disk format that can be read by mac and windows

You may, however, use HFSExplorer to read a Mac-formatted drive & copy the files to your Windows PC for free. It won’t let you write to Mac-formatted drives, so it won’t install a File Explorer-compatible file system driver. HFSExplorer, on the other hand, isn’t flashy and lacks a lot of functionality. Then, just like any other Windows program, install HFSExplorer.

It does, however, require Java, which you must first install. It’s the only way of accessing a Mac-formatted drive that’s absolutely free. If you need to back up any information on the drive, first connect your drive to a computer that does recognize the drive and transfer the data to a new storage device.HFSExplorer is a good choice if you only have to get a few files off the device. Choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' to use the default Mac file system format. Click the 'Format' drop-down menu and select the format you want to use. Select your hard drive from the list and click the 'Erase' tab. Restart 'Disk Utility' if you had to restart your computer to perform a repair and you still don't see your drive. You may need to restart your computer and follow the prompts to complete the repair.Ĭlick the 'Finder' icon in the Dock and look for your drive in the sidebar.

If the operating system already mounted the drive, an 'Unmount' button displays instead.Ĭlick the 'First Aid' tab and select 'Repair Disk,' if available. Select your hard drive, optical drive or other attached drive in the sidebar. Click 'Go' and select 'Utilities' from the drop-down list. Click the background to bring up the Finder menu in the the top bar.

Disk format that can be read by mac and windows