For a Windows computer to be able to read a hard drive, it needs to have a file system format compatible with Windows. File systems compatible with Windows include FAT32 and NTFS.
Connect the Mac-formatted external hard drive to the Windows computer properly. Launch HFSExplorer as administrator on your computer. Select File from the menu bar at the top of the opening window. Choose Load file system from device from the submenu (you can also press Ctrl + L directly). A drive formatted in this fashion can be swapped between a Mac and Windows PC. However, you might choose instead a format you can use easily with OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Mac Drive Pc
Connect the Mac-formatted external hard drive to the Windows computer properly. Launch HFSExplorer as administrator on your computer. Select File from the menu bar at the top of the opening window. Choose Load file system from device from the submenu (you can also press Ctrl + L directly). A drive formatted in this fashion can be swapped between a Mac and Windows PC. However, you might choose instead a format you can use easily with OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Mac Drive Pc
Why not?
A hard drive formatted for use in a Mac has either an HFS or HFS+ file system. For this reason, a Mac-formatted hard drive is not directly compatible, nor readable by a Windows computer. The HFS and HFS+ file systems are not readable by Windows.
What are my options?
Using a third-party application, it may be possible for a Windows computer to read a Mac-formatted hard drive. A few of the popular applications used by Windows to read a Mac hard drive are listed below.
Mac Hard Drive For Pc Reader Software
- HFSExplorer - Free-to-use program and requires Java to be installed on the Windows computer. It allows for read-only access to files on the Mac hard drive. Updating or deleting files on the Mac hard drive from the Windows PC is not possible.
- MacDrive - Available as a 5-day free trial and can be purchased for $49.99, MacDrive allows users to view, update, and delete files on the Mac hard drive. MacDrive can integrate with Windows Explorer for easier browsing of the hard drive's files.
- Paragon HFS+ for Windows - This program is available as a 10-day free trial and can be purchased for $19.95. Like MacDrive, users can view, update, and delete files on the Mac hard drive. It also integrates with Windows Explorer.
Mac Hard Drive For Pc Reader Windows 7
Additional information
