While you can physically connect a Mac hard drive to a Windows PC, the PC cannot read the drive unless third-party software is installed. Because the two systems use different file systems for storage: Macs use the HFS, HFS+, or HFSX file systems, and PCs use either the FAT32 or NTFS. Luckily, if the drive type (e.g., SATA, IDE, or SCSI) is compatible with your motherboard, there are a few solutions to this dilemma.
NoteNTFS and FAT drives open natively in macOS.
![External hard drive for mac apple External hard drive for mac apple](/uploads/1/1/7/6/117657915/794458067.jpg)
Formatting a partition
![Hard drive for mac laptop Hard drive for mac laptop](/uploads/1/1/7/6/117657915/992696915.png)
Best External Hard Drive For Mac Laptop
You can delete a Mac-based HFS, HFS+ or HFSX partition and format it to be usable with a PC. If there are any files you want to keep, copy them from your Mac hard drive to another storage device, then review the page linked below.
Discover the world of external hard drives for Mac. Compare portable, USB and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. External Hard Drive, Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 1TB 2TB HDD Type C Data Storage Slim External Hard Drive Compatible with PC, Laptop and Mac (2TB, Blue) 5.0 out of 5 stars 47 $63.99 $ 63.
Third-party software
Best External Hard Drive For Mac Laptops
Through the use of third-party software, Microsoft Windows can be configured to read a Mac hard drive. Free programs are available, but they have fewer features and are not as easy to use. One of the best free programs is HFSExplorer. If you are willing to pay, MacDrive and TransMac cost about $50. They do a good job of allowing users to view the contents of a Mac hard drive on a PC due to their user-friendly interfaces. There is also a $20 solution from Paragon called HFS+ for Windows.