Show All Devices and Erase the Parent Drive. By default, Disk Utility only shows the Volumes on your. Solution 1: format external hard drive/USB flash drive in macOS Mojave with Disk Utility Disk Utility is a traditional Mac disk tool. It can help you format external hard drive/USB flash drive after you upgrade your Mac OS to macOS 10.14 Mojave. Just run this app from Launchpad and use it to erase the external hard drive/USB flash drive. Erase the USB disk using exFAT. ExFAT is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.5 or newer, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. To erase the disk, open Disk Utility (Applications Utilities folder), select the USB drive in the sidebar, go to Erase tab and select exFAT on Format.

Not every USB drive can be used on Mac out of the box -- you need to format the drive to make sure it's compatible with the MacOS extended file system. And here in this article, we'll offer you a full guide on how to format a USB Drive on Mac. Besides, in case you lose important data due to formatting, we have a professional data recovery tool to help you recover data from a formatted USB drive on Mac.

• Bonus: How to Recover Lost Data After Formatting USB Drive

Part 1. What You Should Do First Before Formatting USB Drive on Mac

Make sure that уоu know clearly whаt уоu are doing whеn you begin the whole formatting process, which will еrаѕе your еntirе hаrd drivе.

To avoid formatting the wrong disk, firstly remove the USB drive from Mac, check the title of other storage disks, then insert the USB disk again and note the name of the disk. Next, drag the USB data to a safe location for backup/recovery measures before formatting it. Then you are set to get it done!

Part 2. What Is the Best Format for USB Drive on Mac?

You'll be given several format options when you try to format a USB drive on Mac, including Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), Mac OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted), Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted), MS-DOS (FAT) and ExFAT. If you are using macOS 10.13 or later, you'll also see an option named APFS, which is the default file system of macOS 10.13 and later.

1APFS (Apple File System)

APFS is a new file system for macOS. It's the most appropriate format for SSD. However, you need the latest macOS to write to this file system. If you're sure that you don't need to use it on a Mac running old version in the future, then you can format your USB drive to APFS.

2Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) & Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)

Mac OS X Extended, aka HFS+, is the default file system before APFS for macOS 10.12 and earlier. It doesn't put a limit on the size of files you can save on the drive, which is the greatest advantage. Windows-running computers can read the files formatted to Mac OS X Extended but can't write to them. And this file system is necessary if you plan on using the drive for Time Machine backups.

The biggest difference between Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) and Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) is the latter one is case-sensitive to folder names. For example, 'file' is different from 'File'. Therefore, if you do not have special needs, just ignore this option.

3Mac OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) & Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted)

These two are basically the same with the previous two but with encryption, which means you have to provide the password whenever you connect the drive to your Mac.

4MS-DOS (FAT)

This is Disk Utility's name for FAT32 file system. As the most widely compatible file system, it suits both Windows operating system and macOS. Therefore one can easily transfer data between PC and Mac using a USB drive formatted this way. However, a USB drive formatted to FAT32 doesn't support long file names and an individual file cannot be larger than 4GB.

5ExFAT

ExFAT is the improved version of the older FAT32, which offers larger storage space and supports files larger than 4GB. Of course it also supports transferring files between PC and Mac as a cross-platform file system.

To arrive at a conclusion, if you need to transfer smaller files between operating systems, choose MS-DOS (FAT) or FAT32. And with no doubt, ExFAT will be the best format for USB drive on Mac for larger files.

Part 3. How to Format USB to FAT32/ExFAT on Mac

As earlier stated, you need to first back up your USB drive before formatting it as the formatting operation will wipe all the data. Now, you can follow the steps highlighted below to get the USB successfully formatted.

Method 1: Format a USB Drive on Mac OS with Disk Utility

Step 1: Insert the USB waiting to be formatted to a Mac computer.

Step 2: Navigate to Applications > Utilities, and click it twice to open it.

Step 3: Select the drive you want to format and click on Erase.

Step 4: Rename the USB drive (optional), and choose one file system from the options.

Step 5: Then select Master Boot Record for scheme, hit Erase.

Step 6: Once the process is done, you are ready to use the drive with new file system to store data again.

Method 2: Convert/Format USB Drive to FAT32/ExFAT

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Mac computer.

Step 2: Click on cmd + space to run Spotlight, input terminal then tap Enter key.

Step 3: Type diskutil list to find the location of your USB drive (eg: dev/disk2 is the USB drive in the below picture).

Step 4: Type sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2.

• sudo gives you user right.

• Diskutil calls disk utility program.

• eraseDisk commands the formatting.

• FAT32 sets the file system.

• MBRFormat tells disk utility to format with a Master Boot Record.

• /dev/disk2 is the location of the USB drive.

Note: You can replace FAT32 with ExFAT in the command, and your USB drive will be formatted in that way.

After the process completes, type diskutil list in command once more to check if the USB drive has been formatted successfully.

Bonus: How to Recover Lost Data After Formatting USB Drive

Formatting a USB drive is never an easy task and problems tend to arise from time to time, among which data loss is perhaps the most common one. Users format a USB drive by mistake or directly format it without doing any backup job and both mistakes will cause data loss disaster. This issue will worry us even more when there are important files we cannot offord to lose. If this is the case, you'll need a professional data recovery software to help you get back lost files, and AnyRecover is what you need exactly. With this software, anyone can recover all kinds of data from formatted USB drive on Mac with only 3 simple steps.

As a comprehensive Mac data recovery solution, it handles all data loss scenarios, including formatting USB drive, hard drive failure, and Mac crash.

All-round and deep scan ensures high recovery rate, and sophisticated algorithms contribute to quick scanning speed.

Supports data recovery on all types of USB drives in various file formats like NTFS, HFS+, FAT32, and ExFAT.

Brings back the lost photos, videos, documents, compressed files, etc. - numerous kinds of data from formatted USB drive easily.

Provides preview before recovery and enables selective recovery.

AnyRecover offers free trial for every user, with which one can scan, preview and recover 3 files for free. Just download and have a try! The more time for hesitation, the less possibility for your lost data to get back!

Follow the simple steps below to recover data after formatting USB drive on mac:

Step 1: Make sure you have connected your USB drive to your Mac successfully. Download, install and launch AnyRecover. Then select the formatted USB drive you are trying to recover data from as the location to find data. Press the 'Start' button to initiate the scanning.

Step 2: The software will immediately begin the scanning process. You can pause the process at any time and resume from that point later.

Step 3: Immediately after the scanning process is complete, all the files will be listed in their respective file formats and folders. Freely preview and choose what to recover by clicking on 'Recover' button.

Final Words

Formatting is a complicated process indeed but by clearing your mind and then follow the steps as listed out in the article, you can successfully format a USB drive on Mac without much difficulty or errors. Loss of data may come as a nightmare but AnyRecover is powerful enough to help you out. In fact, not just after you format a USB drive, it can work wonders whenever you lose data. Try it and you won't be disappointed.

Summary: Are you dealing with a crashed Mac or unable to boot your Mac machine?
Before you think of reinstalling macOS or doing a hardware fix, ensure that you’ve rescued your data from the device.
This blog will guide you through an easy process of creating a bootable macOS Mojave USB install drive or a recovery USB drive using Stellar Data Recovery for Mac software.
The USB recovery drive will help you to recover the data from your crashed or non-booting macOS. So go ahead, download the free software trial now.
Minimum requirement: 8 GB USB flash drive, Mac, and Mojave installer.

1. Download macOS Mojave 10.14 from App Store.
2. When the download completes, quit the installer, as it will launch itself automatically.
3. Locate the installer from the Applications folder (copy it to the desktop if you desire).
4. Connect the USB flash drive with at least 8 Gigabytes storage space to your Mac.
5. Open Terminal and enter the next command: sudo (drag and drop the installer from application folder to locate its path) –volume (drag and drop the USB flash drive from the Mac volumes to specify its path) –nointeraction –downloadassets

Warning: The command erases the flash drive so check there are no stored files; backup the files, if they exist, before executing the sudo command.

1. Type the administrator password when prompted. The Terminal creates the installer drive on the opted USB flash drive.

Mac Mojave Iso

Note: Erase the flash drive to HFS+ (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) but not APFS.

Usage of USB Install Drive

1. Backup the entire drive before performing a clean install on your Mac machine.
2. Connect the USB install medium.
3. For T2 security chip supported by 2018 MacBook Pros and iMac Pros, you need to “allow booting from external media” from Startup Security Utility. Alternatively, hold the option key and reboot the Mac then use the arrow key to select the USB flash drive as an installer.
4. Allow the computer to boot from the USB flash drive. Deploy the macOS Mojave software.

Installer Tips

• When Apple releases newer Mojave versions, re-download the new installer and recreate installer drive to keep it up to date.
• Keep the installer drive on a safe place so that you can use it as an external recovery drive when your Mac gets into trouble.

Data Recovery on macOS: Why We Need It Here

While performing macOS upgrade or fresh installation, you must back up data to an external storage medium. Backup helps to restore all the data back to Mac’s internal storage drive, containing the new macOS. If you do not have a backup, then you end up losing all your data stored in the Mac drive. This is because, during macOS installation, the installer erases the startup partition completely or the entire storage drive, depending upon your choice during installation.

If No Backup: What Is the Recourse?

There are chances that you did not take backup to an external backup drive, or in the rare case, the backup itself was lost, damaged, or unavailable. In such scenarios, you can rely on a data recovery software—such as the editor’s choice Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac—that can recover your lost data after macOS Mojave installation. The software works flawlessly with the older & newer version of MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Mini etc.

The Process of Data Recovery

The process of data recovery is straightforward. Follow the steps mentioned below to get back the data stored in the drive—erased completely after installing the new macOS Mojave:

1. Download and install the Mac data recovery utility on the same system where you have installed the new macOS Mojave (due to the negligible storage requirement of the utility).

Format Flash Drive Mac Mojave 10.14

2. Alternately, you can download and install the utility on a different Mac machine, then connect the internal drive as an external device by removing it from the affected Mac.

3. Launch the data recovery software to interact with its lucid graphical user interface.

4. In the Recover Data module, select the type of data and the location of the storage drive.

5. Toggle on the Deep Scan switch from the bottom left and click the Scan

6. Allow the scan to complete, which may take some time—depending on the storage size and the condition of the affected drive.

7. Preview the recoverable files if you want, then select all the required files and click the Recover

8. Specify a different external backup drive with size greater than the drive where you are performing the data recovery then click Save.

When the save process is complete, verify the recovered data from the backup storage drive. Copy the files back to your Mac or an externally used Mac drive (reconnect the drive to the Mac once the restoration process is over).

Activation of the Software

You must activate Stellar Data Recovery Professional on your Mac in order to save the recoverable files. The free download version of the software is a good way to know the software’s interface, scan your drive, and preview the recoverable files.

Watch the activation video of Stellar Data Recovery Professional to know how to activate the software and use its complete functionality, including the complementary Drive Monitor, on your iMac or MacBook system.

Conclusion

Format Flash Drive Mac Mojave Drive

The blog highlighted the need for recovery drive, steps to create a bootable USB flash drive, and usage of the drive for installing the new macOS Mojave 10.14 in one or multiple computers. The drive acts as an external recovery drive in case your Mac fails to boot. In addition, the drive acts as a means to fresh install the drive to boost the performance of your slow, virus-infected, or troubled Mac. The blog also suggested a data recovery software that can help recover data lost due to macOS Mojave installation on your desktop or notebook computer.