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Format SSD Drive –
Do You Need To Format SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD For Your Mac?
It depends on what you want to do and use your SanDisk Portable. Or Pro Portable SSD for.
Your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is already formatted in a format your Mac can read. It’s called ExFAT. And your SanDisk ships to you in that format.
And it’s a format that both your Mac and a Windows PC can read.
And this format is fine if you plan to share your SanDisk Extreme SSD Portable between your Mac and a Windows PC.
Even so, I’d suggest formatting on a Mac even if you plan to use the ExFAT format.
Mac’s can be quirky about their drive formats.
And the SanDisk Extreme Portable ships with a Master Boot Record Scheme.
Fine for a PC. But your Mac might object over time to the drive.
Formatting on your Mac is the safest option.
Why Format Your SanDisk Extreme SSD Portable As Mac OS Extended?
Because before you can change your SanDisk Portable to any other format on your Mac. You have to format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) first.
The next best reason is because it’s the most common format used by Mac’s. This format is also known as HFS+.
And when your moving your SanDisk SSD Portable between older and newer Mac’s. This is the format lots of Macs will understand.
Format Your SanDisk Extreme For Drag And Drop
Or copy and paste.
And You’re not planning on sharing your drive with a Windows PC.
Then format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
How To Format Your SanDisk Extreme For Time Machine
Using your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD on your Mac for a Time Machine backup?
Know that Time machine CAN’T use the default ExFAT formatting of the SanDisk Portable SSD.
Time Machine will only backup to a drive formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
How To Format Your Sandisk Extreme As APFS?
APFS – Apple File System is the file system Apple created for Mac’s using SSD drives.
It’s a fast file system made for SSD’s. And you’ll get the advantage of flexible partitioning on your SSD.
What’s that?
You can create new partitions. Or change your partition sizes and not wipe the files you already have on there.
And when you need the fastest performance from your SanDisk SSD it’s the file system format to pick.
But it DOESN’T work with Time Machine. Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for that.
When you want go set up your SanDisk Extreme Portable. Or Extreme Pro Portable as an APFS drive. You follow the formatting steps as described above.
Then go through them one more time.
The second time through the formatting, at step 4 you’ll see the APFS options.
APFS won’t come up if you don’t format as Mac OS Extended first.
Pick APFS.
And still pick GUID partition map as the scheme.
And away you go.
Changing your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD USB cable
You might think the cable supplied with your SanDisk Extreme Portable is a little short.
But if you do buy yourself a replacement cable be sure to get one that is a USB Gen 2 cable.
As only that type of cable allows you to get the fastest speed out of your SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD.