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Trying to move files from Mac to Seagate external hard drive

I've read a few posts talking about the need to either re-format my external hard drive or download third-party software to support my Mac having write access to my Seagate external hard drive. I am not super tech-savvy, so anything you provide as a comment would truly need to be in pretty basic language - but what is the best option - re-formatting or the third party software? To re-format, is there a way to maintain the files currently on the drive (I have a significant amount of pictures on there and do not want to lose them)?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 21, 2020 7:50 AM

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Posted on Nov 21, 2020 11:59 AM

You should reformat it.

If you don’t need to connect it to a Windows PC, use Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

In Disk Utility, click the View button and choose Show All Devices. Select the drive and Erase. Pick GUID partition Map and then Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for format.


If you need to connect the drive to a windows PC, use ExFat.

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 21, 2020 11:59 AM in response to AHildebrand

You should reformat it.

If you don’t need to connect it to a Windows PC, use Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

In Disk Utility, click the View button and choose Show All Devices. Select the drive and Erase. Pick GUID partition Map and then Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for format.


If you need to connect the drive to a windows PC, use ExFat.

Trying to move files from Mac to Seagate external hard drive

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