Like formatting, partitioning wipes all existing data on your disk, so is best used when setting up a new hard drive for the first time.

To format a hard drive before you start using it in Windows, use the Disk Management utility; on a Mac, use Disk Utility.

While the Mac can use a hard drive formatted for Windows, some features may be limited. So it's a good idea to format a new hard drive specifically for macOS.

A Mac computer with an available USB port. An external drive or flash drive that you want to format. It can be an external hard disk, SSD, flash drive or USB drive.

If you need to get rid of a Mac or external drive, how do you ensure that no one can access the data on it? Adam Engst runs through the various methods you can employ, one or more of which should ...

How-To How to format a hard drive This article will show how to format a hard drive using Disk Utility, a helpful application that comes with every Mac. It’s easy, and takes a few minutes.