If you asked most people which company between Microsoft and Apple is more dominant in the tech industry, many of them would probably say Apple or that they are both evenly matched. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that Windows accounts for almost 85% of the market share, as compared to Apple’s 10% share. It is for this reason that many hardware manufacturers still design their products with Windows compatibility in mind. Moreover, this is also the reason why most Apple users, still have to google how to format external drives on our Macs.
Additionally, this applies to other external storage drives such as SD Cards, for example. In most cases, once you purchase these drives and try to connect to your Mac, using a usb-c to sd card adapter for example, they may not end up functioning properly or even refuse to be recognized by your Mac. Even with Lention’s SD card readers offering up quality features such as; universal compatibility, dual card insert, HDMI streaming and more, the SD Card may still show up as unreadable. The main reason for that is because macOS and Windows, use two completely different file systems. [usb c to dual hdmi adapter]
This is why we decided to dive deeper into how you can learn to format any SD Card or external hard drive, to reduce the chances of unexpected file corruption, or connectivity issues.
How Can I Format My SD Cards And External Drives?
One of the main ways to successfully accomplish this is to utilise the Disk Utility tool. If you open your Mac’s launchpad, you should find the program which makes the whole formatting process quite simple. It will help you format any drive – SD Cards, USB flash drives and others – to be compatible with the macOS system.
The first thing you ended to do is to plug in your external device using a usb c cable 10 ft or a microsd to usb 3.0 adapter, if you use an SD Card. It is recommended that you connect using these adapters and cables, instead of directly, as there is always the risk of accidental disconnection. This in turn can end up corrupting your files. These accessories allow you to connect multiple external devices while also ensuring safe data transfer in the process. Moreover, if you purchase one from Lention, these adapters also come with extensive features such as; fast charging, high speed data transfer, universal compatibility and more!
Once you have connected your eternal device, you can open the Disk Utility tool and select the relevant USB drive or hard drive and click Erase, which prompt you on the process to successfully reformat the device. For reference, when you are in the process of formatting an external drive on Mac, you need to erase everything that’s on it. In most cases, that is not a problem if the device has no files or data in it, but if it does, then you may need to back up these files on a Windows system if you do not want to lose those files.[ sd card reader for sale]

You must also choose your desired format. If you are attempting to format an SD Card and only intend to use it on Mac devices, then you can use APFS or macOS Extended. However, if you prefer it to be generally compatible with both Apple and Windows, then you can use FAT32 format. Also, if you have files stored in your external storage drive and prefer not to erase those files, you will have to backup the files elsewhere. Admittedly, there is irony in that you must back up your data ahead of formatting, when it’s probably the very device you usually use for this sort of thing. This is why owning a few extra hard disk drives or SD Cards is often recommended.
You should also consider getting yourself an Enclosure Hard Drive Adapter. This is a highly-recommended Mac accessory, that covers and protects your SSD from any damage. You can easily purchase one from Lention, as these enclosures offer, fast data transmission speeds, universal compatibility and the material is composed of aluminium for effective heat dissipation. They are also very slim and easy to carry around, ensuring convenience and safety, when carrying your SSD Cards around.

Always Backup Before Formatting
As mentioned before, it’s always recommended that you backup your files to avoid completely losing your data. Whether it’s because you intend to format the SD Card or because your hard disk has become corrupted, it’s an important preventative measure. It is also one that you can accomplish by either duplicating your files onto another storage device. Or by using a third-party backup tool, eg. Get Backup Pro. You can also easily backup your files to a cloud storage service, eg. iCloud or DropBox. After all, there’s no such thing as being too over-prepared!
Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine