Your drive will be reformatted! Back up large amounts of data via Time Machine Pick the best option for your situation - we recommend the fourth format, which includes all three capabilities if you aren’t sure what to do.Ĭhoose Security Options and make sure the drive is set to write over any past data at least three times ( only for HDDs, not SSDs). The Encrypted option adds a password and encryption, while Case-sensitive differentiates folders with upper/lowercase letters (“September” and “september” stay separated, etc.). The Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format uses Journaled HFS Plus to keep all your data organized. You will now be asked to pick a new format, including Extended (Journaled), Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), Extended (Journaled, Encrypted), and so on. Step 3: Find the drive you want to reformat.Īll drives and volumes on your Mac will be listed in Disk Utility, so make sure you pick the right one.Ĭhoose to Erase in the Disk Utility window, confirm that’s what you want to do, and get ready to rename the drive - it’s a good idea to call it something like “Mac Backup” if you are using this drive primarily for backup data. In the resulting window, open Disk Utility. In your Mac’s menu bar, click Go, then Utilities. Re-formatting will erase any old data that you have on the drive, so you’ll want to double-check and move any valuable data over to another device before moving on. If you use an older drive, things get more complicated if you’ve already got data stored on it. Step 1: Connect your new drive to your Mac.Ī new drive is ideal here. Fortunately, it’s a simple process and can also teach you a bit more about your drive.

If you are going to use an external hard drive or an external solid-state drive to back up your Mac data, then you should start by formatting it for the MacOS extended file system - besides a few exceptions, most external hard drives are not pre-formatted for Macs. Make sure your drive is properly formatted These methods also work for MacOS Big Sur. If you’re looking to ensure you don’t experience the severe pain that is data loss, we’ve broken down the best way to back up your Mac and protect your information.

Selectively store data on a drive manually.

Back up large amounts of data via Time Machine.

Make sure your drive is properly formatted.

How do i backup my mac to the cloud