Use NTFS if:
…you connect the storage device to Windows computers, and you don’t need to allow a Mac to write to
the disk.
Use HFS+ if:
…you connect the storage device to Mac computers, and you don’t need to allow a Windows computer to
read or write to the disk. HFS+ is the only format compatible with Time Machine.
Use exFAT if:
…you need to allow both Mac and Windows computers to read and write to the disk.
You can use FAT32 if:
…you connect the storage device to older Windows and Mac computers. FAT32 is not recommended for
modern operating systems and computers.
Toolkit Opmize
Toolkit provides a quick and simple means of initially optimizing the drive for best performance.
Learn more
Toolkit Optimize
Manual formang
Use the steps below to manually format and partition a storage device.
Mac
macOS version 10.11 and later
1. Open the Finder and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
2. In the sidebar to the left, select your LaCie 2big RAID.
Formatting erases everything on the storage device. Seagate highly recommends that you back
up all data on your storage device before performing the steps below. Seagate is not
responsible for any data lost due to formatting, partitioning, or using a Seagate storage device.
