Sep 25, 2018 - There is no other software required to use the drive, but perhaps. It's probably in NTFS format so you can't write to it from the Mac. I would use Mac OS extended with journaling enabled on an external platter-based drive. IMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, Notebooks, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air.
May 31,2019 • Filed to: Data Recovery Tips • Proven solutions
Summary:
Many users asked me about the same problem: 'My Macbook can recognize my WD MY Passport, but when I want to open it and find some files, the system shows that the drive is unreadable. The files in the drive is important, do you know how to get the data back before I repair it.' Data loss problems are common in our daily life, find a suitable method to recover the data is very necessary for you. And you should know that to recover files from My Passport external hard drive is not a difficult task, this article will provide you the full guides to solve your problem.
Part 1. WD My Passport External Hard Drive Data Recovery for Mac
As long as lost files on your WD My Passport drive haven't been overwritten by new data and you drive can still be recognized as a drive by your Mac, you’re likely to restore all lost data with the help of a WD My Passport data recovery program such as iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac.
This powerful utility enables you to recover WD My Passport data lost for various situations and it'll do no harm to your drive. With its comprehensive recovery mode and simple operation, you can easily get back all kinds of files, such as photos, audio files, document files, videos and more. Besides, is compatible for all Mac models and Mac OS X versions including Yosemite, El Capitan and macOS Sierra.
iSkysoft Data Recovery
A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!
- It is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating system.
- It supports a large number of storage device type including hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, etc.
- All major types of files can be recovered including music, images, video, documents, emails, and archives.
- It has a deep scan features for in-depth scanning of the hard drive for searching files to recover.
2,531,729 people have downloaded it
Part 2. How to Recover Data from WD My Passport Hard Drive on Mac (El Capitan, macOS Sirra and macOS High Sierra)
Steps on How to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos on WD My Passport Hard Drive
Step 1. Choose File Types to Start WD My Passport Recovery
After launching the tool on your Mac, you'll get 6 file type option tabs as follow. If you want to recover lost, deleted or formatted files from WD My Passport drive, you can select one or more file types. After that, try to click 'Next' button to continue.
Step 2. Scan Your WD My Passport Drive
Then your WD My Passport hard drive will be listed in the window. You can select it and click 'Start' to start scanning for lost data.
Step 3. Recover Files from WD My Passport Hard Drive
After scanning, found contents on your hard disk will be listed according to folders in the window. You can view original name or preview photos and documents to check whether the lost data are found or not.
Part 3. Tips About WD My Passport Data Recovery on Mac
WD My Passport external hard drive has been widely used all over the world. However, files on WD My Passport hard drive can be lost due to deletion, formatting, data transferring, virus infection, system error and some other reasons. If you have backup of lost files on somewhere else, you can retrieve them within seconds. Otherwise, you need WD My Passport data recovery software to solve your problem.
Since lost files can be easily overwritten by new data on your WD My Passport drive, please stop using it immediately when files are lost.
Related Articles
- 1 Make a Western Digital HD Work for Mac & Windows
- 2 Add XP to a MacBook
- 3 Change the Drive Letters of External Hard Drives in Windows 8
- 4 Format a Removable Hard Disk
As of 2018, Western Digital offers no shortage of external drives for Mac computers – from the My Book Essential to the My Book Pro and the My Book Studio, nearly 30 WD drives play nicely with Apple’s macOS operating system, as does the My Passport Studio model.
But with more than 262.5 million PCs shipped in 2017, according to data from Statista, there’s a good chance your Passport Studio will need to play nicely with a Windows computer, too. When it comes to cross-platform flexibility, you’ve got a few options for crossing the Mac and PC streams.
About eFAT and FAT32
Here’s something your My Passport for Mac Quick Install Guide might not tell you: Hard drives usually come formatted in two different ways, one catering to Windows and one catering to Mac. NTFS-formatted drives work with Windows computers, and HFS+ drives work with Mac.
However, by formatting your My Passport differently, you can ensure compatibility in a variety of different ways. Hard drives formatted to exFAT or FAT32 can read and write data on both Mac and PC operating systems, though FAT32 is limited to a 4-gigabyte-per-file size limit. Formatting your drive will erase all its data, so be sure to back it up before making the change.
External Drive for Mac to Windows 10
If you’ve got a WD external drive for Mac platforms and you want it to work on a Windows 10 PC, exFAT format is your best bet. To start formatting, connect your WD Passport to your Mac; then open “Mac HD” and click “Applications,” “Utilities” and “Disk Utility.” From the Disk Utility window, select the Passport hard drive.
Here, you’ll usually see two listings of partitions available on the drive – select the listing that is furthest left. Click the Disk Utility’s “Erase” button; assign the drive a name in the “Name” field; then hit “Erase,” and click “Done” when the erasing process is complete. Now, click the “Partition” button at the top of the Disk Utility and click “Format.” Choose “exFAT” from the drop-down menu that appears and click “Apply” to format the drive, which will take a few minutes. Once the formatting is complete and you get a message that says “Operation successful,” click “Done.”
To Windows 8 and Earlier
The external drive for Mac to Windows 8 transition makes use of Window’s built-in Disk Management software rather than the macOS Disk Utility, but you’ll still want to format your WD Passport as an exFAT drive.
To do so, connect the Passport to your PC, enter the Windows 8 Start menu and choose “Disk Management.” In the Disk Management app, right-click on the drive and select “New Simple Volume...” from the menu that appears. This brings up the New Simple Volume Wizard. Click the “Next” button until you get to the “Format Partition” window and choose “exFAT” under “File System” (you can also change the name of the drive under “Volume label” if you wish). Make sure the “Perform a quick format” box is checked, and click “Next” when you’re ready. Click “Partition” and then “Finish” to format the drive to a cross-platform compatible exFAT mode.
References (2)
About the Author
As the co-founder of an LLC, the owner of a small business and a partner at an S-corporation (all working in media), Dan is no stranger to small business. As a business writer, he's contributed to publications including Chron.com, AZCentral, Fortune, GlobalPost, MSN Money, GoBankingRates, Zacks.com, The Motley Fool and more.
Cite this Article Choose Citation Style
Ketchum, Dan. 'How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html. 30 August 2018.
Ketchum, Dan. (2018, August 30). How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html
Ketchum, Dan. 'How to Switch a WD Passport From a Mac to PC' last modified August 30, 2018. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/switch-wd-passport-mac-pc-49146.html
Note: Depending on which text editor you're pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site name.