You’ll see it with the name you’ve given it. Your drive will then show up on your Mac’s desktop. But of course your external hard drive is way bigger. When formatted you can use your drive just as you would a USB stick. And once done your external drive is ready for you to use. Your Mac will take a few minutes to format a hard drive. The red arrows in the picture show you where you can find the format and scheme list of options. Then format again.ĪPFS will come up as an option the second time round.īut still pick GUID Partition Map for your Mac.
Pick Mac OS Extended (Journaled) the first time you format. Can’t see APFS (Apple File System) as an option? Or you’ll have all sorts of odd problems using your drive later on your Mac. Your Mac needs the GUID Partition Map scheme. Pick ExFAT if you want your drive read and writeable by both Mac and Windows.Īll the above formats allow you to copy and paste from your Mac to your drive.ĭrag and drop your files to your external hard drive.īut only APFS or Mac OS extended (Journaled) can you use for your Mac’s Time Machine backup.
But you can format your hard drive as APFS if you want. Use storage devices and unplug carefully from your PC.Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is the format that’s the most compatible with newer and older Macs.
Run anti-virus software to clean up viruses in PC and external hard drive. Repair file system error on external hard drive with CHKDSK or EaseUS partition manager software. Here are some practical tips that you can follow to prevent further unallocated errors from happening on your external hard drive and other storage devices: Tips to prevent the external drives from becoming unallocated You can also transfer the previously restored data back into the external hard drive again. Step 4 : Click "Finish" to complete the process.Īfter this, you'll be able to use the external hard drive to save and store important data again. Step 3 : Set partition size, drive letter and file system (NTFS), etc. Step 2 : Locate and right-click on the unallocated space of the external hard drive, select "New Simple Volume". Right-click on This PC/My Computer > Manage > Disk Management. Step 1 : Connect the unallocated external hard drive to the PC, enter Disk Management.
Be careful while following steps here to fix the unallocated external hard drive issue: Create a new partition on an external hard drive with Disk ManagementĪnother free method that you can try is to create a partition on the unallocated device by using Disk Management.
Watch the following video tutotial and learn how to create a partition in NTFS, FAT, or EXT file system.Īfter this, you can save the previously restored data back to the external hard drive and even save more files on it again. Click on the "Execute Operation" button and create a new partition by clicking "Apply". for the new partition and click "OK" to continue. Adjust the partition size, file system (Choose the file system based on your need), label, etc. On the main window, right-click on the unallocated space on your hard drive or external storage device and select "Create".
Notice: If you want to create a partition on an empty USB, SD card or external hard drive, connect it to your PC in advance.
Download EaseUS hard disk recovery software here and follow the guide below to restore data: This software enables you to recover lost data from unallocated space on a hard drive or external hard drive with ease.
With the help of professional data recovery software such as EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you still have a chance to recover data from the drive. And when the external hard drive becomes unallocated, restoring data becomes the top priority. Most users use an external hard drive to save valuable files and essential data. Restore data from unallocated external hard drive In the following, you'll learn how to restore data, repair the unallocated external hard drive, and tips to avoid the unallocated issue. If you are experiencing the same issue on an external hard drive, USB drive, SD card or memory card, etc., stop using the device. So how does your external hard drive become unallocated? Here is a list of reasons that may cause external hard drives or storage devices unallocated: I cannot access saved data on the unallocated external hard drive, either. I don't want to format it for that I've saved quite a lot of important files on it. "Hey there, do you know how to fix an external hard drive with an unallocated error? My 1TB WD external hard drive suddenly shows up as unallocated in Disk Management on my PC. Repair unallocated external hard drive How to access unallocated external hard drive data Restore data from unallocated external hard drive Part 2.