This tool allows you to manage the partitions on drives connected to your computer - internal ones or external ones connected via USB. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog, type diskmgmt.msc into the box, and press Enter to open it. RELATED: Understanding Hard Drive Partitioning with Disk Managementįirst, open the Windows Disk Management tool.

You’ll probably want to uninstall Java when you’re done.Įrase the Mac Partitions, Including the EFI System Partition HFSExplorer unfortunately requires you install Java to use it, but it’s the only free option here. If you only have Windows systems available, you can use HFSExplorer to copy files from the drive onto your Windows system drive or another drive. If you have a Mac lying around, you can plug the drive into a Mac and back up the files. Instead, we’ll just be wiping the drive and starting over from scratch. This process won’t actually convert the file system. It also integrates with Windows Explorer.First, back up the data on the Mac-formatted drive if you have anything important on it. Like MacDrive, users can view, update, and delete files on the Mac hard drive. Paragon HFS+ for Windows - This program is available as a 10-day free trial and can be purchased for $19.95.MacDrive can integrate with Windows Explorer for easier browsing of the hard drive's files.

MacDrive - Available as a 5-day free trial and can be purchased for $49.99, MacDrive allows users to view, update, and delete files on the Mac hard drive.Updating or deleting files on the Mac hard drive from the Windows PC is not possible. It allows for read-only access to files on the Mac hard drive. HFSExplorer - Free-to-use program and requires Java to be installed on the Windows computer.A few of the popular applications used by Windows to read a Mac hard drive are listed below. Using a third-party application, it may be possible for a Windows computer to read a Mac-formatted hard drive. The HFS and HFS+ file systems are not readable by Windows.

For this reason, a Mac-formatted hard drive is not directly compatible, nor readable by a Windows computer. Why not?Ī hard drive formatted for use in a Mac has either an HFS or HFS+ file system. File systems compatible with Windows include FAT32 and NTFS. For a Windows computer to be able to read a hard drive, it needs to have a file system format compatible with Windows.

Mac hard drive reader windows