Seagate Backup For Mac
I can't seem to just drag and drop files I want to store on an external hardrive with Seagate. I just want a simple drag and drop so I can free up some space on my computer.
Can someone please explain how to just drag and drop files? I have zero idea, and they don't make it simple to understand. Please explain it to me (without use of computer terminology or telling me places I should go on my computer that I don't know what they are. Renders your help useless, and it's frustrating because no matter how many times I ask this, you just give me help i can't understand anyway.) If possible, use step by step instructions, if you need to tell me to go somewhere on my computer, tell me where that is too so I know where to go.
Don't be vague, I can't understand vague instructions when i read them. What is the drive formatted as? This is extremely likely the issue.
FORMAT TYPES FAT32 (File Allocation Table). Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X. Maximum file size: 4GB. Maximum volume size: 2TB. You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB. NTFS (Windows NT File System).
Read/Write NTFS from native Windows. Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X. To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:. For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion). Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability. AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS. Maximum file size: 16 TB.
Maximum volume size: 256TB. You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems. HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT)))) (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a.
Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive). Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X. Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! Backups of Mac internal hard drive. To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer. Maximum file size: 8EiB.
Maximum volume size: 8EiB. You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC) EXFAT (FAT64). Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later. Not all Windows versions support exFAT. exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table). AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT. Maximum file size: 16 EiB.
Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB. You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See 'disadvantages' for details. If you bought your external 1TB HD from a store other than Apple Store, it's likely formatted for Windows (NTFS) and you need to reformat it to Apple (UNIX): 1.Be sure your drive is attached and mounted. 2.If you have already written any data to the drive, back it up before proceeding to the next step. 3.In the Finder, choose Go Utilities. The /Applications/Utilities folder will open.
4.Launch Disk Utility. 5.Click the icon for your external hard drive in the sidebar on the left. 6.Click the Erase tab along the top of the window. 7.From the Volume Format menu, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled). 8.Enter a name for the external hard drive in the Name field. 9.Click the Erase button. Hello computer people.
I just bought a seagate backup plus slim 1T drive, on 11/26/14. At first i was unable to drag and drop.
After putzing about for over two hours, looking on this help forum and on others, i noticed on seagate's home page for my product a download link for 'NTFS driver for mac os' it was an installer for some 3rd party program which allows NTSF ( not suitable for work? No, its some kind of formatting ) devices to be read AND WRITTEN to on mac os. I installed it, restarted my computer, and then I could drag and drop ( aka write). PROBLEM SOLVED But why did this take so long?!! Because; While installing the seagate backup plus on my mac originally, i was given two options; 1- format it for use on windows AND mac 2- format it for mac ONLY I chose option one, because i use a mac AND a pc, and i want to move files between the two, which is what this drive is advertised to do! But instead of say, mentioning on the box - or in the instruction booklet, or on their own help pages on their website - that you need to download this file if your mac does not already have it for some unknown unlikely reason, Seagate merely list it as a download on their website with no intuitive obvious description of what it is or why you might need it. My theory on why they don't broadcast this crucial information?
1- they are known to have poor customer service, in general. 2- 'Use between Mac and Windows' is much catchier ad copy than ' Use between Mac and Windows if you have NTFS driver for Mac OS installed!'
I, like many non-tech people, find my eyes glazing over when i read words such as driver, reformatting or partition. So, better to keep the ad copy simple for a quick sale and then let the customer fumble around pulling out their hair for hours after the purchase. Keep it classy Seagate, keep it classy. You really suck.
I just want a simple drag and drop so I can free up some space on my computer. Go into FINDER at top then PREFERENCES then GENERAL tab then check 'hard disks' and 'external disks' THIS WILL PUT A HD ICON ON YOUR DESKTOP YOU CAN OPEN AND DRAG AND DROP FILES TO THEN verify the format of your external HD go to DISK UTILITY and verify what it says your HD is formatted as under the 'ERASE' tab HFS+ above is the 'mac format' however do NOT erase / format the HD, since this will erase it. UNLESS you want to do this Format (erase) it in 'mac osx Extended journaled' AFTER THIS YOU CAN DRAG AND DROP FILES AS YOU LIKE 😠x8D. What is the drive formatted as? This is extremely likely the issue.
FORMAT TYPES FAT32 (File Allocation Table). Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
Maximum file size: 4GB. Maximum volume size: 2TB. You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.
NTFS (Windows NT File System). Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X. To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:.
For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion). Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability. AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS.
Maximum file size: 16 TB. Maximum volume size: 256TB. You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems. HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT)))) (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive). Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X. Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!
Backups of Mac internal hard drive. To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer. Maximum file size: 8EiB.
How To Install Seagate Backup Plus
Maximum volume size: 8EiB. You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC) EXFAT (FAT64).
Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later. Not all Windows versions support exFAT. exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table). AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT. Maximum file size: 16 EiB.
Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB. You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See 'disadvantages' for details.
I just want a simple drag and drop so I can free up some space on my computer. Go into FINDER at top then PREFERENCES then GENERAL tab then check 'hard disks' and 'external disks' THIS WILL PUT A HD ICON ON YOUR DESKTOP YOU CAN OPEN AND DRAG AND DROP FILES TO THEN verify the format of your external HD go to DISK UTILITY and verify what it says your HD is formatted as under the 'ERASE' tab HFS+ above is the 'mac format' however do NOT erase / format the HD, since this will erase it. UNLESS you want to do this Format (erase) it in 'mac osx Extended journaled' AFTER THIS YOU CAN DRAG AND DROP FILES AS YOU LIKE 😠x8D. I got the first part, but how do I verify the format of my external harddrive Applications utilities disk utility go to DISK UTILITY and verify what it says your HD is formatted as under the 'ERASE' tab see from mine below, HD on left selected.ERASE tab highlighted.
And middle right roughly, it says 'MAC OSX EXTENDED JOURNALED' thats the format, but yours may be different of course bottom right ERASE tab lets you erase/ FORMAT your external as you like (remember this erases all data ON THE HD!) highlighted in RED Erase.format (middle).erase ACTION to Erase/Format (bottom). Apple Footer. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations captured in an electronic forum and Apple can therefore provide no guarantee as to the efficacy of any proposed solutions on the community forums.
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If you read my previous post about, you know that I bought a 2TB Seagate Expansion external drive and managed to create two partitions on the disk — one for Mac backup purposes, and the other for personal use. In this article, I'm going to show you how to backup your Mac data to an external hard drive. You should backup your Mac on a regular basis, especially if you're planning to perform macOS updates. I did this several weeks ago while preparing my MacBook Pro for the High Sierra update. You may also be interested in taking a look at I encountered during that process just in case you also want to upgrade your Mac to the latest macOS. Please note that the backup tool that I used is Time Machine, a built-in app provided by Apple. If you want to backup your Mac data without using Time Machine, there are also alternatives worth considering.
Where is Time Machine on Mac? As I said, Time Machine is a built-in app within macOS ever since OS X 10.5.
To find it, click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of your screen, then select System Preferences. What does Time Machine Backup? Time Machine is definitely the easiest way to backup Mac. In addition, the app is created and recommended by Apple. Once you have a timely backup, it's incredibly easy to restore all or part of your data in case of accidental deletion or a hard drive crash.
So, what kind of data does Time Machine backup? Photos, videos, documents, applications, system files, accounts, preferences, messages, you name it: They all can be backed up by Time Machine. You can then restore your data from a Time Machine snapshot. To do so, first open Finder, then Applications, and click on Time Machine to continue. Be aware that the recovery process can be only be conducted when your Mac is bootable. A Step-by-Step Guide to Backing up Mac to an External Hard Drive Note: the screenshots below are taken based on macOS 10.12.5 Sierra.
If your Mac has High Sierra or an older version, differences may exist, but the process should look similar to what’s displayed below. Step 1: Connect your external hard drive. First, use the USB cable (or USC-C cable if you're on a newest Mac model with ) that comes with your external drive to connect that drive to your Mac. Once the disk icon shows up on your desktop (if it doesn't, open Finder Preferences General, and here make sure you've checked 'External disks' to let them show on the desktop), move on to Step 2. Step 5: Eject your external drive and unplug it.
When the backup procedure is completed, don't rush to disconnect your device as this could cause potential disk problems. Instead, go back to the main desktop, locate the volume that your external hard drive represents, right-click and select Eject. Then, you can safely unplug the device and put it in a safe place. One More Thing Like any other hardware device, an external hard drive will fail sooner or later. It is advisable to make a copy of the data on your external drive — as they say, a 'backup of your backups'! One good option is to use cloud storage services.
I now use, and I really like it because the app is so easy to use, and it also allows me to automatically. Backblaze and Carbonite are also popular options in the market, though I have yet to give them a try. I hope you find this tutorial helpful. I can't emphasize enough the importance of data backup these days, especially when my mid-2012 MacBook hard drive died all of a sudden 🙁 I've also seen cases where my friend's computer and hard drive failed.
You can imagine their desperation. Without a proper backup, it's really hard to restore data. Although you could try a third-party recovery program like and, chances are they won't get all your lost data back. Anyway, the main takeaway I want you to have from this article is this: Backup your Mac with Time Machine and create a second or third copy of those backups if you can.