There are high chances that when you try to connect a drive formatted in Mac to a Windows PC, you might be asked to format the drive. Why does that happen? Is there any way I can read a Mac formatted hard drive on Windows? You'll get answers to all such questions in this blog.
- Read Mac Formatted Hard Drive On Windows
- Mac Hard Drive To Windows
- Mac Format On Windows
- How To Read Mac Formatted Hard Drive On Windows Xp
- External Hard Drive Mac To Windows
If you connect a Mac formatted disk to your computer, it'll instantly show up in Explorer with a little Apple icon on it. If you double-click on the drive, it will open just like a normal Windows drive. If there is any file that is Mac-specific, it will also show an apple icon next to it. Enterprise Drives Exos X Hard Drives Exos E Hard Drives Nytro SATA SSD Nytro SAS SSD. You need to allow both Mac and Windows computers to read and write to the storage device. The image below represents how a drive formatted for Mac is listed in Disk Management and it also shows the assigned disk number of the drive. How to use Mac formatted external hard drive on Windows? I had information from a broken Mac backed up at Best Buy, but because my Mac broke, now I only have a Windows computer. It seems they formatted the drive to the Mac format, but I have no way to access the data, at least I think?
Why Can't Your Windows Read A Mac Formatted Hard Drive?
Dec 28, 2018 External hard disks and USB drives are generally formatted with the Windows FAT32 file system for maximum compatibility. Most devices, including Macs, can read and write from FAT32 devices. There's even a way to make a Mac read an NTFS drive.
To read a Mac formatted drive on a Windows PC or laptop, Windows computer must have an appropriate file system. More specifically, Windows-compatible file systems include NTFS and FAT 32 whereas the file systems compatible with Mac include HFS, HFSX, HFS+ and the latest APFS.
Also Read: Best USB Data Recovery Software For Windows 10,8,7 PC
In most cases the moment you'll plug in a Mac formatted drive in Windows, the system will ask you to format the drive. We know, you might start sweating as formatting the hard drive would mean letting go of all the data which is already there in the drive. So, please! Do not hit the format button.
If you have, you may still have hope.
How To Read Mac Formatted Drive On Windows?
So, what should be done instead? There are third-party applications which can help you access the data from a Mac formatted drive, and we have mentioned options using which you will be able to read Mac drives formatted in HFS, HFS+, HFSX and even APFS file systems.
Third-Party Software To Read Mac Formatted Drive On Windows 10Best music production apps for mac. 1. MacDrive 2. HFS Explorer 3. Paragon HFS+ 4. Paragon APFS |
Note: Do Check Out 2 Bonus Tips In The End!If You Haven't Yet Formatted Mac Hard Drive With HFS, HFS+, HFSX and APFS File Systems |
1. MacDrive
Let's start with a software which will let you read Mac drives on Windows formatted with both HFS+ and APFS file systems. It is available in two variants. The standard variant would cost you $49.99, and the Pro variant would cost you $69.99. Here's how you can read Mac drive on Windows 10/8/7 using MacDrive :
To Make It Work:
- Plug your Mac formatted drive into the Windows PC
- You will now be able to access your drive from Windows desktop
- It also gives you the ability to read and write to Mac drive
2. HFS Explorer
The best part about HFS Explorer is that unlike other software, it is free to use. It is a great application that can help you read a Mac formatted drive (Hard disks and disk images) on Windows 10. It has a clean and easy to use interface. It can help you read drives formatted with HFSX (MacOS Extended with file names that are case sensitive), HFS (MacOS Standard) and HFS+(macOS Extended) file systems.
Note: As a prerequisite, make sure that Java SE Runtime Environment 5.0 or higher is running on your Windows PC.
To Make It Work:
- Plugin your Mac formatted hard drive in the computer running on Windows
- You will now be required to launch HFS explorer as an administrator
- On the top select ‘File' and choose ‘Load file system from device.'
- Click on the ‘Auto detect' button which will automatically detect if you have HFS/ HFS+/ HFSX partitions
- Next, pick folders and files that you want to extract and view
- You will now be prompted to save files to a destination on your computer
3. Paragon HFS+
Paragon HFS+ mounts HFS+ partitions using Windows Disk Management. It has an automatic mount feature which automatically mounts any HFS+ formatted drives. It has a failsafe functionality, and it also keeps your data safe from any corruption.
To make it work:
- Install the application on Windows
- Connect the Mac formatted HFS+ drive to your computer
- That's it; your drive will now show up in a file explorer
Install (Price – $ 19.95)
4. Paragon APFS
If you want to read a Mac formatted drive on Windows running on the latest APFS, then Paragon APFS is the option you are looking for. It lets you copy, view and edit data from the drive formatted in Mac onto a Windows PC. It is highly stable with operations, has effective flow control and steady goodput.
To Make It Work
Follow the steps as above.
Install (Price – $ 49.95)
Quick Bonus Tips
Tip No 1
How about formatting Mac drives in exFAT format? This is a format supported by both Windows and Mac, and after you have formatted it in exFAT format, you won't even need third-party software. But, before heading on to the steps to format a Mac hard drive in exFAT format, beware! You will then lose all the data on your Mac drive.
Here's how you can format a Mac drive –
- On the File Explorer, right-click
- Choose ‘Format'
Tip No 2
Should you need to format the hard drive, especially if you are not investing in a third party software, do make it a point to take a backup. For instance, you can install Right Backup for Mac.
Features:
- Automatically backup your data (data backed up every 12 hours) or schedule a backup.
- Smart and custom restore options.
- Cross-platform functionality
In The End
You might have to shed some cash, but it is not impossible to read a formatted Mac drive on Windows 10. So, go ahead, try one of these options and if you already have been, do share your favourite choice with us in the comments section below. If you liked the blog do give it a thumbs up and follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
Stable Operation
Fail-safe operability across compatible hardware and software systems for both general-purpose and specialized applications
Data Safety
Protection of data integrity and prevention of accidental data corruption and possible loss
Read Mac Formatted Hard Drive On Windows
Guaranteed Performance
Steady throughput and balanced goodput with effective flow control, reduced overheads, and congestion avoidance
Efficient Use
Thrifty usage of processor, memory, and disk resources
Native look and feel
PC Advisor MagazineIt simply works out of the box too – previously inaccessible drives suddenly show up like any other, and you can now easily transfer data to and from a Mac using an external HFS+ formatted drive as an intermediary. There's no performance penalty either – we happily transferred multi-gigabyte files via a USB 2 connection at around 40MB/s, for example.
pcadvisor.co.uk
MacBreaker,Paragon HFS+ runs in the background and automatically starts on bootup, so accessing your Mac drives will feel exactly like accessing normal Windows drives.
macbreaker.com
MakeUseOf,Paragon HFS+ does cost $20, but it also offers a 10-day free trial. If you just need to recover files from a drive, 10 days is plenty of time to install this file system driver, copy your files over, and uninstall it. If you want to use Mac drives on Windows on an ongoing basis, paying $20 so you can use the drive properly is a pretty good deal. As a bonus, Paragon HFS+ doesn't require you have the insecure Java installed.
makeuseof.com
How it Works
Install
Download and install the HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software
Use
Your drive will show up in Explorer
- Straightforward UI for working with HFS+ partitions as easily as native volumes
- Easy to navigate all features from a single application menu
- Check the integrity of HFS+ partitions to fix errors and view status report
- Quickly access HFS + partitions from the Windows taskbar
Features
Supported Operating Systems |
|
Supported File Systems |
|
Write Access | When a volume is mounted in write mode, you can do everything with files and folders it contains: read, edit, delete, rename, create new. |
Automount | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software mounts supported volumes automatically at startup, so you don't need to bother about it each time you restart the operating system or power your computer on. However, this feature can be disabled at any moment in the program interface. |
Internationalization | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software supports all alphabets supported by your operating systems, including those that use non-Roman and non-Latin characters, so you will never face a problem of not getting access to file names on volumes mounted in non-native OS. |
Support for journaling | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software supports native HFS+ journaling, thus ensuring that in case of any failure the disk file system is not irreversibly corrupted and can be put back on track easily. |
Compatible with Apple Boot Camp | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software is fully compatible with Apple Boot Camp software and provides direct read and write access to Mac partitions from Windows installed on a Boot Camp. |
Compatible with 3rd party software | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software is compatible with popular virtualization and encryption applications including VMware Fusion and Workstation, Parallels Desktop, TrueCrypt and its forks. |
Need APFS support for Windows 10?
GET APFS FOR WINDOWS NOW!
Full support of Windows 10, 8/8.1, 7 SP1
Availability to read and write data on APFS-formatted disks
Automount
Frequently Asked Questions
Due to the specifics of Windows 8 or Windows 10 Fast Startup feature, we highly recommend that you disable it before installing the driver to avoid possible file system corruption. For more details, please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base ››
Read Mac Formatted Hard Drive On Windows
Guaranteed Performance
Steady throughput and balanced goodput with effective flow control, reduced overheads, and congestion avoidance
Efficient Use
Thrifty usage of processor, memory, and disk resources
Native look and feel
PC Advisor MagazineIt simply works out of the box too – previously inaccessible drives suddenly show up like any other, and you can now easily transfer data to and from a Mac using an external HFS+ formatted drive as an intermediary. There's no performance penalty either – we happily transferred multi-gigabyte files via a USB 2 connection at around 40MB/s, for example.
pcadvisor.co.uk
MacBreaker,Paragon HFS+ runs in the background and automatically starts on bootup, so accessing your Mac drives will feel exactly like accessing normal Windows drives.
macbreaker.com
MakeUseOf,Paragon HFS+ does cost $20, but it also offers a 10-day free trial. If you just need to recover files from a drive, 10 days is plenty of time to install this file system driver, copy your files over, and uninstall it. If you want to use Mac drives on Windows on an ongoing basis, paying $20 so you can use the drive properly is a pretty good deal. As a bonus, Paragon HFS+ doesn't require you have the insecure Java installed.
makeuseof.com
How it Works
Install
Download and install the HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software
Use
Your drive will show up in Explorer
- Straightforward UI for working with HFS+ partitions as easily as native volumes
- Easy to navigate all features from a single application menu
- Check the integrity of HFS+ partitions to fix errors and view status report
- Quickly access HFS + partitions from the Windows taskbar
Features
Supported Operating Systems |
|
Supported File Systems |
|
Write Access | When a volume is mounted in write mode, you can do everything with files and folders it contains: read, edit, delete, rename, create new. |
Automount | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software mounts supported volumes automatically at startup, so you don't need to bother about it each time you restart the operating system or power your computer on. However, this feature can be disabled at any moment in the program interface. |
Internationalization | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software supports all alphabets supported by your operating systems, including those that use non-Roman and non-Latin characters, so you will never face a problem of not getting access to file names on volumes mounted in non-native OS. |
Support for journaling | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software supports native HFS+ journaling, thus ensuring that in case of any failure the disk file system is not irreversibly corrupted and can be put back on track easily. |
Compatible with Apple Boot Camp | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software is fully compatible with Apple Boot Camp software and provides direct read and write access to Mac partitions from Windows installed on a Boot Camp. |
Compatible with 3rd party software | HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software is compatible with popular virtualization and encryption applications including VMware Fusion and Workstation, Parallels Desktop, TrueCrypt and its forks. |
Need APFS support for Windows 10?
GET APFS FOR WINDOWS NOW!
Full support of Windows 10, 8/8.1, 7 SP1
Availability to read and write data on APFS-formatted disks
Automount
Frequently Asked Questions
Due to the specifics of Windows 8 or Windows 10 Fast Startup feature, we highly recommend that you disable it before installing the driver to avoid possible file system corruption. For more details, please refer to the Microsoft Knowledge Base ››
Mac Hard Drive To Windows
| Can I try the product for free before buying? | |
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| What versions of the HFS file system are supported? | |
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| Is APFS supported? | |
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| Is BootCamp supported? | |
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| Is Core Storage supported? | |
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| How many times can I re-activate my license? | |
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| It doesn't work! My HFS+ drive is not recognized in Windows, even after installing HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software | |
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| The product doesn't run on Windows Server 2012 R2. | |
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| Can I open my Time Machine backup using HFS+ for Windows? | |
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| I frequently work with NTFS, HFS+, APFS-formatted partitions on my Mac and Windows PC. Can I get a discount, if I buy all drivers at once? | |
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required file system drivers based on your it environment regardless of os.
Mac Format On Windows
Resources
Current Version | Download Paragon HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software |
Product Documentation | Download HFS+ for Windows by Paragon Software One Pager |
Product Tour | View Product Tour |
Need help? | Contact Support or file a support ticket |
How To Read Mac Formatted Hard Drive On Windows Xp
Paragon Technology Center
External Hard Drive Mac To Windows
Want to learn more about the technology behind Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software? Check out the Paragon Technology Portal!
