With the advent of OS X El Capitan, Apple made a few changes to how Disk Utility works. The app has a new streamlined user interface, but it's missing a few features that used to be part of Disk Utility before OS X 10.11 came along.
It may be a bit disappointing to find that Disk Utility is missing some basic features, but don’t worry too much. In most cases, the missing features are no longer needed, due to the way OS X and macOS have changed over time.
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In this guide, we're going to take a look at formatting Mac’s drives or disks. We think sometime in the near future, Disk Utility will have a name change; after all, the term disc, which refers to rotating magnetic media, will likely not be the primary storage method for Macs pretty soon. But until then, we're going to use the term disc in a much broader definition, one that includes any storage media a Mac can use. This includes hard drives, CDs, DVDs, SSDs, USB flash drives, and Blade flash drives.
Although the changes to Disk Utility occurred with OS X El Capitan, these changes and the new way to work with the Disk Utility app will remain applicable to all newer versions of the Mac OS going forward, which includes macOS Sierra and macOS Mojave.
Format a Mac's Drive Using Disk Utility
Disk Utility supports many different functions, all involving one or more disks, volumes, or partitions. We're going to use Disk Utility to format a drive, regardless of the type. It doesn’t matter if it's an internal or external, or if it’s a hard drive or an SSD.
The formatting process will format the selected drive by creating a partition map, and apply an appropriate file system that your Mac can work with to the drive.
While you can format a drive to contain multiple file systems, volumes, and partitions, our example will be for a run-of-the-mill drive, with a single partition formatted with the standard OS X Extended (Journaled) file system.
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Warning
The process of formatting the drive will erase all data currently stored on the device. Make sure you have a current backup if you intend to keep any data already present on the drive.
Steps to Format a Drive With Disk Utility
The process of formatting a drive is often confused with erasing a volume. The difference is that formatting affects an entire drive, including any volumes and partitions that have been created on it, while erasing a volume affects just that volume, and doesn't destroy partition information.
That being said, the version of Disk Utility included with OS X El Capitan and later actually doesn't use the word format; instead, it refers to both the formatting of a drive and the erasing of a volume with the same name: Erase. So, while we're going to be formatting a drive, we'll use Disk Utility's Erase command.
Format a Drive With Disk Utility
- Launch Disk Utility, located in /Applications/Utilities.
- Tip: Disk Utility is a handy app to have easily available, so we recommend adding it to the Dock.
- From the left-hand pane, which contains a list of drives and volumes connected to your Mac, select the drive you wish to format. (Drives are the top-level devices, with volumes appearing indented and below the drives. Drives also have a disclosure triangle next to them that can be used to reveal or hide the volume information.)
- The selected drive’s information will be displayed, including a partition map, capacity, and S.M.A.R.T. status.
- Click the Erase button at the top of the Disk Utility window, or select Erase from the Edit menu.
- A panel will drop down, warning you that erasing the selected drive will destroy all data on the drive. It will also allow you to name the new volume you're about to create. Select the format type and partition map scheme to use (see below).
- In the Erase panel, enter the new name for the volume you're about to create.
- In the Erase panel, use the drop-down Format field to select from the following:
- OS X Extended (Journaled)
- OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
- OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)
- OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted)
- MS-DOS (FAT)
- ExFat
- OS X Extended (Journaled) is the default Mac file system, and the most common choice. The others are used in specific circumstances that we won’t go into in this basic guide.
- In the Erase panel, use the drop-down Scheme field to select the partition map type:
- GUID Partition Map
- Master Boot Record
- Apple Partition Map
- GUID Partition Map is the default selection and will work for all Macs using Intel processors. The other two choices are for specific needs that, once again, we won’t be going into at this time. Make your selection.
- In the Erase panel, after you have made all of your selections, click the Erase button.
- Disk Utility will erase and format the selected drive, resulting in a single volume being created and mounted on your Mac’s desktop.
- Click the Done button.
That's all there is to the basics of formatting a drive using Disk Utility. Remember, the process outlined here creates a single volume using all available space on the selected drive.
Also be aware that the Format and Scheme types listed in the Erase option of Disk Utility will have changes as time goes on.
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You can use any USB flash drive on a Mac computer provided that it has been formatted. https://omgwaves.netlify.app/how-to-get-photo-shop-for-free-mac-2018.html. Most flash drives are preformatted by the manufacturer and are ready to use upon purchase. If you have an old flash drive or one that was formatted to work with Windows or another operating system, you can still format your flash drive to work on a Mac.
Volume Format
Most manufacturers use the FAT 32 or MS-DOS (FAT) volume format. These are Windows volume formats, but they can be read by Mac OS X. If your flash drive states that it was formatted with one of these volume types, you should be able to plug it into your Mac and use it without a problem. If you plug in your drive and your Mac won't read it, you need to format it.
Formatting
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To format a flash drive on a Mac, plug in the drive and open the 'Applications' folder, the 'Utilities' folder and then 'Disk Utility.' Your flash drive should be listed in the left menu. Select the drive, and then click 'Erase.' When you see the volume format types listed, choose 'MS-DOS (FAT).' Some older flash drives may only have the options 'FAT 16' or 'FAT 32.' Choose the highest number available if 'MS-DOS (FAT)' doesn't appear.
Warning
Formatting a flash drive erases all data currently stored on it. My passport for mac 2018. If you have already saved anything on the drive, back up the data before you format the flash drive. To back up your data, insert the USB drive into the computer you used with the drive and copy the contents of the drive to the desktop or a folder on the computer. To copy, just drag and drop the files from the flash drive menu to the desktop or desired folder.
Faulty Drives
Occasionally, a faulty flash drive becomes unreadable after it's been used for a while. If you have an older USB flash drive that's been beaten around, it may not work even if you reformat it. While most flash drives are made to withstand years of use, take the age and previous use of the drive into consideration if you have a flash drive that can't be read anymore.
References
About the Author
How To Format Thumb Drive On Mac
Aubrey Kerr is a writer and photographer. With a B.A. in media arts and public relations, she has helped small business owners design and implement online marketing campaigns since 2004. Her work appears on several websites including Salon.com and the Houston Chronicle.
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How To Format Thumb Drive On Mac For Pc 2018 New Year Wallpaper
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