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Format a disk for Windows computers using Disk Utility on Mac

If you installed Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp, you can format a disk or volume as a secondary volume to use with the Windows operating system. You can also prepare an external disk for a Windows computer, by formatting it using two MS-DOS formats.

WARNING: Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Save any files you need to another volume before formatting.

Open Disk Utility for me

  1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices.

  2. In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with Windows computers.

  3. Click the Erase button .

  4. Click the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose Master Boot Record.

  5. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose one of the following:

    • MS-DOS (FAT): Choose this format if the size of the disk is 32 GB or less.

    • ExFAT: Choose this format if the size of the disk is over 32 GB.

  6. Enter a name for the volume.

    The maximum length for the volume name is 11 characters.

  7. Click Erase, then click Done.

You can also partition a disk using the Master Boot Record partition layout, which is compatible with Windows.

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