Formatting an external hard drive as exFAT won't wipe any data on the drive, so you don't have to worry about losing your files. exFAT is a file system that's compatible with both Windows and Mac, so you can format the drive with exFAT and transfer your files from your Windows computer to the drive, and then use the drive on your Mac without any issues. Just make sure to back up any important files on the drive before formatting it, just in case.
No, formatting a drive to exFAT will not wipe the data on it. It only removes the data, which means the data can be recovered via a professional data recovery tool. (They cannot be recovered from the recycle bin.)
Before formatting your external drive to exFAT, it's essential to back up all files first, as the formatting process will erase all data on the drive. You can use software like Qiling Disk Master Professional to clone your data to another drive for safekeeping.
#1. Clone data on the external drive:
Step 1. Launch Qiling Disk Master. Go to "Tools" > "Clone Data Disk".
Step 2. Choose your source and target disk for cloning.
Step 3. Select the destination disk layout and click "Proceed" to start the cloning process, then confirm the warning message by clicking "Yes".
After backing up your data, you can safely format the external hard drive to exFAT without worrying about losing your files. Qiling Disk Master can assist you with the formatting process, making it quick and easy.
#2. Format the external drive to exFAT:
Step 1. Launch Qiling Disk Master, select the external hard drive partition, and choose the "Format" option.
Step 2. Choose "exFAT" for your drive.
Step 3. Click "Proceed" to begin.
Step 4. Hit "Yes" to confirm the warning.