#Mac os boot camp external hard drive how to
#Mac os boot camp external hard drive mac os x
#Mac os boot camp external hard drive install

For example, if you have some documents you need to work on in both operating systems, dump them in Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or another cloud storage service. You could also skip the local storage and use cloud storage instead. If you have problems because they come with NTFS or HFS+, just Most removable drives - whether they’re USB sticks or larger external drives in enclosures - will be formatted with the FAT32 file system. Just plug that drive into your Mac, copy files to it, and use it as a neutral, shared storage location. Instead, you can share files between your operating systems via an external drive. If this is all too annoying, you may want to forget about your Mac’s internal drive. This may be inconvenient because it splits your limited storage into yet another partition, but it’s an option. Modern versions of Windows can’t be installed on a FAT32 partition, so this partition will need to be separate from both your Mac and Windows system partitions.

#Mac os boot camp external hard drive mac os x

Format that new partition with that FAT file system and you’ll be able to read and write to it from both Windows and Mac OS X without any third-party software. You could use the Disk Utility to shrink one of your current partitions and create a new partition.

There is a neutral type of file system that both operating systems support - FAT32.įAT32 is normally used on USB sticks and other removable drives Windows doesn’t normally like HFS+, and Mac OS X doesn’t want to write to NTFS. Why Do Removable Drives Still Use FAT32 Instead of NTFS?

#Mac os boot camp external hard drive install

After you install it, you’ll be able to access your Windows partition - and any external drives formatted with NTFS - in full read/write mode from Mac OS X. If you don’t want to spend any money on this feature. There are quite a few solutions for writing to NTFS file systems on a Mac, many of which are paid applications. Unfortunately, Mac OS X can only read this partition out of the box, not write to it. Write to Windows NTFS Partitions From OS XĪppears under Devices as BOOTCAMP on Mac OS X.

Is a free tool for accessing Mac partitions from within Windows, but it’s read-only so it won’t help you here. These applications do have free trials, so you can test them before paying. You’ll be able to write to your Mac partition from Windows Explorer or any other application you use. Both of these are paid applications, but they install a proper read/write file system driver in Windows. To get around this limitation, you’ll need a third-party tool like You can’t copy files to your Mac partition, edit files on it, or delete files from within Windows. There’s a big limitation here, though - the driver is read-only. This partition shows up as “Macintosh HD” under Computer on your Windows system.

#Mac os boot camp external hard drive how to

How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Campĭriver package automatically installs an HFS+ driver for Windows, which allows Windows to see your Mac partition.