How to Format Fat 32 Disk Osx
A networked hard drive can be accessed by both Mac and PC computers if it is in FAT32 format. Similarly, USB thumb drives can be formatted to be read by both platforms to transport files. The Disk Utility system application in OS X enables Mac users to quickly and securely format a hard drive in a variety of formats, including FAT32 (MS-DOS FAT) for access by Windows systems (including Mac Boot Camp running Windows). Disk Utility can also partition a hard drive into several with different formats (such as FAT32 for shared files and Mac OS Extended for Mac files).
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Instructions
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Connect the USB external hard drive to the computer using the USB cable, inserted into the appropriate ports.
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Launch Disk Utility, located in the "Utility" subfolder in the "Applications" folder.
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Select the external hard drive in the left frame.
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Click the "Erase" tab near the top of the window.
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Select "MS-DOS (FAT)" in the drop-down menu next to "Volume Format."
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Type the name of the device in the field next to "Name."
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Click the "Security Options" button and select the level of data deletion, if desired ("7-pass data erase" is standard).
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Click the "Erase" button.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure to back up all data on the external hard drive before starting the formatting process.
