APFS (Apple File System): Latest Mac format for macOS High Sierra or later (10.13+).Learn more about which format to use from Apple: For PC and Mac compatibility, select ExFAT (format) and Master Boot Record (scheme).Enter a Name, select the Format and Scheme, and click Erase.(optional)Select a single volume to keep the drive format and only erase that volume’s data.Select the external hard drive (left sorted Internal, External, and Disk Images) and click the Erase button.In the window that appears, double-click the Disk Utility app. Click the Go menu and select Utilities.Bus powered hard drives: connect either directly to your computer to an active hub (has power supply).Connect the hard drive to your computer, power it on and launch Finder.If you have an extra drive, you can also use the Restore feature to erase it and then replace its contents with the files from the drive you want to backup. The simple way is to copy them by dragging the files from one drive to the other. Since formatting an external hard drive will erase all of its files if you wish to save them you must back them up (copy) to another drive. Learn more about erasing hard disks on Mac from Apple. If you’re not sure, eject and disconnect each drive, then only reconnect the drive you want to erase. When formatting a hard drive with Disk Utility, make sure to select the correct drive. Reformatting a hard drive is often done just to erase all of its contents.

Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured. On Mac computers, use the Finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Tell us what you learn and do.Rename volumes Format an External Hard DriveĮxternal hard drives use either spinning disks or solid memory to save your files. Maybe someone who has actually had success with one or another method will see this and contribute. 'Experimental' would keep me from trying it. It seems to me that you need some additional software, though some sites make reference to an 'experimental' solution using Terminal commands. This site is fairly typical of the results of the search and is probably a promotion for one solution, iboysoft. I suggest googling 'Big Sur NTFS' (without the quotes( to see a representative set of opinions. There are several offerings, Paragon being the only such company I have heard of but there are others. I wonder if you were using third party software in the past to be able to write to an NTFS drive. The combination of Big Sur and Macs with Apple Silicon seems to have taken even that limited function away as you are experiencing. In the past the typical situation has been that a Mac could read NTFS drives but not write to them. First of all, this is not a problem I'm having so whatever I have to say is Googling (Duck Duck Go actually.)

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