How To Format USB On Mac: 10 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow

Skip to ContentQuizzes

• PRO Courses Hot Guides Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade
• QUIZZES All Quizzes Hot Love Quizzes Personality Quizzes Trivia Quizzes Taylor Swift Quizzes
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help ProAbout UsRandom ArticleQuizzes Request a New ArticleCommunity DashboardTrendingForums Arts and EntertainmentArtworkBooksMoviesComputers and ElectronicsComputersPhone SkillsTechnology HacksHealthMen's HealthMental HealthWomen's HealthRelationshipsDatingLoveRelationship Issues Hobbies and CraftsCraftsDrawingGamesEducation & CommunicationCommunication SkillsPersonal DevelopmentStudyingPersonal Care and StyleFashionHair CarePersonal Hygiene Quizzes Love Quizzes Personality Quizzes Fun Games ForumsArts and EntertainmentFinance and BusinessHome and Garden Relationship QuizzesCars & Other VehiclesFood and EntertainingPersonal Care and Style Sports and FitnessComputers and ElectronicsHealthPets and Animals TravelEducation & CommunicationHobbies and CraftsPhilosophy and Religion Work WorldFamily LifeHolidays and TraditionsRelationships Youth
• LOG IN

  Log in

  Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. Facebook Google wikiHow Account No account yet? Create an account
• RANDOM

• Home
• Random
• Browse Articles
• TrendingNew
• Quizzes & Games
• All QuizzesHot
• Love Quizzes
• Personality Quizzes
• Fun Games
• Dating Simulator
• Learn Something New
• Forums
• Courses
• Happiness Hub
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow

• Log in / Sign up

Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow

• Categories
• Computers and Electronics
• Operating Systems
• Mac

How to Format USB on Mac Download Article Explore this Article Steps Steps Other Sections Questions & Answers Related Articles References Author Info

Last Updated: September 15, 2023

Download Article X

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 269,607 times. Learn more...

Most external hard drives and USB drives are compatible for use on Mac computers as long as you format the devices for use with Mac OS X. USB drives can be formatted on your Mac using the Disk Utility application.

Things You Should Know

• Formatting a USB involves prepping the device to store information.
• Most USBs are compatible with Mac if they are formatted beforehand.
• When formatting USB drives on your Mac, you can use the Disk Utility application.

Steps

Download Article

1. 1 Connect your USB drive to your Mac computer.
2. 2 Open the Applications folder and click on “Utilities.” Advertisement
3. 3 Click on “Disk Utility.” The Disk Utility window will open and display on-screen.
4. 4 Click on the name of your USB drive in the left window pane in Disk Utility.
5. 5 Click on the “Erase” tab displayed at the top of the Disk Utility window.
6. 6 Click on the dropdown menu next to “Format.”
7. 7 Select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled),” or your preferred format type. The former option can help ensure that the USB drive is made fully compatible with your Mac, since most USB drives are preformatted for Windows computers by default.
8. 8 Type a name for the USB drive in the “Name” field.
9. 9 Click on the “Erase” button located at the bottom right corner of Disk Utility.
10. 10 Click on “Erase” again when the confirmation dialog box displays on-screen. Your USB drive will now be formatted and ready for use on your Mac computer.[1]
Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search Add New Question

• Question Will doing this make it ONLY compatible with a Mac? Currently I can use it anywhere but it's almost full and I can't seem to delete anything. Friedolin Baum Community Answer Yes, if you choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" in step 7, the USB drive will then only work with Mac computers. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 8 Helpful 54
• Question I need to format the USB with "FAT32 32KB." How can I do this? Tenjingawa Community Answer First, open Disk Utility as shown in the article. Then select your USB from the list of disks on the left, and then click on "Info" on the top right. A new window will appear. Note down the "BSD device node" shown. After that, open Terminal (in the same Utilities folder). Then type the following commands into the window (without the quotes): "diskutil unmount /dev/[BSD device node]" "sudo newfs_msdos -F 32 -c 64 -v VOLUMEID /dev/[BSD device node]" (-F 32 means FAT32, while -c is "the number of sectors per cluster". FAT32 has a sector size of 512 bytes, so you need 64 of them to have 32KB per cluster; 512B×64=32768B=32KB) Then enter your password if required, and wait. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
• Question I use "Mac OS Extended (journal)" in step 7, but I didn't know that my USB can be used only with Mac. How am I going to reset that or do something to make it work in another computer? Sami8667 Community Answer To make your USB drive compatible with both Mac and Windows, reformat it on your Mac: Connect the USB drive. Open Disk Utility in "Applications" > "Utilities." Select the USB drive. Click "Erase" and choose "ExFAT" or "FAT32" as the format. Name the drive. Click "Erase" (all data will be lost). Now your USB drive can be used on both Mac and Windows computers! Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Tips

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

How to Format a USB Flash Drive to FAT32 on a Mac 2 Simple Ways to Erase and Format a USB Flash Drive Easily Format an SD Card on a Mac Desktop or MacBook How to Erase a Flash Drive Completely on PC or Mac How toConnect External Hard Drive to Macbook Pro How to Reformat an External Hard Drive on Windows or Mac How toWipe a Mac Clean How toFormat a Hard Disk What Partition Scheme Should I Use on a Mac? How to Format a USB Drive in Ubuntu: 3 Step-by-Step Methods An Unrecognized USB Drive: How to Fix It & Recover Your Data How to Format a CD or DVD: Step-by-Step Tutorial for Windows & Mac How to Wipe an External Hard Drive: 3 Easy Methods How toFormat an SSD Drive Advertisement

References

1. ↑ http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/04/format-an-external-hard-drive-or-usb-flash-drive-for-mac-os-x/

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 269,607 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 4 Updated: September 15, 2023 Views: 269,607 Categories: External Storage Devices | Mac In other languages French Spanish Indonesian Russian Italian Turkish Chinese Japanese Dutch Vietnamese Thai Korean

• Print
• Send fan mail to authors

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 269,607 times.

Is this article up to date?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

About This Article

Click a star to vote Co-authors: 4 Updated: September 15, 2023 Views: 269,607

Quizzes & Games

Discord Username Idea GeneratorGenerate NamesPodcast Name GeneratorGenerate NamesGender Neutral Name GeneratorGenerate NamesWhat Fruit Am I QuizTake QuizWhat’s The Perfect Hair Care Routine For MeTake QuizAm I Ready for College QuizTake Quiz

You Might Also Like

How to Format a USB Flash Drive to FAT32 on a Mac2 Simple Ways to Erase and Format a USB Flash DriveEasily Format an SD Card on a Mac Desktop or MacBookHow to Erase a Flash Drive Completely on PC or Mac

Featured Articles

What Are the Korean Animal Face Types? (And Which Type Do You Have?)Being the Little Spoon While Cuddling: Is It Better Than the Big Spoon?115+ Funny “Get Well Soon” Messages to Make Someone Laugh110+ “Fun Facts” for Interviews, Introductions, & IcebreakersHow Long Would You Survive In A Zombie Apocalypse?How to Roast Someone in a Rap Battle (Plus the Best Bars of All Time)

Trending Articles

What Song Was #1 On My Birthday?How Many People Had a Crush on Me This Year? Find Out HereBest Personality TestDo I Have Common Sense QuizDaily Horoscope (All Signs): What Do The Stars Predict Today?✩⟡˚₊‧Compatibility Test

Featured Articles

What Turns a Girl On? 31 Things to Try on Your PartnerLove AnalyzerSending Your Sweetie a Love Note? Here are 200+ Romantic IdeasHow toExercise Your BrainHow toBe a Fun Person to Hang out WithWhat Does Your Morning Routine Say About You?

Featured Articles

How toDevelop Productive HabitsHow toPractice Self CareWhat Song Matches Your Life Right Now?Your 2026 Vision: What Does Next Year Hold?Understanding the Most Attractive Face Shapes (& Determining Your Own)Type A B C D Personality Test

Watch Articles

How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen Sink (& Keep It Clean)How to Curl Your Hair: 8 Easy & Quick WaysHow toThicken Sauce with FlourHow to Brighten Up White Shirts and Other GarmentsHow to Cook White Rice without a Rice CookerHow to Clean Out the Inside of a Glass Bottle (With or Without a Brush)

Trending Articles

10 Ways to Get Rid of a Hickey FastWhat Am I Craving Quiz150 Unique & Sentimental Ways to Say “Happy New Year”30+ New Year’s Eve Games to Keep Your NYE Party GoingWhich Hogwarts House Do You Truly Belong In?Toxic Family Test

Quizzes & Games

Which Tron Character Am I QuizTake QuizWhat Kind of Minecraft Player Am I QuizTake QuizStar Wars Name GeneratorGenerate NamesGeneral Knowledge Trivia QuizTake QuizDemon Name GeneratorGenerate NamesHow Unique Am I QuizTake Quiz

• Categories
• Computers and Electronics
• Operating Systems
• Mac

wikiHow Newsletter You're all set! Helpful how-tos delivered toyour inbox every week! Sign me up! By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy.

• Home
• About wikiHow
• Experts
• Jobs
• Contact Us
• Site Map
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info
• Contribute

Follow Us

×

Keep up with tech in just 5 minutes a week!

Subscribe You're all set! X --761