How to Transfer Files from PC to Mac Using External Hard Drive
I bought a Mac last week to replace my Windows PC. I plan to transfer files from my Windows computer to the Mac using an external hard drive. However, the external drive can be read by Windows but cannot be read on Mac. Can someone tell me how to fix this? Thanks!
Best Answered by
Oliver· Answered on Oct 29, 2024
You need to ensure the format of your external hard drive is compatible with both macOS and Windows to transfer files between these two systems successfully.
As far as I know, exFAT is the best file system that works on both Mac and PC. You can read and write on both Windows and macOS with an exFAT format external hard drive.
If your external drive is not formatted as exFAT, you can use EaseUS Partition Master to achieve the task. It has the ability to format the storage devices to multiple file systems like NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, EXT2/3/4, etc.
Follow the guide below to format your external drive to exFAT.
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive, and select "Format."
Step 2. Select "exFAT" as the file system. Assign a partition label and cluster size if you want. Then, click "OK."
Step 3. Confirm the warning and click "Yes."
Step 4. Hit "Execute 1 Task(s)" and then click "Apply" to start the process.
Then, you can manually copy your files from the Windows PC to the external drive and move them to your Mac. Or, you can do it with the help of the App Move feature of EaseUS Partition Master. It allows you to move large files faster and safer. First, you should transfer files to the external hard drive.
Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master and choose the Discover tab. Click on "AppMove."
Step 2. Then, choose "App Migration" and hit "Start."
Step 3. Select the applications and programs, then browse to select a target location. Then, hit "Transfer" to start the process.
After this, remove the external drive from your PC, connect it to your Mac, and transfer the files to your Mac.
Related article: How to Format External Hard Drive for Mac and PC? 2023 Complete Guide Here
