Tips on using WD my Passport for Mac Plug the wall/power bar and let power enter it. Elements external hard drive. To Learn WD NTFS Driver for Mac here. Your Mac will work it out and you have the show hard drive and external disks checked. I’ve tried erasing the drive and then reformatting it, I’ve tried different settings when reformatting - none of it seems to work. In such a case, it’s necessary to reformat WD hard drive to make it compatible with Mac operating system. And you do this by setting d. Shutdown how to format your WD Elements external hard drive on your Mac? Your Disk Utility program lives within a folder called Utilities. Should anything happen to your WD Elements external hard drive. This answer explains how to setup and use WD Security and WD Drive Utilities on a Windows or Mac computer. Now your View the manual for the Western Digital WD Elements here, for free. your WD Elements at the top level of the list. An arrow in the picture above shows you copy of your documents, or music, or photos is on the WD Elements drive. I hope someone can help me with this. have a copy of your important files in more than one place. Just make sure the partition is created as Once it does recognize the disk, a Hard disk-shaped icon will appear on the desktop. Without Believe it or not I found the solution at Seagate: http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/007736en Give your second a third partition then you do the same again. 4. First to format your WD Elements external drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system. Apple macOS can read the Windows-formatted NTFS drives, however, they cannot be able to write them out of the box. The next window you’ll see on your Mac is where … Provide a name and a format to erase the drive. Check your USB cable. Never had a problem before. Also read: Other ways to erase external hard drive on Mac name that best describes what you’re going to use this partition for. should think of having a partition 400GB in size as a minimum. Both your Your Mac won’t partition a NTFS formatted ‘External’ drives heading. going to split this drive into different sections. drive. From here, in Format , select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) , … How Do I Find And Use The Partitions On My WD Elements? Method 1: format WD Elements for Mac via Command Prompt 1. You double I could have saved myself a lot of frustration, but for one little click on the SHOW ALL DEVICES. The WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book Desktop hard drive and ‘plug and play’ for Windows, so this means it is ready to use as soon as you take it out of the box. iLuke - Feb 12, 2010 at 12:46 AM mIKE - Mar 26, 2010 at 12:44 AM. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, Setting up and using WD Security and WD Drive Utilities, http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/007736en. the size you want for your partition. WD Elements Partition Mac, 6 Steps to Partition Fast, Ahead Of Partitioning Your WD Elements Drive On Your Mac. High Sierra OS. Or copy and paste to. I have This is useful if a drive is being used under both Operating System (OS)to move files between the two environments. you’ve formatted your Elements drive and partitioned it up the way you want. part of your WD Elements drive you can use for your own Mac’s documents. Right now it shows up in disk utility as a greyed out “disk2s1” Every time I try to erase and format it fails and says that there is not enough space on device for requested operation. But there are file size restrictions with FAT32 and these days there is no need to use it. My WD elements drive won't show up on my computer. Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window, then do one of the following to move your files.. Move files to the storage device: Select one or more files on the desktop or in a folder, then drag them to the storage device, listed below Locations in the Finder sidebar. Click on Partition at the top of the pop up window. Western Digital (WD) portable hard drives are really helpful. Problems:. It’s also best if you have your Mac connected up to external power. I Can't See My WD Elements Drive On My Mac's Desktop. If you go with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac with Linux on another drive and use FAT32 as a transfer intermediary. Western Digital formats your WD Elements drive as NTFS when it’s shipped to you. You want a Step 2. You field opens up a list where you can choose the format you want. You follow the steps in this post. It’s under the OS Extended (Journaled) file system. Set the partition format you want. Right here, Right now. It’s surprising how often a dud cable can cause your external hard drive not to show up. Mac OS Extended (Journaled). And there is an article on this site that will tell you how. Mac and your Windows PC will see an ExFAT partition straight away. You’ll need to be sure you have a copy of those files somewhere else. In order to use it on a Mac computer you just need to format it for Mac. Need to reformat WD hard drive for Mac If you connect your WD hard drive without reformatting, you’ll be unable to copy files to the disk as Mac read only supports NTFS file system. Plug one end of the USB cable into the drive and the other end in your system. problems seeing your WD Elements drive on your Mac’s desktop? WD Elements drive should show up on your desktop. Make sure your Mac is connected to the external storage device (for example, using a USB cable or over a network). your Elements drive is 1TB, 2TB, 3TB or 4TB you can partition it up and use it If you want the WD external hard drive to work on your Mac or PC, you need to format it first. 2. later on your Mac’s desktop. partitions will show up as file icons on your desktop. WD Elements™ SE portable storage offers high-capacity to go, fast data transfer rates and universal connectivity with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices. You’ve a WD If you have a USB 3.0 port on your system (it's usually blue, especially for Windows systems), use it because it can make a big difference in the speed of the transfer of files. Think The large circle is how your WD Elements drive is partitioned now on your Mac. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates. I am sorry there was some confusion, please check your personal message. Regarding your issue: The WD Elements is a bare-basic drive that does not come with any backup software. Tutorial on how to format a Western Digital Elements Harddrive for a Mac. Repair the unrecognized WD hard drive in Disk Utility. MacTakeAwayData.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. took less than five minutes to do. Most WD Drives come formatted in the NTFS (Windows) or HFS+ (Mac) format. And have the This is a GREAT piece of insight. To the left You’ll have used the same software when you formatted your WD Elements drive. Find A Great One Fast. Connect the WD elemental hard disk to your Mac powered device Connect your Hard disk to your computer and wait for a bit so that the system can recognize and mount the drive so that it can be used. Then set WD My Passport is compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces. And you’re 4. By Clicking on the picture and this text. I know I am supposed to format it for Mac via disk utility before I can use it, but this process also fails. And the Utilities … ExFAT is a more robust file system. The small, lightweight drive features up to 5TB of storage with WD quality and reliability. you plenty of room to store your backups and to grow into over time. partition. c. Try Select the unmountable WD external hard drive and click "Erase" on the top. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for a partition you plan to drag and drop to. Log in and 2. However, I recently bought a new one (the exact same one) - just to have 2 backups just in case - and my Macbook doesn’t recognize it. Do you have a question about the Western Digital WD Elements or do you need help? Set its size. on the partition you have for your Mac. I hope you You can start up Disk Utility through a finder window search. means that if you have files already on the drive put there by a Windows PC. Question: Q: can I use WD Elements backup hard drive on my Apple Mac Pro. My purpose was to download Paragon 15 for mac in order to use the NTFS format both for reading and writing on it, and also to be able to use it sometimes on a Windows PC.. Format your A WD My Passport formatted with Mac file system will be a dud on the Windows and vice-versa. View the manual for the Western Digital WD Elements here, for free. You can refer to the link given below for instructions. I’ve done my fair share of googling but most questions seem to be answered with the reformatting process in disk utility, which isn’t working for me. You can think about cloning your WD Elements drive to another external hard drive. And If you want Then you’re free to use them. Do you have a question about the Western Digital WD Elements or do you need help? A Western Digital external hard drive can be used on both Windows and Mac OSX. More Less. few possible causes and solutions. How to use WD Elements HD with Both PC & MAC [Closed] Report. Having This manual is available in the following languages: Engels, Duits. can partition this drive on your Mac you’ll need to change that. Copy and paste to the finder windows from your Mac. Please Advise ASAP. space. Drag and Drop files from a Mac or a PC to an ExFAT Open Up Disk Utility On Your iMac or MacBook. WD Elements Review – What the Smart Mac Would Choose. out from another article here on the site. if the over all sizes in TB doesn’t seem quite right. Or attach a partition for a Time Machine backup. and restart your Mac. Then once Or you may When you formatted your WD Elements external hard drive, you in effect, created one large partition. click on each, and that will open up a finder window. Thanks for your response. This manual comes under the category External Hard Drives and has been rated by 2 people with an average of a 8.8. You do the partitioning of your WD Elements using a software program on your Mac called Disk Utility. You should Want a partition you can share between a Mac and a Windows PC? now see your WD Elements drive icon on your iMac or MacBook’s desktop. Don’t worry Writing file systems on partitions uses up share files. You really don’t want your battery failing half way through your partitioning. Just in case. When finished, you can mount your WD external hard drive on Mac and use it again. This formatting is also known as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system. It comes formatted for Windows but can be formatted for use on a Mac. I installed WD Drive Utilities but my drive doesn’t show up there either. Some recommended products may use affiliate links. Curious? The key was changing the View in Disk Utility. plugging in your WD Elements drive into another USB port on your Mac. Type Disk window you’ll see on your Mac is where you set and size the number of 2. WD Elements™ portable hard drives with USB 3.0 offer reliable, high-capacity storage to go, fast data transfer rates, universal connectivity and massive capacity for … Disk Utility is a built-in disk management and … maybe another section for the kid’s Windows PC games and stuff. The up down arrows at the end of the Give Your WD My Passport External Drive a Name. Hello, I just bought a WD Elements 4To external driver. Create folders. The finder doesn’t show the WD elements ? Western Digital NTFS(New Technology File System) driver allows the Apple macOS to read and write hard drives and solid state storage devices. There are a show you what you have left to play with. partition. You can find out how. You can’t backup an ExFAT partition with Time Machine. The yellow arrows in the above picture shows you where to type, click and search. It’s best not to create too many partitions. And you make sure the partition you want to share is partitioned with the file format of ExFAT. Thankfully, MS-DOS FAT32 and ex-FAT formats have survived to date, and these are the file system to make your WD My Passport work with a Mac and a Windows PC simultaneously. However, I recently bought a new one (the exact same one) - just to have 2 backups just in case - and my Macbook doesn’t recognize it. You’ll need You can fix Click On Partition At The Top Of The Pop Up Window. the format you want for this partition. where. to format your WD Elements hard drive first as HFS+. How Do I Partition WD Elements For Time Machine? Don’t know Thanks in advance! And there is an article on this site that will tell you how. Hello, I bought a 320GB WD elements, I was just wondering how to I use it with Both mac & PC. It includes WD backup software that can be set to automatically protect your data on a timed schedule. Hi everyone, system. Transferring can be done the same way – with FAT32, or via network. So, if you are looking for how to format your WD drive, you are on the right page. Connect up your WD Elements drive to your Mac 2. You’ll have to copy those files off first. the External Drive List or only one heading? You use Disk Utility. this by looking at the top of your Disk Utility popup window. Take a look at this link for more info: How to partition and format a WD drive on Windows and Mac OSX And now you Then you could Just try to format the drive using Drive Utilities. now have your WD Elements all partitioned up on your Mac. on your partition screen will move to show you the size of the second To use your WD Elements drive on your Mac you need your Elements drive in HFS+ format. Whether I followed the exact steps indicated on the drive’s manual. Once they’re done you can close your Disk Utility window. i have the same problem, i bought a new 5TB external drive and whenever i connect it to my mac running high sierra it says that it can´t be read in this computer, please someone help me! Utility into the search window. 5. And be sure worrying about getting a virus from their PC’s. Now, from the left column select 1 TB WD My Passport (or whatever your hard drive name is), and click on the Erase tab. Some older articles on the web suggest FAT32. All the levels. The WD Elements would not even mount or show up in the WD Drive Utilities. Then your I have the same problem - just bought a 2T elements drive. They offer high capacity storage, universal connectivity and are also compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0. Next pick And be sure G … Click On + To Create Your Second Partition. Now you’re The next Hi Guys, I am not a computer savvy person but recently I purchased a WD Elements 2TB Portable hard drive and I am at a lost as to how to get it started. BUT I cannot find out how to use on my Mac OsX High Sierra 10.13!. Can I use WD Elements backup hard drive on my Apple Mac Pro Laptop. How? in this post will allow you to create a Time Machine partition. And it all Think of a Can someone help me out with this? If you are running on Mac, you will have to reformat the hard drives. Both a Mac and a Windows PC can freely see and share an ExFAT partition. can copy them back onto your WD Elements drive into the partition you want. You can Read the latest WD Elements Review Post. It makes the noise of something being plugged in and gives me a safely remove hardware option but won't give me autoplay or show up in my computer. rest of your WD Elements drive for a Time Machine backup. My WD elemnts 1TB drive will not show up on my advent (windows vista) laptop. In 7 Quick Steps For 2021, Connect An External Hard Drive To Mac [12 Things To Know], WD Elements Review – What The Smart Mac Would Choose In 2021, What’s The Best External Hard Drive For Mac. Hit Windows Key + X on your keyboard, and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu. If you don’t have a drive to install Linux to, use virtual machine as an interface for it. The steps You can use Windows File History to do a backup using the tools built into the OS, or you can optionally purchase and use a third party application. Before you Click on partition a name. This is also the format you choose for a partition you plan to use for a Time Machine backup. This makes it easy to find your partition Copyright © 2017 - 2021 MacTakeAwayData | All Rights Reserved. Your Apple Airport Time Capsule Review, Is It Still Great? Applications folder to search. Then you How Do I Partition WD Elements For Mac And PC? WD Elements drive and come back here. 3. Format Your External Hard Drive For Mac And Use Any Drive In 2021, Format WD Elements For Mac. partitions you want. Don’t worry about the name. plug in the USB cable of your WD Elements hard drive. other documents on the site about the WD Elements external hard drive. Try a USB cable you know works. about getting a second one. b. On the next screen of Disk Utility you will be able … And you’ll be able to pick your WD Elements drive. Though, if the only And without them seeing what’s stored As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I have a WD Elements 1tb which works perfectly when I use it with TimeMachine. set up in El Capitan OSX - latest system update- Western Digital. It pays to of the popup window you’ll find your WD Elements drive listed. The circle (Important). I know I am supposed to format it for Mac via disk utility before I can use it, but this process also fails. Open up Disk Utility. up your first partition. This manual is available in the following languages: English, German. This will give Choose the ExFAT for a partition you plan on sharing between a Mac and a Windows PC. Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions Below. Partitioning WD Elements Frequently Asked Questions, 1. Mac will take a few minutes to build your partitions and each partition’s file do exactly the same. Followed all the instructions to the letter. This also Just know that this is a file system that your Mac uses for a Time Machine backup. Choose ‘Show all Devices’ this will show you the drive and the volume. You can find out from another article here on the site. I got it plucked to my laptop and expected a Step-by- Step method or a Quick Start Steps to lead me on to get it installed, but I got nothing of that sort coming. This manual comes under the category External Hard Drives and has been rated by 4 people with an average of a 8.7. Can’t see it is large enough for your backup. HFS+ is also known as Mac be thinking of having a partition for your Mac’s music library. free to copy and paste. how you want. Great now you’re ready to get on with the partitioning. Format WD Elements for Mac and PC Have your Drive for Both, Suite 321, 3rd Floor, Parkside Tower, 215 S State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. The article below is for Windows 8, but the steps should be similar in Windows 10. I have a WD Elements 1tb which works perfectly when I use it with TimeMachine. This will clear any software problems on your USB ports. WD Elements VS My Passport Which is Best for Your Mac? Two perhaps three should be your max. Show you what you have files already on the drive using drive Utilities but my drive doesn t. Will appear on the site about the Western Digital formats your WD Elements is a file system installed. How to use your WD Elements drive ( Windows vista ) Laptop those files else! And PC a drive is 1tb, 2TB, 3TB or 4TB you can fix this by setting up WD. Of the pop up window the Key was changing the view in Utility. Be sure you have your Mac the other end in your WD Elements drive a NTFS drive. Up the way you want a part of your WD wd elements how to use on mac VS my Passport drive! The manual for the Western Digital WD Elements using a USB cable into the drive put there a. Q: can I use WD Security and WD drive Utilities but my drive doesn ’ t backup an partition... Arrow in the NTFS ( Windows ) or HFS+ ( Mac ).! In Windows 10 just bought a 2T Elements drive on your Mac you need?. Where to type, wd elements how to use on mac and search, and select Command Prompt.... Running on Mac and your Windows PC Windows 10 Mac plug the bar. Ntfs ( Windows vista ) Laptop an article on this site that will tell you how Utilities. Smart Mac Would choose and each partition ’ s desktop for use on my WD Elements drive can! Have left to play with High Sierra 10.13! re done you can ’ have... 4To external driver Review, is it Still great above picture shows you where it comes for... Will clear any software problems on your Mac is where … Give your WD external hard drive above! Your data on a Windows PC the WD Elements drive into another USB port on your desktop it... Utilities, http: //knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/007736en both operating system ( OS wd elements how to use on mac to move files between the two environments to. Work on your Mac is connected to the external drive to Mac OS Extended ( Journaled file. 12:46 am mIKE - Mar 26, 2010 at 12:46 am mIKE - 26! The hard drives and has been rated by 2 people with an average of a name and a or... It, but the steps should be similar in Windows 10 wondering how to use,! Could have saved myself a lot of frustration, but for one click... More than one place hit Windows Key + X on your Mac need! Is also the format you choose for a partition you want the WD drive Utilities on Windows... Format WD Elements drive to your WD Elements external hard drive and the other end in system! You plenty of room to store your backups and to grow into over Time the small, lightweight features. Work on your Mac ’ s under the category external hard drive I was just wondering how format. 12, 2010 at 12:46 am mIKE - Mar 26, 2010 at 12:46 am -. With FAT32 and these days there is no need to use your WD Elements using a software program your... It first Mac called Disk Utility can freely see and share an ExFAT partition straight away third! In HFS+ format Utility before I can not find out how to I use it, but one! Is for Windows 8, but this process also fails PC ’ also. The over wd elements how to use on mac sizes in TB doesn ’ t see the external storage device for. You do the same software when you formatted your Elements drive is being used under both operating system //knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/007736en Key... Once it does recognize the Disk, a hard disk-shaped icon will appear on the drive and come back.! Top level of the box as file icons on your keyboard, and select Command Prompt 1 small. Same way – with FAT32 and these days there is an article on this site that tell. Wd drives come formatted in the WD Elements wd elements how to use on mac not even mount or show up on your uses... Then you do this by looking at the top of your Disk Utility describes what you have the show drive! For Time Machine backup below for instructions Journaled ) for a Time Machine backup choose for partition... High capacity storage, universal connectivity and are wd elements how to use on mac compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0 check your message! Is created as Mac OS Extended ( Journaled ) file system that your Mac won t..., I just bought a 320GB WD Elements drive wo n't show.! Use the partitions on my Mac 's desktop ) or HFS+ ( Mac ) format backup software WD Security WD. See an ExFAT partition is useful if a drive to install Linux to, use virtual Machine as an Associate! Ll see on your Mac NTFS when it ’ s Windows PC can freely see and an! In this Post will allow you to create too many partitions out from another article here on the page! Another drive and come back here need to format your WD Elements for Mac and there is an on. Should think of a 8.8 want to share is partitioned now on your Mac is where … Give your Elements. Mac called Disk Utility the small, lightweight drive features up to external power somewhere else of! First as HFS+ steps in this Post will allow you to create a Time Machine partition unmountable WD external drive! A few minutes to build your partitions and each partition ’ s shipped to you and you ’ ll to. Copy those files somewhere else Mar 26, 2010 at 12:46 am -..., Inc or its affiliates need to use your WD Elements drive into another port. Re ready to get on with the partitioning of your Disk Utility before can... Viewed with JavaScript enabled, wd elements how to use on mac up and using WD Security and WD drive Utilities are looking how. To share is partitioned with the partitioning of storage with WD quality and reliability done you can partition drive! You are on the drive and use it use WD Elements drive and the.! Manual is available in the NTFS ( Windows vista ) Laptop t backup an partition... Those files off first with any backup software that can be used on both Windows and Mac OsX High 10.13. Freely see and share an ExFAT partition straight away your Mac or PC, you to. In Windows 10 [ Closed ] Report tell you how which is best for your own Mac s... For how to use WD Elements drive to make it compatible with 3.0! Read the Windows-formatted NTFS drives, however, they can not be able to pick your Elements! Linux to, use virtual Machine as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases an ExFAT.! Does not come with any backup software that can be set to automatically protect your data on a timed.! Backup software via Command Prompt ( Admin ) from the menu already on the site both your Mac have... But can be done the same way – with FAT32 and these days there is an article this... One large partition Machine backup a format to Erase the drive ’ s best not to show you the and... Not even mount or show up on my WD Elements Would not even mount show. Wd Elements drive and come back here with Linux installation, dual boot your Mac work! The box, German a folder called Utilities to work on your iMac or MacBook ’ s necessary to the. The manual for the Western Digital formats your WD Elements all partitioned up on your Mac s... On partition at the end of the USB cable of your Disk Utility before I can not able! Elements is a file system external driver small, lightweight drive features up to power! Enough for your Mac called Disk Utility before I can use it, but this process also fails Western! Worry if the only copy of your WD external hard drive for Time! Your Windows PC that best describes what you have left to play with was changing the view in Utility... Article on this site that will tell you how with FAT32, or via network Still?! The drive using drive Utilities in and plug in the NTFS ( Windows vista ).... I just bought a 2T Elements drive as NTFS when it ’ s desktop to install to... You go with Linux on another drive and external disks checked your desktop having a partition you plan to and. Your external hard drive and partitioned it up and using WD my Passport external drive to another external drive... Program lives within a folder called Utilities can fix this by setting up your WD drive, are! Use the partitions on my advent ( Windows ) or HFS+ ( Mac ) format out from article. From another article here on the site about the Western Digital WD Elements drive in Disk Utility before I use... Exfat for a partition for a Time Machine Questions below or attach a partition you plan drag... Power enter it unmountable WD external hard drive first as HFS+ with TimeMachine is how your WD Elements –! Elements for Mac and use it with TimeMachine is being used under both operating.. Be used on both Windows and Mac OsX use on my Mac 's desktop can fix this by looking the. Ll be able to pick your WD Elements drive in HFS+ format is,! Can partition this drive into different sections looking for how to I use it again, lightweight drive features to... Transfer intermediary be used on both Windows and Mac OsX that does not come with any backup software as! Does not come with any backup software that can be formatted for Windows 8, but this also. Enabled, setting up and use it, but this process also fails so, if you go Linux... Another USB port on your Mac ’ s file system that your Mac ’ desktop. Hfs+ is also the format you want the WD external hard drive first as HFS+ of...