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Today we’ll look at how to format an SD card using a Mac. This guide will cover how to erase the files on your card, but it will also consider which formatting option you want to select, and this will ultimately depend on the size of your SD card.
Please note that this method will also work for a Micro SD card. All you need to do is make sure it’s in the supportive housing dock that a Micro SD card comes with, making it the same size as a regular SD card.
How To Format SD Card On Mac
Step
Connecting SD Card To Mac
The first step to formatting your SD card is to connect the SD card to your Mac. There are two methods for doing this.
The first is to slot the SD card into your Mac. Models such as the MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models have this capability.
If your Mac does not have this functionality, i.e. several models such as the MacBook Air, you’ll need to purchase an SD card reader that can be picked up for relatively cheap.
Step
Formatting Your SD Card
Once your SD card is connected, you want to check it’s connected properly/ This should be easy to spot as your desktop will have a new icon that has the name of your SD card.
The next step is to open Disk Utility. The easiest way to access this is by using Spotlight, a magnifying glass icon in the upper right-hand portion of the screen, searching Disk Utility, and then double-clicking the option when it pops up.
Once the Disk Utility screen pops up, you will need to find the correct SD card name on the left-hand side of the screen.
An easy way to spot the correct name is to use the Desktop icon that pops up when you insert the SD card as a reference. Although it should be relatively easy to spot as it will likely be the only external SD connected to the Mac.
Now that you’ve located the SD card, there are two methods to format your SD card, or what we will refer to as Erasing the card.
You can either select the Erase button which is located at the top of the Disk Utility window, or you can right-click on the SD on the left-hand panel and select Erase.
Step
Formatting Options
This will now open a second window that will give you further options for formatting your SD card.
You can change the name of your SD card by inputting your preference in the Name box.
Underneath the Name box is your formatting options.
Within this window, you can select MS-DOS (FAT) if your SD card is 32 GB or smaller, which is the equivalent of FAT 32 for Windows operating systems.
You can also select ExFAT which would be reserved for SD cards that are over 32 GB in size.
When you have made your choice, simply click on Erase and your Mac will begin to format your SD card. It shouldn’t take long to format.
The final stage is that another window will pop up saying that the formatting process is completed, and you can click Done.
If you now go to the SD card folder located on your Mac, you should now see that any files that were previously on the SD card have been deleted and you are now essentially working from a clean slate.
Final Thoughts
The above guide is the most basic method for formatting your SD card. As long as you follow the steps in order, you shouldn’t go wrong, and you will have a fresh SD card for use.
