Let’s take a look at the different types of formats, and which are best for video production. If you work solely on a Mac, but need to send files to someone working on a PC, your external hard drive needs to be set up for both operating systems. Eventually you will find out that you may not be working on the same operating system (OS) as others. Use these steps to format external hard drives for both operating systems.Īs a video editor or Digital Imaging Technician, you will often need to share files with others. If you want to find out about the most common file systems for formatting disks, look at our file systems overview which contains all the information you need to know.Video editors will often find that they need to share files between a PC and a Mac. The individual steps are explained using Windows 10 as an example but are very similar in Windows 7 and 8. You can use standard Windows tools to format internal and external hard drives. They overwrite data multiple times and comply with generally binding security standards. If you want to sell a used hard drive that still contains sensitive data (e.g., confidential customer and online banking data), you should use special deletion tools. Special software can, under certain circumstances, restore data that normal users can no longer see or find due to the formatting. With regards to data security, formatting is only recommended to a limited extent. You can also opt for a completely new installation, including the formatting of the system hard drive, during an upgrade, e. g., from Windows 7 to Windows 10. A smooth cross-platform data exchange is guaranteed as Apple’s Mac computers can handle the FAT32 formatting of external hard drives without any additional tools.Ī freshly formatted hard drive is also a good basis for a new installation of an operating system that is guaranteed to be virus-free and run smoothly.

FAT32 hard drives can be read by most hardware in the home, such as media receivers or smart TVs. You may consider switching from NFTS to FAT32 if you want greater mobility and the best possible cross-platform compatibility during data exchange. If you plan on switching from the file system FAT32 to NTFS, you will be able to save large files over 4GB on a hard drive and benefit from increased data security, amongst other things. There is also no getting around the formatting of a hard drive if you are planning to change file systems. Formatting is necessary to operate a hard drive that doesn’t have a file system.

Format external hard drive for pc