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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →To format a USB drive on a Mac, open Disk Utility, select the physical drive, click Erase, and choose a file system and partition scheme suited to the computers that will use it. Formatting deletes the drive’s files, so back them up first and verify the selected drive before erasing.
Choose a file system and partition scheme
A file system controls how files are stored; a partition scheme describes how the drive is organized for a computer to access. They are separate choices in Disk Utility. Apple’s guidance is to choose based on the drive’s intended use:
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| Where you plan to use the drive | File system | Partition scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Primarily with a modern Mac | APFS, the file system used by macOS 10.13 or later. | GUID Partition Map for Intel-based and Apple silicon Macs. |
| With Windows; drive is 32 GB or less | MS-DOS (FAT). | Master Boot Record for compatibility with all Windows-based computers. |
| With Windows; drive is over 32 GB | ExFAT. | Master Boot Record for compatibility with all Windows-based computers. |
| With an older PowerPC Mac | Choose a Mac file system compatible with that computer; Apple’s cited scheme guidance does not prescribe a complete legacy file-system choice. | Apple Partition Map. |
Apple’s format recommendations and compatibility guidance are described in its Windows-format instructions, file-system reference, and partition-scheme reference.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Format the USB drive in Disk Utility
- Back up files you want to keep. Erasing deletes the files on the selected device, as Apple warns in its Disk Utility formatting guide.
- Open Disk Utility. Find it in Applications > Utilities, or search for “Disk Utility.”
- Show the full device list. In the menu bar, choose View > Show All Devices.
- Select the physical USB drive. In the sidebar, choose the top-level device rather than a volume indented beneath it. Check its name and capacity so you do not erase another disk.
- Click Erase. Choose the file system for your use case from the table, then select the partition scheme that matches the computers that need to access the drive.
- Name the volume and confirm. For Windows-format instructions, Apple says to enter a volume name and specifies a maximum of 11 characters. Click Erase, wait for the operation to finish, and click Done.
For Apple’s step-by-step Windows-compatible workflow, see Format a disk for Windows computers in Disk Utility on Mac. Apple also provides a general erase and reformat guide and instructions to initialize an external storage device.
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If the Scheme menu is missing
Make sure you selected the physical storage device at the top of the sidebar hierarchy. Apple notes that the Scheme menu may not be available when a volume or other item is selected instead of the device.
Formatting is not the same as secure erasure
Do not rely on an ordinary format to make old data unrecoverable. Apple says secure erase options are available only for some storage devices and are not available for SSDs. Its guidance suggests considering FileVault when beginning to use an SSD for added security; that is not a way to securely erase an external drive that has already been formatted.
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When reformatting may not be the answer
The steps here cover a drive that Disk Utility can identify and erase. They do not establish a fix for a drive that will not mount, appears physically damaged, or produces a specific Disk Utility error; formatting also removes files. If the drive is not behaving normally, avoid erasing it until you have decided whether the data needs recovery.
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