Quick Answer
Yes, you can use a Seagate Portable drive with a Mac computer. The Seagate Portable drive is compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 and higher. Simply connect the Seagate Portable drive to your Mac using the included USB cable and you can use it for extra storage space and to transfer files between devices.
Seagate Portable Drive Compatibility
The Seagate Portable drive is compatible with Mac computers running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion or later. This includes all modern Macs running macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, and Lion.
The drive is compatible out of the box, so no formatting or additional configuration is required. All you need to do is connect the Seagate Portable drive using the included USB 3.0 cable.
USB Connectivity
The Seagate Portable drive connects to your Mac via USB, either USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. For the fastest transfer speeds, use the included USB 3.0 cable and connect it to a USB 3.0 port on your Mac.
USB 3.0 offers transfer speeds up to 5 Gb/s, while USB 2.0 is limited to 480 Mb/s. So using USB 3.0 allows for much faster file transfers.
No External Power Required
The Seagate Portable drive is bus-powered, meaning it draws power over the USB cable. No external power supply or batteries are required. Just connect the USB cable and the drive will power on.
This makes the Seagate Portable extremely convenient and portable. You don’t need to worry about carrying extra cables or power supplies when traveling with the drive.
Using the Seagate Portable Drive
Plug-and-Play
When you first connect your Seagate Portable drive to your Mac, it will automatically mount and show up on your desktop. The drive uses a straightforward plug-and-play design, so no driver installation or configuration is required.
Once mounted, you can access and manage files on the Seagate Portable just like any other drive connected to your Mac. It will also show up in Finder under Devices.
Drag-and-Drop Files
To transfer files and folders between your Mac and the Seagate Portable drive, you can simply drag-and-drop them like you would between any folders.
For example, to move files from your Mac to the drive, open a Finder window with the files you want to move, then open a second Finder window showing the contents of the Seagate Portable drive. Then you can drag the files from one window to the other.
This allows for easy migration of your files, folders, documents, photos, videos, music, and other data.
Use As Backup Drive
The Seagate Portable drive works great as an external backup drive for your Mac. You can use Time Machine or another backup software to schedule regular backups from your Mac to the drive.
Having an external backup is important to protect against data loss in case of internal drive failure or other issues. The Seagate Portable has enough capacity for complete backups of your Mac’s drive.
Password Protection
For added security, you can password protect the entire Seagate Portable drive using Seagate Toolkit software. This will encrypt the drive and allow you to set a password that must be entered each time you connect the drive to a computer.
This prevents unauthorized access to your data in case your Seagate Portable ever gets lost or stolen. The software also allows you to save backups of your drive passwords in case you forget them.
Formatting the Seagate Portable Drive
The Seagate Portable drive comes pre-formatted with the exFAT file system, which allows it to work right away on both Windows and Mac computers without reformatting.
However, you can reformat the drive if desired, such as to change to a Mac-optimized format for improved performance on your Mac. Here are some formatting options:
Mac OS Extended
Formatting the drive with Mac OS Extended (HFS+) optimizes the Seagate Portable for use with Macs. This Mac-specific file system allows use of more advanced Mac features like Time Machine backups andpermissions/access control lists (ACLs).
To format as Mac OS Extended, connect the drive to your Mac, open Disk Utility, select the drive, click Erase, choose Mac OS Extended format, and confirm the formatting operation.
APFS
Apple File System (APFS) is the new default file system for Macs running macOS High Sierra or later. APFS offers improved performance and advanced features like file cloning and snapshots.
To format the Seagate Portable drive with APFS, follow the same steps as above for Mac OS Extended but select APFS as the format instead. This option is only available on High Sierra or later.
exFAT
exFAT is a good cross-platform file system option if you need the drive to work on both Mac and Windows computers. Like the pre-formatted version, exFAT will have wider compatibility.
To format as exFAT, choose exFAT under format options when erasing the drive in Disk Utility on your Mac. This will overwrite the existing exFAT format.
FAT32
FAT32 is an older file system that works with Macs and PCs but has some limitations like a maximum 4GB file size. It’s generally best to stick with APFS, Mac OS Extended, or exFAT instead for a Seagate Portable drive.
Troubleshooting Seagate Portable Drives on Mac
In most cases, your Seagate Portable drive should work smoothly with your Mac right out of the box. But here are some steps to try if you encounter issues:
Restart Your Mac
If the drive is not appearing or mounting on your Mac, try restarting your computer. This will often resolve any issues with the USB port or drive mounting.
Try Another USB Port
If the drive still won’t mount, try connecting it to another USB port on your Mac. Some USB ports may not provide enough power for the external drive to function properly.
Check USB Cable
Inspect the USB cable to make sure it is fully plugged into both the drive and computer. Try connecting it again or swapping with another known good USB cable. Damaged cables can prevent the drive from working properly.
Update macOS
Make sure your Mac is running the latest version of macOS/OS X and all available updates are installed. Older versions may not fully support the Seagate Portable drive.
Reset NVRAM
Resetting your Mac’s NVRAM can help clear out any issues related to USB devices not being recognized. Power off your Mac, then power it on and immediately press and hold Command-Option-P-R until you hear the startup chime repeat.
Check Disk Utility
Open Disk Utility and check if the Seagate Portable drive shows up there. If not, try mounting it manually in Disk Utility by selecting Mount/Attach Disk under the Volumes section.
Contact Seagate Support
If you still cannot get your Seagate Portable drive to mount on your Mac, contact Seagate Support for further troubleshooting help. They can assist with advanced diagnostics and potential warranty replacement if needed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Seagate Portable drive is fully compatible with Macs running OS X 10.7 or later, including modern macOS versions. It offers plug-and-play connectivity via USB 3.0 and provides an excellent storage solution for extra capacity, backups, and transferring files.
The drive can be used right away or reformatted if desired for Mac-specific formats like APFS or Mac OS Extended. Troubleshooting options are available in case the drive is not properly mounting. But in general, the Seagate Portable drive is an easy recommendation for extra reliable storage for your Mac.