Compatible with Windows AND Mac at the same time? I need to know is this drive can be used to port files between Mac and Windows platforms easily. Has anyone tried this?
255777
yeah works fine if you format it right. Fat32 works good unless files are over 4gigs in size. also ntsf with macfuze installed is a good bet too..
1203452
can you use this to tranfer file from a pc to a mac, i have an older dell latitude d600,,,,not sure but i dont believe i have a firewire port, any help would be appreciated
1203453
The drive has a USB 2.0 port which will work on a Mac or a PC. As Anthony W. advised, format the drive in FAT32 for compatibility with both systems. (I seriously doubt that your Dell computer has a firewire port and USB transfer won't approach the firewire 800 speed, but it should work.) Formatting the drive will probably be easier and faster if you do it on the Mac before connecting to your Dell.Congratulations on upgrading to a Mac.
1047246
Most of the complaints ab this product deal with Mac compatibility. This product is designed for PC drives, so I would definitely contact the manufacturer directly
1913912
@Tony I believe you could. You'd have to create two partitions on the drive, one formatted in HFS+ (for Mac) and the other in NTFS (for Windows). I have never done any such thing but it might be worth a try. Of course, as these drives have come so far down in price, why not just buy two, one for Mac and the other for Windows?
1983613
My recommendation would be to get the Windows version and leave it as a single NTFS partition. Just load the included utility on your Mac so that it will read/write to an NTFS disc and use the single large partition for both platforms. Makes it easy to share files cross-platform that way.
563142
This hard drive can be used on Windows, and inside the drive there is a folder for mac. Because it's an external USB 3.0 drive (compatible with 2.0), you can work for backups or data store from several devices.
1646322
The canned answer is no. There is a NTFS Driver for MAC OS that allows you to read/write an NTFS partition. This allows you to share the same files and folders with a Windows-based machine. Now that I've said that, let's talk about why this might not be the best idea. NTFS is a proprietary file system format developed by Microsoft. There are several drivers out there that tout "full compatibility" with NTFS; Seagate and Paragon are just two. I wouldn't bet my family photos and important documents on that statement, unless Microsoft itself created the driver. It's just another example of unwanted risk. I love the fact that it's convenient to share the drive between both, but there are other ways to accomplish this that are less risky. Personally, I reformat the drives to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" and share the volume to my other systems using the File Sharing capability of the Mac OS. I also run VMWare's Fusion on my Mac, and share a path from my Mac OS volumes to my Virtual Windows Machine in order to perform data transfers. Bottom line, you can leave the volume NTFS. Seagate includes the driver that allows the Mac OS to write to an NTFS volume (or you can download it if needed). I do not know of any specific problems with this configuration. However, it is not a configuration that I use; call it professional paranoia if you like. I hope that answers your question and helps with your decision.
1765378
I am no expert but my experience is that you can format any drive to be compatible with MAC and PC by using the correct format.If using some MAC formats, the PC cannot recognize it and using a PC format my mac can read but not write.NTFS will work fine with both MAC and PC i.e. you can read and write from either
2146739
The drive is supported, it comes formatted in fat32. You can reformat to mac only or exFat if you want. USB 3 is not supported on macs (yet, you'll need a new mac), but the drive works just fine.I have 2, use them both on mac's and pc's with no issues. Great drive, really fast even on usb2.
431532
Yes. If you format the drive to NTFS, the PC will be able to write and read the drive, and the Mac will be able to read it (but not write to it). Your best bet, if you want to be able to read and write on both PC and Mac, format the drive in exFAT (NOT FAT32, since this is an outdated file type).
1116562
I have not used this drive personally. But, there is a program called Paragon Software, which has written drivers for OSX to mount NTFS drives, and also drivers for Windows to mount HSF+ drives, so for $19 you'd be golden! They even have a free version for personal use on Windows 8 (and I'm using it on W10 with no problems)
2081754
I wrote you a response (which is below) but I realized you might be confused as to what this product is. This isn't an external hard drive. It's a hard drive enclosure, it's basically an empty shell that holds a hard drive. You have to buy the actual drive separately You should be good in that direction PC to Mac. Windows uses the NT File System on it's drives, Mac's can read those files and copy them to the mac, but mac's can't write to a NTFS drive. So you couldn't add or save anything on to the drive. A solution for this would be to make a partition that's FAT32 both mac and windows can read and write to that, it's the file system flash drives usually have. Sometimes there's a 32GB limit on FAT32 drives so you might not be able to turn the whole drive into it. But you can partition one drive into multiple parts.
2261084
Hello Matthew, I unfortunatelly cannot answer your question because I am using this drive in a Mac. The system is completely different and has been implemented to use this drive. At the mac I get 6GB put through and the system itself manages the SSD part of the drive. I have no idea if or how Windows will take advantage of it. Sorry.
1568389
Yeah I have a mac and used it. If you want to be able to use it and switch between a mac and a pc, format it. Here's some directions. I did this because I gave this usb to someone full of music as a Christmas present. http://www.ehow.com/how_5795930_format-usb-drive-mac-pc.html
953783
I think the question is does the drive come preformated for Mac or PC or do you have to format it for either OS and setup two partitions if you want to use it across platforms.
603727
Can't help with any specific advice as I am using my drive with a Mac, but I can't see why there would be a problem. If you received a drive pre-formatted for a Macintosh, then doubtless, you need to use a Windows program to reformat it. Good Luck!
1614388
I haven't personally used the passport on both mac/pc. But in the past I used a pc at work and was migrating to a mac (and used a mac at home), and it was because WD drives were dual compatible, that I chose this brand. In my current case, I no longer work on a pc, and when I purchased my WD Passport, I purchased the one pre-formatted for mac - so I don't know if it (being pre-formatted mac) would work on a PC. I'd google around for an answer. There is a format choice that allows both mac/pc compatibility.
482506
I have been loking around for an external drive, and I've noticed they all fail! IMO the best way to gois to have 2 of the drives and do a periodic copy of each to each. I have a free agent on my mac and it has been working perfectly, but I am looking for a drive to back up between a PC and a mac. Two cheap drives may be more reliable than a single more expensive, since they all fail and you cant "pay out" of the uncertainty. Change that: Buy two expensive hard drives and dont even fool with the Seagates..