Mac/PC Compatibility? Is this drive compatible with both PCs and Macs without the need to frreformat it?
1668234
THANK YOU!! I didn't know how to get my expansion disk to accept back up information until I read your post and once I used Time Machine to format, everything copied quickly and easily. So again, THANK YOU!!
1668235
Some guy in a comment on one of the one star reviews notes that it needs to be reformatted on the Mac with some specific format (FAT something) and then it will work on both Mac and PC.
1668236
I own a Mac & PC. Works like a charm on both these Operating Systems! Read my review in the 5 stars section for more details
1668237
I have this exact hard drive - purchased it this weekend. It needs to be formatted FAT 32. It works perfectly with my Mac and PC.
1668238
I own a Mac & PC.Works like a charm on both these Operating Systems!Read my review in the 5 stars section for more details
1668239
why does it have it be formatted if the software is supposed to work for both mac and pc ?
1668240
In the first moment I hate this product, because in the box said that only works for PC so I installed and it was true I just only can read not write the disk never let me write but...... if you have a mac just do one thing connect the disk and then select after that go to utilities and part the disk but indicating "1 partition" after a few seconds your only PC external hard drive works well in both MAC and PC
1668241
Windows and Mac don't support all the same disk formats. Windows supports FAT32 and the more robust NTFS. Mac can read and write FAT32, as well as its own OS Extended format, but (unless things have changed) can only read NTFS. So FAT32 can be used for both, and external drives often come pre-formatted in FAT32. But if you're only going to use one, you might want to reformat to something optimal for your chosen platform.
1668242
I was wondering the same thing, and read this review:I've been wanting an external for a long time, but the price just wasn't right. Caught this during the holidays and couldn't pass it up. Being it's my first external, I have nothing to compare it to, but I am pleased with my purchase. Great portability, lightweight, and big amount of storage. I was worried about compatibility with a Mac, but it works seamlessly between Mac and PC. Would consider purchasing another in the future. Also, the same item is at Wal-Mart and on the product page it states that it IS supported by both Mac and PC formats. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/allReviews.do?product_id=10992462 Hope this helps! I was wondering the same thing, and read this review:I've been wanting an external for a long time, but the price just wasn't right. Caught this during the holidays and couldn't pass it up. Being it's my first external, I have nothing to compare it to, but I am pleased with my purchase. Great portability, lightweight, and big amount of storage. I was worried about compatibility with a Mac, but it works seamlessly between Mac and PC. Would consider purchasing another in the future. Also, the same item is at Wal-Mart and on the product page it states that it IS supported by... » Read More I was wondering the same thing, and read this review:I've been wanting an external for a long time, but the price just wasn't right. Caught this during the holidays and couldn't pass it up. Being it's my first external, I have nothing to compare it to, but I am pleased with my purchase. Great portability, lightweight, and big amount of storage. I was worried about compatibility with a Mac, but it works seamlessly between Mac and PC. Would consider purchasing another in the future. Also, the same item is at Wal-Mart and on the product page it states that it IS supported by both Mac and PC formats. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/allReviews.do?product_id=10992462 Hope this helps! « Show Less
747882
Easy to reformat.... But you will need to reformat it on your Mac. Use the Disk Utilities.(FAT32 I think???) Your PC wont recognize the drive until it is reformatted. Macs can see PC formatted drives, but PC's can not see Mac formats. The cable that comes with the drive will work on USB 2.0 or 3.0, no need to buy a new cable.
135688
If you have a PC, you will generally format this drive using the NTFS file system. A Mac can only read NTFS formatted drives, but can not write to them.If you format this drive to FAT32, both PC and Mac will be able to read/write to it.*the limitations of FAT32 however, prevent a single file size being greater than 4Gb
1776683
Yes it is.....when you get the drive reformat it to Mac os extended journal
401162
I love this portable hard drive. It does come with a USB cord. I have a PC. I am not sure about a Mac.
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.
1204655
Hi Dianne! This unit s formatted for Mac OS 10.5 or later operating systems and requires reformatting for Windows operating system. Compatibility may vary depending on your hardware configuration and operating system. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use this unit with my Mac OS 10.8.5 operating system and sent it back after talking with the WD tech people. I ended up buying a G-Technology G-DRIVE for more money. Works really well. Costs twice as much, but is compatible with both Mac and Windows systems. Check out Amazon for the best prices! Hope this helps!!
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.
1568389
Yeah I have a mac and used it. If you want to be able to use it and switch between a mac and a pc, format it. Here's some directions. I did this because I gave this usb to someone full of music as a Christmas present. http://www.ehow.com/how_5795930_format-usb-drive-mac-pc.html
508479
My Mac is USB 2.0 as well and the WD HD is perfectly compatible, no problems encountered.
305941
Yes, you can store any data on it. If you are going to be using the drive with both Mac and PC, you should consider reformatting it as ExFAT, which is fully compatible with both. It will provide the most flexibility.
450046
The description for the 500GB model says "Preformatted hard drive is ready for immediate use with Windows and Mac." I don't have a Mac, but based on that, my guess is it should work on both.
1280902
I don't have a MAC, but to my knowledge this is Sata and they all provide info via the Sata cables.. othern than that this drive is barebones.
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!
953783
I think the question is does the drive come preformated for Mac or PC or do you have to format it for either OS and setup two partitions if you want to use it across platforms.
23240
Sounds like the PC doesn't have USB 2.0, so that would cripple USB speed.Most any "current" USB drive will work on both Mac and PC as the "standard" format is FAT -- and older Windows format that can be read and written "out of the box" by recent Mac OS X versions.
301969
I re-read your question. It sounds like you want to use it on BOTH a MAC and a PC from interchangeably. One to do this which I am familiar with is to format the drive to FAT32. This makes it readable and writable by both mac and windows os...however there are file size limitations with FAT32...but as long as your files are smaller than a couple GB you should be good. There are other solutions....but would be best if you conduct the research yourself.