Edit Article How to Write to an External Hard Drive on Mac OS X. In this Article: Writing to a Windows Formatted (NTFS) Drive Without Reformatting Reformatting a Windows Formatted (NTFS) Drive for Use with OS X Community Q&A Writing to an external hard drive using Max OS X can sometimes be more complicated than one would assume. If you’re looking for a rugged, Mac-friendly, super fast external hard drive that can handle plenty of bumps, dust, rain, and bounces, take a look at LaCie’s Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C portable hard drive. Recovering Data from Write Protected Mac External Hard Drive using Remo Data Recovery Software for Mac- Remo Mac Data Recovery software scans the entire external hard drive and locates all the data. You can use this software to retrieve files from various brands of external hard drive such as, Western Digital, LaCie, Buffalo, etc.
Hello,
Thank you for posting the query on Microsoft Community. I am glad to assist you on this.
Unfortunately there is no such application in Windows to read MAC files on an external hard drive. However, I would suggest you to find any third party application using your favorite search engine and see if it helps.
DISCLAIMER
Using Third Party Software, including hardware drivers can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Third Party Software can be solved. Using Third Party Software is at your own risk.
I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you need any further assistance.
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Thanks for the prompt reply but I can understand your reason for providing such a 'safe' reply. I continued to search and I'vre run into a program called Paragon HFS.. still haven't tried it yet.. will post results as soon as I can.
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Hi,
We suggest you to try the software and reply with the results.
Note:
Using Third Party Software, including hardware drivers can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Third Party Software can be solved. Using Third Party Software is at your own risk.
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So the Paragon software was a waste of $20 bucks and it resolved nothing. RossmanRepairGroup.com repaired my MacBook Pro which I am using right now.. the ? remains.. How can i transfer my files from mac to PC? I borrowed my girlfriend's PC and I searched the net and I was able to download a program called Fat32Formatter.. very simple file you just unzip and run. it doesn't even install anything on your computer. The format of the external hard drive took 30 hours.. BUT.. I now have 1 TB of Fat32!! So it was well worth the wait.. just leave it running until it is done. I have transferred all my music, pics, etc to my external drive from the mac and i was able to access and USE those same files on my girl's PC (which is Windows 8 btw) ... In summary: I was never ab;e to get the PC to read from a Mac format HFS drive. I needed both the Mac and a PC to get the job done. Just get a hard drive formatted as FAT32 and you can plug it into a Mac, get your files and plug it into a PC.. and you're done. The tough step here is finding the Fat32Formatter that will format the whole drive THIS IS WHAT I USED: http://tokiwa.qee.jp/EN/Fat32Formatter/ NOTE: This program only works on Windows/PC Good Luck everyone! #F*CKAPPLE
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I don't get it. If you format the external drive, wouldn't you lose all the files in it?
Anyway, for anyone who is having the same issue, I was searching for this same issue (reading files in a Mac formatted drive from Windows 10) and found HFSExplorer.
Have not tried it yet, but description says it can read only (the files in you Mac formatted external hard drive).
This way, although not being able to edit or write, you can at least copy the files to Windows.
Just not sure about files inside Time Machine backups..
Hope it helps.
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Internal Hard Drive Reader Usb
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Usb External Hard Drive Reader
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Thank you so much. I had the same issue, and with Time Machine backup files. HFSExplorer did the trick. Then I could extract all my Iphoto pictures and Itunes music to my new Windows computer without a problem.
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You may wish to use an external FireWire or USB hard drive to store your Aperture Library, referenced images, or Vaults. Here are some suggestions on preparing the external hard drive for best performance with Aperture. Many external hard drives come pre-formatted as FAT 32. This is a native Windows file format that can be read by Mac OS X, but is not ideal for use with Aperture.
Before you begin to use your new external hard drive with Aperture, reformat it to the Mac OS Extended file system:
External Hard Drive Reader
- Be sure your drive is attached and mounted.
- If you have already written any data to the drive, back it up before proceeding to the next step.
- In the Finder, choose Go > Utilities. The /Applications/Utilities folder will open.
- Launch Disk Utility.
- Click the icon for your external hard drive in the sidebar on the left.
- Click the Erase tab along the top of the window.
- From the Volume Format menu, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
- Enter a name for the external hard drive in the Name field.
- Click the Erase button.