How To Set Up Wd My Passport For Mac

Summary: In this blog post, nosotros'll walk you through all the possible ways to format WD My Passport on Mac and PC.

Before proceeding, note that formatting WD My passport might result in hard drive corruption and information loss. To prevent this, try using software like Stellar Free Data Recovery Software for Mac and PC to rescue your data.

As you lot know, macOS and Windows have their native file systems, such every bit APFS, NTFS, and HFS. A WD My Passport formatted with a Mac file system volition fail on Windows and vice-versa. Thankfully, FAT32 and ex-FAT formats have survived to engagement, and these are the file systems to brand your WD My Passport work properly with Mac and PC. Check out the screenshot below to encounter the compatibility of WD My Passport with macOS and Windows:

WD My Passport file system compatibility

WD My Passport works differently on Mac and PC due to their native file systems. It's much easier on Windows and mode more than complicated for Mac users. But don't panic. With our guide, yous'll effortlessly primary formatting WD My Passport both on Mac and PC.

Warning: Erasing WD My Passport empties the bulldoze. Don't forget to create a backup before proceeding.

How to Format WD My Passport for Mac?

1. Connect Western Digital My Passport drive to your Mac.

2. Look for the new hard drive to be detected (its icon will announced on your Desktop).

WD Passport icon on Desktop

3. Next, go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and open the Deejay Utility.

Launch Disk Utility from the Applications folder

four. Choose the Western Digital hard drive icon in the Disk Utility sidebar > click the Erase tab.

5. Once in the Erase dialog window, select the Volume Format drop-downwards listing > cull APFS (native file system), MS-DOS (FAT), or ex-Fatty.

Note: The ex-FAT file system is the best option for formatting WD My Passport on Mac.

Erase dialog window in Disk Utility

half-dozen. Hit the Erase button. The macOS will erase information on the drive and reformat it to APFS, FAT32, or ex-FAT format. Once formatting is done, you can apply the drive on your Mac as a regular hard drive.

WD My Passport Erased via Disk Utility

How to Format WD My Passport for Windows?

To format WD My Passport for Windows, do this:

1. Connect your WD My Passport hard bulldoze to your Windows PC through the USB cable.

ii. Wait until Windows automatically detects the external hard drive and configures it every bit an expansion bulldoze.

3. Click the Offset button and type this PC > select This PC app. A new Windows Explorer window will open. You'll encounter a listing of installed drives and their bulldoze letters on the left side of the screen.

This PC app on Windows

four. Locate the icon assigned to Western Digital My Passport drive and right-click the connected drive icon > click Format in the pop-up card.

Shortcut Carte > select Format

5. Select the File System from the driblet-down list and choose either ex-Fat or FAT32.

6. Enter a relevant name in the Volume label field.

7. Go with Quick Format > click Kickoff.

Specify Format Details for WD My Passport

Formatting WD My Passport Resulted in Data Loss?

If you have accidentally erased your WD My Passport hard bulldoze, the best style out is to employ data recovery software for Mac and Windows, depending on which computer you accept.

How to Recover Lost Data from WD My Passport on Mac?

1. Install and launch Stellar Information Recovery Free Edition for Mac > select file type > click Next > choose WD My Passport.

Stellar Information Recovery > Select What To Recover window

two. Toggle the Deep Scan selection > click Scan. Wait till the browse is over.

Stellar Data Recovery > Select Location window

3. Preview your scanned files and select all the necessary ones > click Recover.

Preview files in the Stellar Data Recovery for Mac

4. Select Browse to specify the salve location > printing Relieve. Wait till the recovery is complete.

How to Recover Data from WD My Passport on Windows?

1. Install and run Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition for Windows.

2. Select file type > click Next. Choose WD My Passport in the Recover From window.

Stellar Information Recovery for Windows >  Select What To Recover

3. Turn on Deep Browse and click the Browse button. Await till the browse completes.

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows > Recover From

four. Preview and select files you want to recover and click Recover. Specify the bulldoze location to save files > press Relieve. Wait till the recovery process is over.

Preview files in the Stellar Data Recovery for Windows

Why Use Stellar Data Recovery for Mac and PC?

Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition (Windows or Mac) tin scan your WD My Passport storage drive, preview recoverable files for complimentary, and recover up to 1 Gigabyte of data without subscribing. All the same, if you lot need unlimited data recovery capability, yous'll need to upgrade the software from Costless Edition to Professional Edition. Stellar Data Recovery has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and then you lot can upgrade with conviction.

Things you Should Know Before Formatting WD My Passport

• Format your Western Digital My Passport external hard drive to FAT32 or ex-FAT format to transfer the data between a Mac and Windows system conveniently.
• Specific third-party systems, like Digital Camcorders and Sony PlayStation, need the drives to be formatted in either FAT32 or ex-Fatty format to perform read and write operations. Check this before selecting a file format.
• FAT32 supports a maximum volume of up to viii Terabytes and a maximum file size of up to four Gigabytes. Ex-Fat supports a maximum volume size of upwards to 1 Petabytesyte and maximum file size of xvi Exabytes.
• Due to the limitation of FAT32, it might affect Mac's and PC's functioning. Therefore, it is better to choose ex-Fat instead.
• Like FAT32, ex-FAT is not a commonly used file system, due to which its support may vary among third-political party devices.
• The corruption chances of the external bulldoze increase if used on both Mac and PC systems regularly. So, please support the data before sharing information technology between the two computers.

Related reading:

• Guide To Mac Difficult Drive Recovery
• 4 Best Ways to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Drive on Mac
• Recover Data From External Hard Drive That Isn't Detected
• How to Repair Corrupted Hard disk Without Formatting

About The Author

ruslana

Ruslana is a tech content writer whose true passion is finding out nearly everything Mac-related. She specializes in creating macOS guides and tips & tricks. In her spare time, y'all'll find her doing yoga or discovering local coffee shops in search of the best filter coffee.

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Source: https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/format-wd-my-passport-hard-disk/

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