: Look for a light on the drive or check if an icon appears on your desktop (Mac) or in File Explorer (Windows). 2. Format for Your Operating System
If the drive doesn't appear or you want to wipe it clean, you must format it. . Recommended Format Windows Disk Management or File Explorer NTFS (best for Windows-only use) Mac Disk Utility APFS (modern Mac) or Mac OS Extended (older Mac) Both Either tool exFAT (works on both PC and Mac without extra software) How to format on Windows: Open File Explorer and right-click your drive. Select Format . Choose your File System (NTFS or exFAT) and click Start . How to format on Mac: set up external hard drive
: Plug one end of the USB cable into your computer and the other into the drive. : Look for a light on the drive