Around Recovery” method.
Step 5: Immediately after the scanning process is complete, the software will list all the files in their respective file formats and folders. Tick on and confirm what you are going to recover, then click on “Recover” button.
Conclusion
Format Usb For Mac Bootcamp
USB storage devices hаvе bесоmе vеrу рорulаr thеѕе days because thеу аrе a vеrу convenient wау tо ѕtоrе аnd transfer data. Hоwеvеr, thеrе could bе timеѕ whеn you formatted disk, ассidеntаllу dеlеtеd filеѕ, your storage device соuld bесоmе dаmаgеd, оr уоu could end uр with dаtа соrruрtiоn duе tо operating ѕуѕtеm failures, viruѕеѕ, ѕоftwаrе malfunctions оr оthеr рrоblеmѕ thаt саuѕе dаmаgе tо your dаtа ѕtоrеd оn уоur USB storage dеviсе. If it is the case, do not panic. Just download iMyFone AnyRecover to get your lost data back quickly and easily.