You can get to know how to reformat wd hard drive for mac and pc from this post, if you need to use a western digital external hard drive, like wd elements both under mac and pc. Tutorial on how to format a western digital elements harddrive for a mac. Any copy, reuse, or modification of the content should be sufficiently credited to ccm. Formatting wd mybook 1 terabyte external apple community. After some searching i found the latest disk utility from western digital, acronis true image wd edition. How to format an external hard drive to work with mac. Buy wd 3tb my book for mac desktop external hard drive usb 3. In the instruction is written to make one partition but is not written if it is possible to make more than one. Format western digital passport to fat32 with wd quick formatter wd quick formatter, also known as wd advanced format drivers afds, is an external hard drive format utility for windows and mac, developed by western digital technologies, inc. I am working mainly with mac computer so if i understtod corectly i have to fornat the disk. In the left side of the disk utility window, select the disk you want to use with time machine.
This document, titled how to unlock a wd external drive without a password. My book essential edition is a small, elegant, and easytouse usb external hard drive. Connect your western digital mybook external hard drive to your mac computer with the included usb cable. Hello all, i am switching completely from mac to windows. I just went through some hoops when i got a 2tb mybook studio drive recently for christmas. If you did, then next time you plug the wd mybook to the mac, the wp unlocker will not start automatically it is a glitch i have seen only with the mybook. Format wd elements for mac and pc have your drive for both. Since the unlocker will not show up, the hard drive will remain unseen by the mac. Find efficient methods of wd external drive format for mac here.
Open the disk utility app and highlight your external hard drive. Your my book for mac drive and the wd drive utilities and wd security software are compatible with the following operating systems. Is it a problem if i partition it in more than one. If you want to create multiple partitions on your external hard drive in fact, you should for better file organization, heres a stepbystep guide. The only downside to these drives is that they are not formatted for macos out. Switch to raid1 configuration for redundancy and to mirror data on the wd red drives inside. Whether you need to know how to format wd my passport for your mac.
Disk drive format your my book drive is formatted as a single exfat partition for compatibility with all updated windows and mac operating systems. How to format and use wd my passport for mac just like on windows, your wd passport can be used on your mac too. The automotive industry is undergoing significant transformation with electrification and the development of autonomous vehicles. They sent me back a new enclosure but the drives inside are recertified white labeled red drives.
To view wd drive manager status in windows, roll the cursor over the wd drive manager system tray icon. I just received the replacement 12tb mybook duo from the western digital rma process. I will set the disks in my wd my book duo in raid1, after the disks are full will i be able to just simply take one of the disks out of. The partition you want to share with both mac and windows you partition as exfat. I have a 3tb western digital mybook that i have formatted as msdos from disk utility, the ps4 notes that the drive is there because it does take me to the backup screen and lists the size of everything it will backup, however, no matter what it shows 0 for the data available on the backup drive. Jan 16, 2008 i just purchased 2 western digital my book pro edition 750gb hard drives. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. One question is by doing this will i need to download the software again and my other question is, is there any danger that doing this will affect my computer hard drive in any way. Disk utility wont format my wd eleme apple community. My book 8tb exfat formatting question wd community. The my passport for mac drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with password protection helps keep your digital lifes contents secure. The best external desktop drive is the wd 4tb my book desktop external hard. And copy and paste files from your mac s internal drive to your wd my passport drive. The partition that you want your mac to use for backup you format as mac os extended journaled file system.
Download the wd discovery software for mac from the western digital site. Equipped with wd backup software for windows and apple time machine compatibility for mac, the my book desktop hard drive can back up your photos. How to make external hard drive work with mac and pc youtube. If you are not sure how to format your wd my passport drive take a look at my article on how to format wd. The power connector, interface port, and a security slot on the back usb 3. This answer explains how to format a wd drive for use on windows and macos. Reformatting a external western digital my book drive ask different. Unfortunately, the mybook drive is not recognized by my macbook air. Two easy methods to format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. The first time this happened, i found an obscure firmware update at western digital s forums. Use a mac with an older release of mac os to format your wd passport drive.
To get started, choose the western digital brand youd like help with. Twice now i have had problems formatting a new western digital my book external drive under 10. Format so that you can save your mac files on wd my passport. Oct 03, 20 the enclosures themselves are identical, save for the branding on the mac unit. How to format my my book live home network drive my. 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. Macs dont limit these partition sizes, so if you have access to both operating systems, format the drive using a mac.
Nov 14, 2019 apple in the top toolbar menu about this mac storage. Formatting a wd my passport for a macbook air macrumors. How to reformat a mybook external hard drive on mac osx. How to format wd external drive for mac apple community. Well, why need you to format wd hard drive to fat32. When you buy a western digital wd 1 tb my book external hard drive, they usually come formatted for windows using fat32. Free download western digital fat32 formatting tool for. Western digital my book mac edition user manual pdf. Our datacentric solutions are comprised of the western digital, gtechnology, sandisk, upthere and wd brands. Password protection the my book drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe. My book mirror edition user manual wd drive manager status 11 wd drive manager status wd drive manager status provides a quick view of the general status of the device. The drive was not recognized by my dell laptop running windows xp. 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.
Mybook formatting external drives for mac wd community. Of course, there are more than two methods that can help you format a wd my passport portable hard drive under mac os. I was also unable to format the drive on my vista computer. The answer comes in the positioning of the product. Whats more, you can share digital files between mac and windows system easily.
Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. The other type is ntfs formatted and is simply called wd my passport no for mac after the title. Easily format wd my passport portable hard drive on mac. How to force a hard drive to unmount for formatting in. I recently purchased two wd mybook personal edition 1 tb hard drives. Wd quick formatter, also known as wd advanced format drivers afds, is an external hard drive format utility for windows and mac, developed by western digital technologies, inc. I see that there are several format options as follows. Western digital offers an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices, systems and solutions for businesses and consumers alike. To format your wd elements with a partition for mac and pc 1. Wd external hard drive set up guide how to use on mac youtube. Oct 15, 2015 hello all, i am switching completely from mac to windows. Highlight your drive and click partition in disk utility.
When i upgraded the software mbl would not recognise the partitions previously created. Reformatting 3tb wd my book for mac to windows wd community. To format a western digital my passport external hard drive in exfat or. This software allows you to check the disk health and you can format to hfs using that software. Wd recently updated their my book external desktop hard drive line for both the mac and pc audiences. Your my book drive is formatted as a single ntfs partition for compatibility with all updated windows operating systems. With the limited information you have presented, formatting drives with mac os 10. The obvious question is why does the my book for mac top out at 3tb.
Whats the chances of changing it to a western digital mybook they definitely work, its what ive got. Easily use your wd my passport for mac and windows in 7 steps. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Disk utility fails to format the drive as max os x extended journaled with a format failed. I have two mbps so want to use each of them as a time machine backup drive. Whether you have mac os sierra, high sierra or mojave the way you format your wd elements drive for mac is the same. For more information, go to the same menu option, then select system report. How to unlock a wd external drive without a password ccm. The twonky seems fine and i can put files into it and acces them form my other computers. Your windows pc will not see that partition when you plug your elements drive into your pc. This is useful if a drive is being used under both operating system osto. External hard drives free delivery possible on eligible purchases.
Connect your western digital my passport hard drive to your windows pc through the usb cable. Setting up and using wd security and wd drive utilities. For mac computers, go to the apple menu and select software update or app store. I would like to use the mbl as a backup to the computes but not with the categories as in the wd software. Formatting a my book external drives for pc wd community. How to format or partition an external hard drive for mac. There is a video after that you can watch as extra help. Before proceeding further, it is recommended to take a backup of your important files. Wd has a more extensive desktop line for the mac, with the premium my book studio line, which features an allmetal enclosure and capacities up. I have a question about formatting drives for maximum compatibility between a macbook pro and 2 pcs one running vista 64 bit and the other running windows 7. Partition wd my passport for mac, teach yourself in 10 steps. If you worry about losing data from this hard drive, you can recover lost data with iboysoft mac data recovery at first. Western digital inand memory has become an important part of automated driver systems with local storage to fit the demanding data needs of the vehicle. Do i need formatting software for the western digital drive.
So i plan to connect a wd mybook 4tb hard drive to the time capsule and dump my photos there. External drive like wd elements, my book and my passport can be formatted to fat32 via this tool. Youll find below the ten quick steps, using words and pictures. The new drives feature a redesigned enclosure that better aligns with modern design and updates to wds suite of software that comes with each drive. Quick workarounds to formatting wd elements for mac. My book essential edition user manual getting started 1 getting started thank you for purchasing this wd product. Wd elements, wd my book western digital, my passport wd, we my cloud,wd my. Re formatting a external western digital my book drive.
Formatting wd elements for mac by quick workarounds. The secret to reformatting a western digital wd 1tb my book. How to format a wd my book for airport ti apple community. Before updating to the latest firmware, it is recommended that youve installed the latest updates and service pack on. The wd my book for mac 3tb hard drive boasts a usb 3. Sep 12, 2010 given the problems youre having is it possible that windowsready wont work on a mac and vice versa. Rather than send it back, id like to format it for my macbook air. Equipped with wd backup software for windows and apple time machine compatibility for mac, the my book desktop hard drive can back up your photos, videos, music, and documents. 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. Fix a western digital my book drive formatting problem mac. Click on the finder icon in the dock to open a new finder window. Remember though, if your intension is to free up space on your mac. Experience the convenience of alexa, now on your pc. Western digital my book for mac 3tb external hard drive unboxing and setup on a mac.
Connecting the wd elements drive to a computer running windows operating system, you will get quick workarounds to formatting wd elements for mac. How to format my my book live home network drive my book. Format wd my passport for mac and pc with ms dos fat 32 or exfat. Expand the western digital my book drive on the left side and right click on the partition you wish to mount, select mount. Whether you have the wd my passport for mac or have bought the ntfs version they both need to be formatted first before partitioning. There are many good tools on the market, but having a dependable hard drive on the receiving end as important, too. If you want to partition the disk, click the partition tab and select a layout. The my book duo drive has massive capacity for storing photos, videos, documents and music. Does this mean that they cannot be converted to windows. Out of the both its not mac compatible, but you can format it for use with your mac in just a few minutes. Western digital my book external hard drive users manual. Western digital empowering the worlds data infrastructures. Macos extended journaled macos extended journaled encrypted. Western digital produces a line of external hard drives called the mybook.
There are other options which are more complex if the above has not worked for you. Oct 25, 2018 why need western digital fat32 formatting tool. A western digital external hard drive can be used on both windows and mac osx. They are connected to my mac pro via a fw400 daisy chain. Western digitals mybook drives are very convenient and popular storage options, but if the drive stops working then you might have success by giving it a quick. I hooked them both up to my mac pro, one to the standard firewire 400, the other to firewire 800. Companies are gathering as much data as possible to help the. My passport for mac portable storage is ready right out of the box including all necessary. When i will format the disck is it possible to make 2 0r three partition. Two effective ways to format wd passport for windows.
It could be that your mac already recognizes the device, but just isnt showing its icon on the desktop. By clicking the notify me when available button below, i consent to the use of the information provided below by western digital, to notify me when this item is back in stock. The western digital drive i bought is windows ntfs formatted and not mac friendly so the first thing i did was try to simply format it. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. Format external drive for backup of ps4 data, from a mac. Western digital my book mac edition 1tb for some, a roomy amount of storage space at an affordable price is top priority in a hard driveyou dont care if a hard drive looks functional but not. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using wd discovery. Also, whats the difference between mac os extended journaled and not journaled.
For earlier versions of the mac operating system, screens may be slightly different. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. Although mybook hard drives are capable of working with both macs. Purchasing the best hard drive is all about what you need out of it. Wd elements, wd my book western digital, my passport wd, we my cloud,wd my passport ultra, how to installuse 100gb 200gb 300gb 400gb 500gb. Make sure mac os extended journaled is selected in the format menu. The macbooks memory is totally full and i need to transfer my pics elsewhere. How to partition and format a wd drive on windows and macos. Wd external hard drive set up guide how to use on mac. When it comes to backups, software is only part of the equation. Good afternoon, i want to use the the quick format tool to clean my my book drive. A new windows explorer window opens, on the left side. Wd elements, wd my book western digital, my passport wd, we my.
Partitioning a wd mybook for time machine and videoediting cnet. Connect it, power it up, go to disk utility in applicationsutilities, select the wd disk on the left, go to the erase tab, and choose mac os extended. Raid0 mode provides superfast performance with up to 360mbs2 sequential read speeds using the usb typec port. View and download western digital my book mac edition user manual online. I acknowledge that the information above will be kept until i am notified that this item is back in stock or for 120 days, whichever occurs first. When i try to format my western digital mybook external. This article analyzes why the wd my passport for mac hard drive is not mounting on mac and how to fix this issue. Sep 17, 2009 i just thought id mention this for anyone who is thinking of using a western digital 1tb drive on your ppc mac running 10. Installing a new external wd hard drive on ppc mac. Then, ill introduce you to workable and easy ways to format wd passport external hard drive, wd elements external hard drive and other external hard drives. To view wd drive manager status in mac, click the wd drive manager. Hello there, i just received my wd my book duo and before installing and formatting disks, i have a few questions.
I mistakenly ordered the wd my passport ultra drive for windows instead of my passport for mac. Buy wd 2tb my book for mac desktop external hard drive usb 3. These come formatted as msdos fat32, which is pretty useless for a mac only system. Make external harddrive compatible with mac and windows computer, how to format using disk utility on mac. Compatibility can vary, depending on hardware configuration and operating system. A usb typec port with all cables included makes it universally compatible supports. How to reformat western digital element 1 tb solved.
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