So, What Is The Issue? Why Doesn't My External Hard Drive Just Work? When you consider price, ease of use, and portability, the Seagate Ultra Touch HDD is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times.Best Seller in External Hard Drives WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive HDD, USB 3.0, Compatible with PC, Mac, PS4 & Xbox - WDBU6Y0020BBK-WESN 4.7 out of 5 stars 131,356 Options For Having An External Hard Drive For Mac And PC Without FormattingThe best external hard drives for macOS Big Sur are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. See all External Hard Drives This Seagate 1TB external hard drive offers easy plug-and-play operation for instant connectivity, and the fabric exterior provides a touch of style. One of the Best Gaming External Hard Drives For Mac Silicon Power Armor A60 The Silicon Power Armor A60 is a rugged and portable external hard drive that comes with 3 TB storage capacity, military-grade shock-proof body, cable carry design, USB 3.0 and is compatible with Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim.The portable design slips comfortably into pockets, and USB 3.0 connectivity lets you store and retrieve files quickly.Use a Software Solution – You get a piece of software that sits on your Mac. And What Do You Do With The Spare External Hard Drive When You're Done?Options For Having An External Hard Drive For Mac And PC Without Formatting1. Options For Making An External Hard Drive For Mac And PC Without Formatting How Much Do You Want To Spend On The Problem? Which Computer Are You Planning To Use Your External Hard Drive Most On? There are different sorts of file systems. So, What Is The Issue? Why Doesn’t My External Hard Drive Just Work?Each drive, whether internal, external, a hard drive or an ultra fast SSD has a file system on it.A file system is how your Windows PC or Mac stores and finds your documents on that drive. This allows you to have your documents set up so that both computers can use them without you loosing any data. Use a Hardware Solution – An extra external hard drive. It interprets what is on the external hard drive so that your Mac or PC can read and write to the drive.2. This software acts like a translator.Then you can check the drive’s properties if you’re not sure what file system it uses. The faster SSD drives on a Mac may well use an APFS file system.To check, right click on the external hard drive. Your Mac read HFS+ (also known as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system, APFS (the apple file system), FAT32 and ExFAT file systems.You’ll also see the file system referred to as the drive’s formatting.Typically, an external hard drive that works on a Windows PC uses an NTFS file system.And an external hard drive that works on a Mac is in HFS+ format. Your Windows PC reads FAT32, NTFS and ExFAT file systems.
Best External Hardrives For Mac And PCYou just need to fix the issue on the Windows PC for the short time you’ll use the external hard drive there.If your answer is, you will use equally on both. Then you just need to fix the issue on the Mac for the odd time you need to use the drive there.If mostly on your Mac then the same thing holds true. Which Computer Are You Planning To Use Your External Hard Drive Most On?Because if your using your external hard drive mostly on your Windows PC. You use the software on the Mac or Windows PC that can’t read the drive. Or you may need to spend some money.Options For Making An External Hard Drive For Mac And PC Without Formatting 1. How Much Do You Want To Spend On The Problem?You may get lucky and find there is a free solution. Windows emulator for mac wineskinOr wait for the release of a version that works.The manufacturer of your hard drive may provide a free solution.So it is well worth checking the model of your external hard drive on the manufacturers site.For example Seagate provides a free NTFS reader for the Mac on their support downloads page.Check the software is compatible for the operating system you’re running. You’ll need to check that the software is compatible with the new operating system. Or your Windows PC, if you bought it for the Windows PC. Each time you upgrade the operating system on your Mac (if you have bought it for a Mac). HFS+ for Windows – Sits on the Windows PC and allows it to read HFS+ formatted external hard drives.Tuxera also has a free trial period that you can take advantage of before you buy. APFS drives on the Mac are often SSD drives. APFS for Windows – This piece of software sits on the Windows PC and allows it to read the Mac’s APFS drives. NTFS software for Mac – you load this software on the Mac to read a Windows PC NTFS formatted drive. That allows you to test out the Paragon software and make sure it’s for you and your particular set up.The Paragon Software set of tools has more options compared to Tuxera. Paid Software SolutionsThe two front-runners in this space with the best reputations are:Both companies have tools that make an external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without formatting.The good news is that you can download the software and have a 10 day free trial. And because your Mac can read the NTFS drive. And the other Finder windows on the ExFAT drive.4. One finder window on the NTFS formatted drive. You then open two finder windows on your Mac. Outlook 17 for mac does not find items in body outlookYou’ll need a drive with nothing on it.Just as if you bought the drive yourself, you follow my directions above.You format the drive to ExFAT. And What Do You Do With The Spare External Hard Drive When You’re Done?Use your second external hard drive for backup.A good idea as you should never only have one copy of your documents on any drive.As drives as well as cloud storage have been known to and do fail.And that would mean you loosing all your documents, files, photos, music … Loan A DriveIf you can, find a good friend to loan an external hard drive from. And you did it without losing any data. You can plug that drive into either and use it.Yes, you had some formatting to do but it was on the new drive. You have all your files on a drive that is compatible with both Mac and PC. And without formatting the drive. And which you find the easier to use.Either way there is a solution to having an existing external hard drive for Mac and PC. Last WordsI hope you enjoyed my article on how to make an external hard drive compatible with Mac and PC without reformatting.Whether you go the software or hardware route depends on your situation.
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