How do I format a new hard drive for Mac?

Posted on by Muna Meyer

How do I format a new hard drive for Mac?

How to format an external drive in OS X

  1. Connect the drive to the Mac.
  2. Open Disk Utility.
  3. Select the drive you want to format.
  4. Click Erase.
  5. Give the drive a descriptive name and leave the default settings: OS X Extended format and GUID partition map.
  6. Click Erase and OS X will format the drive.

How do I get my Mac to recognize a new hard drive?

Check Apple’s Disk Utility to see if an external drive is showing up. Disk Utility is within System Preferences, or you can find it using Spotlight. If it is visible, then click the option to Mount, which should make it visible on the desktop and in the External Drives option in the Finder menu.

How do I format my MacBook Pro hard drive?

What to Know

  1. Press the power button to start the MacBook Pro and immediately press and hold Command+R to boot into Recovery Mode.
  2. Select Disk Utility > Continue. Choose your startup disk in the left panel. Select Erase.
  3. Name the drive and choose a format. If asked for the scheme, select GUID Partition Map > Erase.

How do I install a new operating system on my MacBook Pro?

Here are the steps Apple describes:

  1. Start up your Mac pressing Shift-Option/Alt-Command-R.
  2. Once you see the macOS Utilities screen choose the Reinstall macOS option.
  3. Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.
  4. Select your startup disk and click Install.
  5. Your Mac will restart once the installation is complete.

Why is my Mac not detecting my hard drive?

Change the Finder settings One of the most common reasons for Mac not recognizing external hard drives is due to the system not being set up to display hard drives on the desktop. There’s a simple fix for this: Open a Finder window. Check that the External disks option is enabled.

What is the best format for Mac hard drive?

exFAT
If you want to format your external hard drive to work with Mac and Windows computers, you should use exFAT. With exFAT, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.

How do I wipe my SSD Mac?

Erasing an External SSD

  1. Back up any data you want to preserve that’s on on the external Flash drive or SSD.
  2. Select it in the Finder, right-click, and select Encrypt…
  3. Write down the password.
  4. Launch Disk Utility, select the drive, then select the Erase option.