Note: With a solid-state drive (SSD), secure erase options are not available in Disk Utility. If the Security Options button is not available, Disk Utility cannot perform a secure erase on the storage device. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK. Ĭlick the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose GUID Partition Map.Ĭlick the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. In the sidebar, select the storage device you want to erase, then click the Erase button.
If you want to erase any other type of storage device: Double-click Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities folder. If you want to erase your startup disk: Start up from macOS Recovery, then choose Disk Utility from the Recovery window. Open the Disk Utility app on your Mac using one of the following methods, depending on the type of disk or volume you want to erase: If you have any files you want to save, copy them to another storage device.
Erasing a storage device deletes everything on it. In Disk Utility on Mac, you can erase and reformat storage devices to use with your Mac. USB drives can be formatted on your Mac using the Disk Utility application.
#THUMB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC EXFAAT MAC OS#
Most external hard drives and USB drives are compatible for use on Mac computers as long as you format the devices for use with Mac OS X. When using Disk Utility 16.3 with macOS Sierra to format a 'thumbdrive' USB 3 Lexar flash drive (64 gigs), when I choose a Format of ‘Mac OS Extended (Journaled)’, I get a list of three Scheme item. Formatting With Windows 8.1: Insert the USB drive into an open port on your Windows computer.