

Format the drive from the Disk Utility tool

How to Choose a File FormatĪ file system is how a file is placed logically for storage and retrieval on a storage device.

Make sure to back up your files before proceeding. Warning: Formatting your Mac hard drive or SSD will erase all data on it. Erasing the Mac completely restores it to factory settings, this is usually done when you’re setting it up for a new owner. Keep in mind that formatting the internal hard drive of your Mac is not the same as erasing your Mac. What changes is if your device is an Intel-based Mac or a Mac with Apple Silicon. The steps to format your Mac hard drive or SSD are the same. To format a hard drive on Mac, or an SSD on a MacBook, is easy and only takes a few steps. But you can also format your Mac for different reasons, such as removing errors or changing the file format. If you just bought yourself a used Mac or MacBook, you probably want to reformat it before using, it to guarantee you’re starting from zero.
