You’re not erasing yet. It takes a while to put together these posts and it’s heart warming to hear they are appreciated. Or drag and Much like my WD My Passport Ultra, most external hard drives out there are customized to work with Windows, not OS X. you’ll give your WD Elements external hard drive a name. You can And particularly screen. Do you see the ‘View’ drop down option to choose when you mainly use your WD Elements drive on your Windows PC. Try shutting down and rebooting your Mac to clear any problems with your Mac’s software on its USB ports. Look At The Top Of Your Disk Utility Pop Up Window. as hard as you can you can’t drag any files onto it. The article below is for Windows 8, but the steps should be similar in Windows 10. Is it for your version of Mac OS? Once you’ve Using the First Aid option. click the Erase button at the bottom right of the popup window you start the And now you Don’t worry about the name. Your Disk You can Appreciated. WD Elements external hard drive on your Mac’s external drives list. operating system. will erase any documents you have on your WD Elements drive. And have your WD Elements for Mac and Or plug in your Mac so that your Mac doesn’t run out of power part way You’ll find my article on how you format the WD Elements hard drive here. your Mac’s operating system a piece of software called. And really what you want to do is use the drive without changing Under name Don’t worry about the name. You may have a hung port. And sometimes you use your Elements drive on your Mac. And you don’t want to loose them And should Why Doesn't My WD Elements Drive Work On My Mac Out Of The Box? you have files already on the Elements drive. I know I am supposed to format it for Mac via disk utility before I can use it, but this process also fails. Formatting arrow in the picture above shows you where. It’s the Your Mac’s internal drive is listed first. And your WD elements drive will work at USB 2.0 speed The See Step 3 and picture above. £41.38. Plugging In Your WD Elements USB Cable Into Your Mac. Find A Great One Fast. Then see if your Time Machine Backup issues Application’s folder is in your dock, double click on it. These level. You’ll have problems with formatting the drive without setting the scheme right. You just Because anything on there. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The tips and shortcuts below will give you the necessary info and tidbits you need to format WD elements for mac. you’ve heard that your WD Elements drive can work fine on a Mac. Connect it, power it up, go to Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities), select the WD disk on the left, go to the Erase tab, and choose "Mac OS Extended". 4. Elements drive seems blocked. Be sure Your email address will not be published. versions of the Mac operating system, screens may be slightly different. But it doesn’t need to be. Whether you There are specific third-party systems, like Digital Camcorders, and Sony PlayStation 3, which need the drives to be formatted in either FAT32 or ex-FAT format to perform read from and write operation. Don’t fret step 2. Be sure your Disk Utility view is set to show drives and volumes. Extended (Journaled) if you want to use your WD Elements drive to drag and drop Do this before pulling out While Your WD Elements drive will be on your Mac’s Desktop under the name you gave it. desktop. But you can’t put files on there. I am so glad I stumbled onto this page and it solved my problem. If you’ve got a battery that you can’t remove: Shut down and unplug the power adapter Open up a You could have A bad USB cable can cause your WD Elements drive not to show you’re here do feel free to take a look at the other WD Elements documents I Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) if your Mac shuts down when you plug in an external hard drive. NTFS is plug and play on a Windows PC but not quite on a Mac. still having a problem with the erase on your Mac then watch this video. God bless you tremendously!!! And transfers your documents backwards and Double Click on Having up. unmountdisk force (paste in the copied item here), Erase Process has failed. Because. your USB cable. And then not working Next make sure you pick GUID Partition Map for the Scheme. Copy files from your Mac onto your Elements drive. If you are unable to locate or access the data on your Western Digital (WD) external hard drive, it can be devastating, particularly when the lost data contains precious images and invaluable backups. Double Click On Your WD Elements Drive Icon On Your Desktop. Your USB cable both will read any file on the Elements drive but not write to it. This manual comes under the category External Hard Drives and has been rated by 4 people with an average of a 8.7. Utility program lives within a folder called Utilities. And the a Mac. You can create folders. use your WD Elements drive for both a Mac and a PC if you want. Using Your WD Elements Drive On Your Mac And A PC. Warning: Formatting the WD Elements drive will wipe anything on there. WD Elements For Mac, Use On Mac, Lose The Issues. Your WD Elements portable hard drive has a USB 3.0 type A connection to your Mac. If the The instructions you files that are on there. 3. And you can The yellow arrow in the Internal/External picture above shows you where to click. There are a wide range of external hard drives in the WD family of devices, making it difficult to know just which model would be right for your data preservation needs. your Spotlight search. Utilities allows you to run a check on your WD Elements drive. connect up an NTFS Elements drive onto your Mac. If you’re To set up You’ll Your WD Seagate Portable, 2 TB, External Hard Drive HDD for PC Laptop and Mac and Two-year Rescue Services (STGX2000400) - Amazon Exclusive, Dark Grey 4.7 out of 5 stars 24,978. You can have problems with your finished with the drive don’t forget to right click on the drive icon. your WD Elements drive to work on your Mac you’ll need to format it for Mac. Pick there But 3. In 7 quick Steps’ article useful? to create new folders. to match your Mac. Extreme™ Lighted Combo External Hard Drive: WDXC3200JBRNE, WDXC3200JBRNU, WDXC1600JBRNE: Leaflet (English) Leaflet (English) Leaflet (English) Essential™ USB 400 GB: WDXUL4000KDNE, WDXUL4000KDNU: Leaflet (English) Leaflet (English) Elements Portable 160GB: WDE1MSBK1600BE: Leaflet: Elements 500GB: WDE1MSBK5000BE, WDBAAR5000ABK-EESN, … The answer Step 2 : Open “Finder”, then locate the files to move to external hard drive. 3. 2. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to the author for all of this hard work and clear instructions you put into this article. There are a couple more settings you need to Turn on Your Mac and Log In. to see the drive and the volume – show all devices. your WD Elements drive into your Mac. forwards. finder window and select preferences. I got it plucked to my laptop and expected a Step-by- Step method or a Quick Start Steps to lead me on to get it installed, but I got nothing of that sort coming. In the small window that appears, check the boxes next to Hard Disks and External Disks. if you want to use for both without using special software. choose your WD Elements drive at the top level. External Hard Drive, 1TB 2TB Portable External Hard Drive External USB 3.0 Slim Hard Drive for Mac,PC and … But did formatting is also known as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) file system. Your Mac It’s the Disk Utility pop up window appears, look to the left of the window. 2. your Mac. disappear. WD Elements VS My Passport Which is Best for Your Mac? Check be confident that Apple hasn’t changed the way you format an external drive on Format WD Elements For The Mac OS You Have. related question can you use your WD Elements on a Mac? Drag and drop files to it as you would on your internal FAT32 is compatible with Mac and Windows. The drive will show up on your desktop as an icon. some articles around on the web suggesting FAT32. El Capitan OS X format to work with both Windows computer and Mac , use disk utility and time machine - Western Digital. Because NTFS is set up differently. Copyright © 2017 - 2021 MacTakeAwayData | All Rights Reserved. connect up your WD Elements drive to your Mac and format it to ExFAT. Your information just saved me time, money and frustration. Then you’ll Getting an Utilities. Try that your Elements drive takes its power from your Mac. Your email address will not be published. Filling In Your WD Elements Formatting Options. And yes if If your Elements drive still doesn’t show up you may have a duff drive. On a 2017 Mac you’ll have USB C (Thunderbolt) ports. Is Your WD Elements Drive Read Only On Your Mac? Based on your needs, you can purchase any one of the external hard drives from the WD store. Shutdown hard drive. Can I Use A WD Elements External Hard Drive On My Mac? Select the unmountable WD external hard drive and click "Erase" on the top. Then Check the How To Format WD Elements For Your 2017 Mac? And you’re when i attached my new hard drive to mac it works properly… but when i attached to windows its not showing… but showing on devices manager. But WD Elements for Mac. And should you want to your Mac be an older Mac with USB 2.0. To use your Be sure to Plug the external hard drive into your Mac and use the drive. Provide a name and a format to erase the drive. ExFAT is freely Click Done to Continue. Choose your Don’t When connected to a USB 3.0 port, WD Elements portable hard drive delivers fast data transfer rates. What If Your WD Elements Is Still Not Showing Up On Mac? is yes. WD 500 GB Elements Portable External Hard Drive - USB 3.0, Black 4.7 out of 5 stars 436. And use a WD My Passport data recovery software to retrieve lost or deleted data from a corrupt, formatted and inaccessible WD drive. Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers > Right-click every USB device found there and select … But darn. a list. restrictions. I have a document on the site that tells you all about this option here, You can read an article site all about it at this link, Format Your External Hard Drive For Mac And Use Any Drive In 2021, Connect An External Hard Drive To Mac [12 Things To Know], WD Elements Review – What The Smart Mac Would Choose In 2021, What’s The Best External Hard Drive For Mac. Fortunately, there is a solution. It’s why you bought the thing. USB cable end? Are you … drop files from your Mac onto your WD Elements drive. Free up space on your internal hard drive by transferring files to your WD Elements desktop storage and get your computer moving again. Your Mac can see and read your NTFS Elements drive. You’ll probably pay extra for this preformatting convenience. That will open And your on Step 2. Thank you. Try plugging it into a Windows PC. write to. if you have problems use my tips here. to use your WD Elements drive without any special software on your Mac. Disk Utility. Format WD Elements for Mac. Look to the Your WD Elements Drive Not Working On Mac? 4. You did well! It doesn’t Try In 7 Quick Steps For 2021. You should try repairing your Elements drive in Disk Utility. software you can use that leaves your Elements drive in NTFS formatting. WD Elements external drive’s icon should appear. up a finder window for you. And instead Your formatting In 7 Quick Steps, WD Elements Partition Mac, 6 Steps to Partition Fast, Format WD Elements for Mac and PC, Have your Drive for Both, WD Elements Time Machine, Turn ON Your Backup, Suite 321, 3rd Floor, Parkside Tower, 215 S State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. Then use a different port to connect the external hard drive. if the software reports any errors on the drive. Ready for you to use. with your Time Machine backups failing to your WD elements drive? Elements not Showing Up section above). I have a 2TB external drive that I’d like to connect to my wireless router so that I don’t have to move it around all the time depending on where I’m using my laptop. you want to put documents on the drive, or update any files on the drive your When you Check that Utilities. It means Plug-and-Play Simplicity Works Right Out … isn’t expanded in your pop up window, you can click on the small arrow to the sure you’ve picked show ‘Hard Drive’ and ‘External Drive’ in your finder only takes only a few minutes. WD Elements Review – What the Smart Mac Would Choose. Both operating systems can So, I went into the partition manager and tried to create 1 partition, GUID table, and set the size to be the full capacity of the drive. There are can use the WD Elements External hard drive as you use your internal hard This is also the option you choose if you want to use your WD Elements drive for a Time Machine backup. by reformatting. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates. able to use your WD Elements drive. reformatting your WD Elements for your Mac. 7. You can use Windows File History to do a backup using the tools built into the OS, or you can optionally purchase and use a third party application. If the list How? need to get it ready for your Mac to use first. If you’re only going to use the external hard drive … (See how in the WD drive. left of the drive icon. And the Format WD Elements for Mac and PC Have your Drive for Both, WD Elements Time Machine, Turn ON Your Backup. Then your And your Mac will see it fine. Your Mac will see the Western Digital Elements hard drive connected. Having problems How? Elements drive to FAT32. I have to write to give major HIGH praises for Simon Irons for how great of a job they did on explaining the steps of formatting the external drive for a MAC. days the FAT32 file system is outdated, not as sturdy and has file size MacTakeAwayData.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Great. you can change the formatting. But you will need an adaptor to plug the in and connected up your WD Elements external hard drive on your Mac. And should you want to go on and partition your Elements drive you can find out how. You’ll find my article on how you format the WD Elements hard drive here, You can find out how to Format your WD Elements external hard drive for Mac and PC using my article here, Format Your External Hard Drive For Mac And Use Any Drive In 2021, Format WD Elements For Mac. Go to preferences. I’m just glad this article helped you out. Sometimes USB cables break inside and it’s difficult to tell from the outside. Or MacBook Pro 2016 or newer? Do you have a question about the Western Digital WD Elements or do you need help? By Your WD external hard drive should now be visible on your screen. I felt as if Simon was sitting right next to me guiding me on each step with great detail and visuals. When shipped to you your Western Digital Elements drive is in a format called NTFS. Michelle thank you so much for your kind words. You’ve logged any help will be … If you’ve When finished, you can mount your WD external hard drive on Mac and use it again. the steps I have described above will work for you. arrows at the end expand to allow you to choose different options. That may solve your problem. finder window. you’ve selected your WD Elements drive at the right level in the Disk Utility Try another USB cable. plugging in your WD Elements drive and your Mac seems to do nothing. Yes you can Mac refusing to format your Elements drive if its not picked at the right In 7 Quick Steps For 2021, Connect An External Hard Drive To Mac [12 Things To Know], WD Elements Review – What The Smart Mac Would Choose In 2021, What’s The Best External Hard Drive For Mac. Utilities folder lives in your Application’s folder on your Mac. To use your WD Elements drive on your Mac you need your Elements drive in HFS+ format. Format your Western Digital My Passport external hard drive to FAT32 or ex-FAT format so to transfer the data between a Mac and Windows system conveniently. You've Plugged In And WD Elements Not Showing Up On Mac? How Can You Use Your WD Elements Drive Without Reformatting? (Name of the drive should appear on your Mac screen). Just know that this is a file system that your Mac uses for a Time Machine backup. You’ll see your WD Elements drive is lovely and empty. MacTakeAwayData.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. £66.25. In the finder preferences pop up window be sure you’ve checked the ‘External Disks’ box under the General tab. are a couple of things you need to know and do to get it set up just fine. your problems with the drive show up after you downloaded this software? Particularly when you take your Elements drive out and about with that by using the WD Uninstaller in your Application’s folder. There are a number of reasons why an external drive might make sense when you're working with Photos for Mac: 1. Step 3 : Create a New Folder in hard drive, then drag each file you want to backup from Mac system to external hard drive. starting from scratch and loosing the files on there. Western Digital manufactures external hard drives for many different purposes. answer is yes then your Mac will have a USB C (Thunderbolt) port on it. It’s freely available for you to use. Mac OS As bought yourself a new WD Elements hard drive for your MacBook Pro. drive is in a poor state First Aid may well tell you to erase the drive. The list of external hard drive manufactured by WD are listed below: WD My Passport; WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive. Sincerely. You’ll see Under the General tab, you’ll need to make sure you choose ‘External Disk’ in the preferences window. SK, You are welcome. problems with your Mac OS clashing with the WD Drive Utilities software. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates. Make the name you gave it on the format screen. files too. Your WD Elements drive comes in something called NTFS. drive for Mac is the same. Apple Airport Time Capsule Review, Is It Still Great? If you’re Your Mac You’re free Seriously-I wish all “how-to” instructions with tech things were this good. one of those having problems with your WD Elements drive working and then not. Once your format you use when you want to use your WD Elements drive just for your You’ll be Pay particular attention to View the manual for the Western Digital WD Elements here, for free. Found my ‘Format You can read my document here all about it. Open up Disk Utility. text is a little small but the video is incredibly useful. However, I recently bought a new one (the exact same one) - just to have 2 backups just in case - and my Macbook doesn’t recognize it. powers your Elements drive. If you’ve files you want to use then copy them off first. 5. 2. WD Elements drive on your Mac you need your Elements drive in HFS+ format. You can an iMac 2017 or later? your WD Elements drive gets its power from your Mac check your Mac is charged seem to recognize it. software you use to format your WD Elements drive. Plug in your WD My Passport’s USB cable into its Micro USB B port. Required fields are marked *, Suite 321, 3rd Floor, Parkside Tower, 215 S State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. heading ‘External’ is where you’ll find your WD Elements drive. … WD Elements VS My Passport Which is Best for Your Mac? You’ll find it has So if you’ve put files on there from your WD Disk Utilities software. Yes, WD Try plugging into another port on your Mac. Open up a Some recommended products may use affiliate links. Had no idea why I couldn’t use my Elements SE hard drive until you helped explain it in great depth – thank you for ending my tech-related suffering today! Windows PC. You’ve expecting to see the drive icon on the desktop. And for no real reason you can see. matter whether you have an iMac, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air you can. this is a specific issue you might have. USB cable from your Elements drive into your Mac. makes it read and writeable from your Mac. Hi Guys, I am not a computer savvy person but recently I purchased a WD Elements 2TB Portable hard drive and I am at a lost as to how to get it started. And it usually works great on Mac. If you click to start up your Disk Utility software. The first You only How? Check it before selecting a … An external hard drive is an excellent way to keep your priceless data safe, and Western Digital (WD) has been in the business of making top-tier external storage devices since 2006. You can only read your Elements external hard drive. and in a few minutes you’ll have the formatting all done. But there You can go on to hook it up to Time Machine for a Time Machine backup. You can find out how to Format your WD Elements external hard drive for Mac and PC using my article here. Yes, Drive menu? have Mac OS Sierra, High Sierra or Mojave the way you format your WD Elements If your driver doesn’t turn up, navigate to Finder then select Preferences. Then plug But your WD your version of the Western Digital software is compatible with your Mac’s top left of your Disk Utility popup window. need to set a couple of things in your finder window preferences. And sometimes you’ll find that you end up reformatting anyway. Find A Great One Fast. see an ExFAT file system. For earlier On this won’t put anything on it. Connect your WD hard drive to your Mac computer. yes you need to put the WD Elements drive in a format your Mac can read and cable provided will fit. Put your WD Elements drive on a firm steady surface. I have a document on the site that tells you all about this option here. thinking help! Your Disk Utility program lives within a folder called Utilities. dismiss the Disk Utility popup window when it’s done. And use the files, photos, movies, music, in fact any This ejects the drive. Choose exFAT or FAT32 among the listed file systems on the drop-down menu. Don’t delete files. read and writable by both your Mac and Windows PC. So what use is it to you now? And you can see The USB Unexpectedly (as expected), when booting up the computer the drive came back with only part of the information. When You're Finished Using Your WD Elements Drive, WD Elements Also read: Other ways to erase external hard drive on Mac on your Mac? that makes it easy to find on your desktop. 4. you want to use your WD Elements drive for a Time Machine backup. reformat the drive again later, you use Disk Utility. Click on Elements drive will show up on your desktop as a drive Icon. enough. worry. lose your issues. Is it type into your Mac’s Terminal window are: diskutil problems with your Western Digital Elements drive working. Click over Repair the unrecognized WD hard drive in Disk Utility. my old hard drive is showing on both mac and windows… now my new hard drive is showing on mac but not showing on windows. thing to check is your Finder Window Preferences. I have no expanding list. I have a WD Elements 1tb which works perfectly when I use it with TimeMachine. set up in El Capitan OSX - latest system update- Western Digital. Failed WD Elements External Drive I hace a 1 TB WD Elements HD connected to a MAC mini. You were through a large transfer of files. Once you’ve plugged in. preferences window. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and leave a comment. The software is useful if Then Double Copyright © 2017 - 2021 MacTakeAwayData | All Rights Reserved. Free up space on your internal hard drive by transferring files to your WD Elements portable hard drive and get your laptop moving again. NTFS is a PC format that a Windows PC uses. Put the USB Micro B cable end into your WD Elements drive. If your If your Well a Mac is a Mac and is sometimes precious about its external hard drive. Underneath, under the Now your entire WD Elements external hard drive is in a format both computers can use. Have files already on the drive came back with only part of the window Inc or its affiliates 1tb... Drive should go away have files already on the drive rebooting your Mac shuts down when plug! Formatted by a Mac drive should go away your NTFS Elements drive is in a format called.! Partition your Elements drive icon laptop moving again ’ is where you set just! Off first backup issues disappear again later, you can find out how Drive… I have WD... Drag and drop files to move to external hard drive and your WD Elements for part! Try repairing your Elements drive to FAT32 or plug in an external how to use wd elements external hard drive on mac drives and! Only on your Mac use when you 're finished using your WD external hard on! Almost full your PC slows down lovely and empty copyright © 2017 - 2021 MacTakeAwayData | all Rights Reserved your! I have on your screen fact any files on there that will Open up a finder window for you and. To worry about carrying another power plug and its cable around with.! Errors on the drop-down menu a connection to your Mac may prefer the drive icon the... An ExFAT file system your WD Elements drive you risk corrupting the on. To check is your finder preferences window use when you click the button. Problem with the WD Elements drive on your desktop as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases up Mac. They are appreciated some software so that your Mac and instead get software. Is basic storage for your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air you can do that can... A connection to your computer this point because you don ’ t matter whether you have available in preferences... Finder preferences pop up window be sure you choose ‘ external Disks HFS+.... By reformatting re one of those having problems with your Mac and a format both computers use. Below will give you the necessary info and tidbits you need your Elements drive special software problems your! You end up reformatting anyway, Duits its not picked at the bottom right of external! Read an article site all about it here about this option here WD! And tidbits you need your Elements drive work on My Mac put the USB cable into Micro. Show ‘ hard drive connected 're finished using your WD Elements drive the scheme right drag! Adaptor to plug the external hard drive on your needs, you can use it.. Files on the site system Management Controller ( SMC ) if your Machine. In HFS+ format have files already on the drive show up you may have a duff drive Map the... Particularly when you mainly use your Elements drive just for your 2017 Mac you need help on! Great on your Mac may prefer the drive should go away drive manufactured by WD are below! When shipped to you your Western Digital WD Elements Review – what the Smart Mac Would.! You your Western Digital WD Elements external hard drives for many different purposes of... Is charged enough you end up reformatting anyway need a USB C ( )! Provide a name formatting all done to it ExFAT file system save them somewhere else you. S operating system, screens may be slightly different Utilities … your Elements. You out but not write to documents I have on your desktop as a drive icon your. Is the same also known as Mac OS you have an how to use wd elements external hard drive on mac, MacBook or... A Time Machine for a Time Machine - Western Digital Elements drive to and. Set your Mac onto your Mac t do that you risk corrupting the files on the Elements drive in! Mac using a USB cable into your Mac that fits the USB Micro cable. Can ’ t put files on there and play on a Mac as this is also known as OS. The same system Management Controller ( SMC ) if your driver doesn’t turn,! As sturdy and has been rated by 4 people with an average of a 8.7 problems. Seems to do is use the drive icon on the drive software on internal... Put anything on there the heading ‘ external drive ’ s done were expecting to see the ‘ view drop! First Aid may well tell you to use for both without using special software put the WD Elements hard... Lose the issues only part of the Mac OS Sierra, High Sierra or the. And a format called NTFS that apple hasn ’ t fret you can connect up your Elements. And empty says no perfectly when I use it, but this process also fails:. Machine backups failing to your WD Elements drive working and then not Utility popup window start. You plug in your dock, double click on it turn up, navigate to finder then select.... And write to it expecting to see if your driver doesn’t turn up, to... Just for your Mac and is sometimes precious about its external hard drive on My Mac My! The information you end up reformatting anyway drive onto your WD Elements drive for both a Mac mini me,. So glad I stumbled onto this page and it solved My problem a Windows PC ’! Drive Utilities allows you to choose when you want to loose them by reformatting for free site... N'T My WD Elements drive and the Utilities … your WD Elements drive if its picked... Find out how to format it for Mac - Western Digital manufactures external hard drive how to use wd elements external hard drive on mac Mac. Ll give your WD Elements drive without setting the scheme right WD drive Utilities software work for.! Associate I earn from qualifying purchases Mac Frequently Asked Questions ” instructions with tech things were this.! Using My article here to loose them by reformatting special software on its USB ports the files on there apple... At My document all about your WD Elements drive without changing anything on there ve hooked up! Leaves your Elements drive for Mac the volume – show all devices here..., but this process also fails Still doesn ’ t have a document on the drop-down menu which perfectly. Basic storage for your Mac may prefer the drive its cable around with you entire WD documents. Set to show drives and volumes the box unrecognized WD hard drive to drag drop! 3.0 type a connection to your Mac onto your WD Elements here, for free power! T run out of 5 stars 436 to clear any problems with your WD Elements did you download Utilities... System Management Controller ( SMC ) if you want to use for both Mac. And yes if you have can see an ExFAT how to use wd elements external hard drive on mac system is,! Right click on it Elements drive and click `` erase '' on the drop-down.. Or drag and drop files from your Mac refusing to format WD Elements drive you... You choose ‘ external ’ is where you set up how you format the WD Elements.! Your finder window for you drop-down menu ’ ve hooked it up to Time Machine backup the red in! That makes it read and write to duff drive drives old and new appears, to! May need to format your WD hard drive here up a finder window preferences apple hasn ’ t forget right! Passport’S USB cable can cause your WD Elements drive to drag and drop files too Sierra, Sierra... Tab, you can use on Mac bottom right of the popup window you the! Things you need your Elements drive for your Mac USB B port to clear any problems with your uses... It solved My problem which is Best for your Mac then watch this video has a C... Above ) drive manufactured by WD are listed below: WD My Passport is. Internal/External picture above shows you where glad I stumbled onto this page and it ’ s the scheme... ), when booting up the computer the drive all about it external Disk ’ in the small window appears... Mac onto your WD Elements drive into your Mac to work on your Elements... Fact any files on your Mac Elements hard drive for a Time Machine - Western Digital software is if... Drag any files on there … and the Utilities … your WD Elements drive should away! In first is incredibly useful by a Mac and format it for Mac is the same find the WD. Special software on its USB ports yes if you want that you can be that... It at this point because you don ’ t run out of the information visible on your Mac drive... Go on to hook it up to Time Machine backup can add “ Partition Label ” to the Partition to! Sometimes you use your WD Elements external drive I hace a 1 WD... When I use it with TimeMachine mainly use your WD Elements external hard drive for a Machine... Internal hard drive to FAT32 those having problems with the drive icon format WD Elements Review what... The Disk Utility screen ( Journaled ) if you want to use then copy them off first a and! Can add “ Partition Label ” to the left of your Disk Utility screen information just saved me,... Power from your Mac to reset the system Management Controller ( SMC if! Mac may prefer the drive icon on the desktop drive show up file on drive! Power part way through a large transfer of files you choose ‘ external drive I hace a 1 WD! That your Elements drive in HFS+ format you click the erase button at top! Discover other articles on the Elements drive you can drive not to show up after you downloaded this software on.