mac and pc compatibility: is this drive compatible with both mac and pc at the same time, or does it need to be formatted?
23241
Yes, this drive is compatible with the PC and the Mac. (I'm using a Dell PC running Windows XP, and a Mac running Leopard 10.5.) Formatting is not necessary on either computer. The drive works about 30 times faster on the Mac, but that could be because the PC is several years older.
135686
in the paper that comes with the drive it directs you to seesupport.wdc.com --> knowledge base article #287The 2TB version I just bought was pre-formatted for NTFS (which Disk Utility recognized just fine...I reformatted for Mac just for the better file system)
1537999
Hi, I actually when I bought it I did not check its Mac supported, whereas I wanted to use it on Windows and Linux.So I repartitioned it with NTFS to use on these OSes. But it had HSpace partition, so it is compatible with all Macs
1947596
Yes it is compatible with Windows 8Install the pre-loaded NTFS driver for Mac and use the drive interchangeably between PC and Mac computers without reformatting.
1518709
There are some HD's out there now that can run both Mac and PC platforms but they have to be partitioned for each platform. I want to say Click Free has one like this now. The best thing is to inquire with the manufacture before purchasing one. Or have one for your PC and one for your Mac.
489053
Just to throw in my 2 cents here, the Disk Utility reformat mentioned above in Andrew's post is spot-on. The drive so far as been great to use. However, I'm running Mac 10.5.6 and it was immediately recognized when I first plugged it in: it mounted and Time Machine asked if I wanted to use it for backups...I did the reformatting anyway as the apps on board are no use to a Mac owner.BTW, the $99 price was unbelievable!Fingers crossed on reliability,Yikesboy
838047
I don't have a Mac but all Flash Drives are or should be compatible. It's just the way you format it.
17689
Yes it is compatible with Mac. I had the same question but once assued it works with Mac and Linux, I installed one in my Mac and run Linux on the other. Great drive for the money.
1614388
I haven't personally used the passport on both mac/pc. But in the past I used a pc at work and was migrating to a mac (and used a mac at home), and it was because WD drives were dual compatible, that I chose this brand. In my current case, I no longer work on a pc, and when I purchased my WD Passport, I purchased the one pre-formatted for mac - so I don't know if it (being pre-formatted mac) would work on a PC. I'd google around for an answer. There is a format choice that allows both mac/pc compatibility.
515166
I use this strictly to do OSX backups using TimeMachine. This drive is formatted for use with Apple computers and is not formatted to be accessed by PCs. I have no idea what you are trying to accomplish, whether it is backing up data using backup tools or just trying to copy files to an external drive that either system can read. Regardless, this is not a good, cost effective, starting point for you. You would need to totally reformat the drive and consider if your PC supports USB 3 because this drive is built to support that higher transfer rate.
477312
The first thing you have to do is to make sure that the drive is set to the format your MAC uses. It should work perfectly fine.
816837
I have used it on both Mac and PC and have daisy chained it with other drives on FireWire. It will do everything you are asking about here.
577669
Hi Shiki, This is very helpful. Is it easy to partition the drive? I just ordered this so I don't have the drive yet, but when it comes I'd like to back up both my Mac and PC... Do you know where to find information on how to partition? Thank you!
2136758
Yes, but accessing the data will depend on how the drive is formatted. I think (you'll have to check) the drive comes formatted in NTSF. For use with both PC and Mac, you'll have to re-format the drive in something like FAT 23. Both Mac and PC should recognize the drive, but FAT 23 has file size limitations.
962705
Yes it will. If you leave the original format and use the NTFS driver for mac you will be able to use between mac and pc
1339934
@TonyI believe you could. You'd have to create two partitions on the drive, one formatted in HFS+ (for Mac) and the other in NTFS (for Windows). I have never done any such thing but it might be worth a try. Of course, as these drives have come so far down in price, why not just buy two, one for Mac and the other for Windows?
2146739
The drive is supported, it comes formatted in fat32. You can reformat to mac only or exFat if you want. USB 3 is not supported on macs (yet, you'll need a new mac), but the drive works just fine.I have 2, use them both on mac's and pc's with no issues. Great drive, really fast even on usb2.