how to format thumb drive for mac clean install

Once you do this, you’ll notice your trashcan turn into an eject button – just release and it will eject. The first and easiest is to drag the thumb drive icon from your desktop to your trashcan. Again, there are a few ways to properly eject your thumb drive, so choose whatever method suits you. Now, you may think you’re done, but this last step may be the most important one of all to ensure that your files aren’t damaged. Once you’ve found it, simply double-click the file and it will open in its appropriate format (.pdf.

It’s time to open and play your files! Scroll through the list of files on your thumb drive until you’ve found the one(s) you want to select. You can even delete files by dragging them to the trash can in the bottom right app bar. You can save them to your desktop by simply dragging them over and dropping them, or vice versa, save files from your desktop to your thumb drive by doing the exact opposite. Once it’s connected, you can work with your thumb drive’s files just like any other files. If for some reason it doesn’t appear on your desktop, then you’ll have to open “Finder” in the top-left bar (you may have to click on the desktop first to switch to Finder) and then select flash drive from the sidebar on the left side of the window. The easiest is to double-click on your flash drive icon when it appears on your desktop. Once inserted, you can access your files in one of two ways. Start by inserting the thumb drive into your laptop/desktop’s USB port – it’ll most likely be on the sides or back of your computer. If the Security Options button is not available, Disk Utility cannot perform a secure erase on the storage device.Now that you’ve got your thumb drive full of old photo gems and home videos, it’s time for the real fun – viewing and sharing them.īut maybe you need a little help opening your thumb drive? No problem, we’ve got you covered with this quick “how to” for accessing your thumb drive for Windows and Mac.Īll you’ve got to do is follow along these 4 easy steps to enjoy your stroll down memory lane. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK. If the Scheme pop-up menu isn’t available, make sure you selected the storage device you want to erase-it’s at the top of the hierarchy.Ĭlick the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. Ĭlick the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose GUID Partition Map. In the sidebar, select the storage device you want to erase, then click the Erase button. If you want to erase any other type of storage device: Double-click Disk Utility in the /Applications/Utilities folder.

Note: If you want to get your Mac ready to trade in, sell, or give away, and your computer is a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with an Apple T2 Security Chip, use Erase Assistant.

How to format thumb drive for mac clean install