The use of pen drives, also known as USB memory is very varied: transfer files between two computers, save important information, make backups, store games, software and other programs, among many other functions. Despite currently having other technologies such as data transfer via Bluetooth, WiFi networks or mobile data, none of them have succeeded in displacing these devices.. Today we will be talking about how to format a USB using your Mac, throughas well as other aspects related to this topic of relevance.
Many problems and factors can lead to this being the only alternative to find a viable solution. Although the formatting process is relatively simple, it requires compliance with a sequence of ordered steps; aceà how to take some additional measures and other aspects to take into account.
What is formatting a USB?
This is a term that is used relatively frequently, although despite this, many people do not know exactly what we mean.
The formatting process itself basically consists of delete all the information contained in the USB device, both folders, files and any type of document. During this process, the type of file system that will be used on said device will also be established, such as FAT32, NTFS, exFAT and others.
What are file systems?
This is a very important aspect when formatting a USB using our Mac or any other computer. file systems are the different types of format that we can choose to have our USB memory once it is formatted, this largely determines the use that can be given to it, according to our requirements.
What format should you choose when formatting a USB on your Mac?
As we already mentioned, this election will be directly related to the use you want to give to your USB. Although these are our recommendations:
- ExFAT format: This will be our main recommendation, since it is a format that allows the USB It works perfectly on both Windows and MacOs operating systems. There is no feature of either system that interferes with the operation of the flash drive on the other. This is recommended if you want to work with volumes larger than 32 GB.
- FAT (MS-DOS): This type also features compatibility with Windows operating system, but it will only allow the handling of volumes smaller than 32 GB. Invoice that you should consider according to the use you want for the USB.
- APFS: This type of format was presented by the Apple company in 2017, today it is the most used by users who limit the use to devices that belong only to the ecosystem of this company, specifically those like operating system Mac OS 10.13 or later. Undoubtedly, it is very fast, safe and highly reliable, but it is not compatible with computers whose operating system is not MacOs.
- Mac OS Plus: This is a format that is still used today. It was the default for Apple computers before the release of APFS, so it is mainly used on those devices with MacOs 10.12 and later.
In which cases is this process recommended?
There are many circumstances or problems in which the mere formatting of your device can solve it. Some of the most common of these are:
- In case it doesn't work properly. This is one of the most frequent problems, and it is that from one moment to another we can stop having access to the files or folders that contains our USB or some kind of errors similar to this.
- To change the file system that we have configured. In the event that our needs or the use that we want to give the device have changed, it may be that you need to establish a new file system.
- If the USB has been contaminated by some type of virus or Malware, one of the fastest and most efficient solutions may be to format the drive.
- In order to delete all files and information contained in it, either because you plan to sell it or give it away. This is a very important measure, we recommend that you never leave your personal information that you may have stored on your pendrive in the hands of other people.
How to format a USB from your Mac?
This is quite simple although if you have not done it before the steps may lose you a bit. To complete this process quickly and successfully, all you need to do is:
- Firstly connect the USB device to your Mac.
- After this, go to the Disk Utility section, You will do this from the Applications folder.
- In the section External Devices, locate the USB stick that you want to format.
- Finally, right click and Press the Delete option.
- Immediately, a notification will be displayed on your Mac screen, asking you to choose which file format you want to use.
- Insert in the same way the new name that you will use to identify your flash drive.
- The process it may take a few minutes this is completely normal.
- Ready! This way you just formatted your device external storage correctly.
How to protect the information you have stored on your USB?
Something very important that you should know before formatting a USB on the Mac or another computer, is that all information contained in it will be deleted. In this way, if you don't want to lose it, it's You need to make a copy of these files on your Mac.
It's very simple, you just have to:
- insert your device USB to computer.
- Access the contents of the USB memory and make a selection of those you want to preserve.
- Drag your finger and copy the same to the desktop or anywhere on your Mac. You can also do it by right-clicking.
- Wait for the copy to finish, this may take a few seconds or minutes, depending on their size.
- Ready! Your information has been copied successfully, now you can start the formatting process without difficulty.
We hope this article will help you to format a USB using your Mac in a quick and easy way. This process is quite simple, although it is important that you know some fundamental aspects before carrying it out. Let us know in the comments if our suggestions were useful to you. We read you.
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