New Apple devices will be formatted with APFS while old Mac drives can use the HFS file system. The best news is that most devices included Mac computers can read and write from FAT32 devices. USB drives and external hard drives use the Windows FAT32 to format for compatibility. Apple now uses APFS or the Apple File System and Windows uses the NTFS file system for its internal drives. Windows Can’t read Mac Drives as they both use different file systems. Unfortunately, it’s a simple process like connecting the drive to a computer using a USB and reading the files. Can You Read a Mac Formatted Drive on a Windows Computer?
Although you can find third-party software to get Mac hard drives to work with NTFS, and windows to work with HFS, these cost money, and you may have to deal with bugs or request for permission to install the software.įortunately, you don’t have to struggle anymore, here’s a detailed guide on how to convert Mac hard drive to Windows without losing data. Windows uses NFTS file format while Mac drives use HFS, this means Macs can’t write to NTFS drives while Windows can’t read or write HFS. You’ll need to convert your Mac hard drive to Windows. However, what happens when you get a mac hard drive that won’t work with Windows? You may need to reformat it to work with both computers. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.If you don’t have a robust internal hard drive, investing in an external hard drive can help you quickly transfer files between computers. **As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Social Media and Cloud services may be changed, terminated or interrupted at any time and may vary by country.
"*Social Media or Cloud account registration may be required. The My Passport Ultra for Mac drive is built using tried and true components for lasting endurance and comes with a 3-year limited warranty to deliver premium storage you can rely on. With up to 4TB** of capacity, you have plenty of room to keep your photos, videos, music and documents with you, wherever you go and in your control. WD Discovery software can also be used to manage your drive settings such as reformatting, LED control and more. To help preserve your online life, WD Discovery allows you to import your content from popular social media and cloud storage services like Facebook, Dropbox and Google Drive™*. WD Security function within WD Discovery helps keep your files private with a password of your choosing, making it easy to enable password protection and 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption. Password Protection with 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption
We provide a downloadable HFS+ driver for Windows® 10, 8.1 or 7 to enable you to read and write to your My Passport Ultra for Mac drive without reformatting.
With WD Discovery™ software, you can also work across both Mac and PC. My Passport Ultra for Mac is formatted for Time Machine and ready to deliver plug-and-play storage out of the box. Featuring USB-C™ technology, the My Passport™ Ultra for Mac portable drive delivers quick and easy storage for your Mac, while the included USB 3.1 adapter makes sure it’s compatible with older machines.įusing modern anodized metal and textures, the My Passport™ Ultra for Mac portable drive matches your personal style and the latest Mac computers.