How Do I Use Wd My Passport For Mac?

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

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

[Guide] How to Format WD My Passport on Mac and PC?

As you know, macOS and Windows take their native file systems, such as APFS, NTFS, and HFS. A WD My Passport formatted with a Mac file organization will fail on Windows and vice-versa. Thankfully, FAT32 and ex-Fat formats take survived to date, and these are the file systems to make your WD My Passport piece of work properly with Mac and PC. Check out the screenshot below to see 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 way more complicated for Mac users. Merely don't panic. With our guide, you'll effortlessly master formatting WD My Passport both on Mac and PC.

Warning: Erasing WD My Passport empties the drive. 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. Wait for the new hard drive to be detected (its icon will appear on your Desktop).

three. Adjacent, go to Finder > Applications > Utilities and open up the Disk Utility.

Launch Disk Utility from the Applications folder

4. Choose the Western Digital hard drive icon in the Deejay Utility sidebar > click the Erase tab.

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

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

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

WD My Passport Erased via Disk Utility — WD My Passport Erased via Deejay 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.

two. Wait until Windows automatically detects the external hard bulldoze and configures it equally an expansion drive.

3. Click the Showtime push and type this PC > select This PC app. A new Windows Explorer window volition open. You'll see a list of installed drives and their bulldoze letters on the left side of the screen.

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

5. Select the File System from the drib-down listing and choose either ex-FAT or FAT32.

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

vii. Go with Quick Format > click Outset.

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 drive, the best way 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?

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

Stellar Data Recovery > Select What To Recover window

2. Toggle the Deep Browse selection > click Scan. Wait till the scan is over.

Stellar Data Recovery > Select Location window — Stellar Information 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

four. Select Browse to specify the save location > press Save. Wait till the recovery is complete.

How to Recover Data from WD My Passport on Windows?

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

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

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows > Select What To Recover

3. Turn on Deep Scan and click the Scan button. Wait till the scan completes.

Stellar Data Recovery for Windows > Recover From

4. Preview and select files you lot desire to recover and click Recover. Specify the drive location to save files > printing Save. Await till the recovery process is over.

Preview files in the Stellar Data Recovery for Windows — Preview files in the Stellar Information Recovery for Windows

Why Use Stellar Information Recovery for Mac and PC?

Stellar Data Recovery Free Edition (Windows or Mac) can browse your WD My Passport storage bulldoze, preview recoverable files for gratis, and recover up to 1 Gigabyte of data without subscribing. Still, if you need unlimited information recovery capability, you'll need to upgrade the software from Free Edition to Professional person Edition. Stellar Data Recovery has a thirty-twenty-four hours money-dorsum guarantee, and then you 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 betwixt a Mac and Windows arrangement conveniently.
Specific 3rd-political party systems, like Digital Camcorders and Sony PlayStation, need the drives to be formatted in either FAT32 or ex-FAT format to perform read and write operations. Bank check this before selecting a file format.
FAT32 supports a maximum volume of up to 8 Terabytes and a maximum file size of upwardly to iv Gigabytes. Ex-Fatty supports a maximum volume size of up to 1 Petabytesyte and maximum file size of 16 Exabytes.
Due to the limitation of FAT32, it might affect Mac'due south and PC's functioning. Therefore, it is ameliorate to choose ex-FAT instead.
Like FAT32, ex-FAT is non a commonly used file organization, due to which its support may vary among third-party devices.
The corruption chances of the external drive increase if used on both Mac and PC systems regularly. So, please support the data before sharing it between the ii computers.

Related reading:

Guide To Mac Difficult Drive Recovery
4 All-time Ways to Recover Deleted Files from External Hard Bulldoze on Mac
Recover Data From External Hard Drive That Isn't Detected
How to Repair Corrupted Difficult Disk Without Formatting

About The Author

ruslana

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