To format a hard drive before you start using it in Windows, use the Disk Management utility; on a Mac, use Disk Utility.

While the Mac can use a hard drive formatted for Windows, some features may be limited. So it's a good idea to format a new hard drive specifically for macOS.

This CNET TV video gives you step-by-step instructions on how to set up your external hard drive so it can be used on a Windows machine and on your Mac.

How do I format a hard drive? A computer hard drive stores your files, allowing you to access them at any time. The majority of the time, you want these files to remain stored properly and safely. … ...

If you just built a PC, or added a brand new hard drive or SSD to an existing computer, you have to format it before you can actually store data on it. This is called 'initializing' the drive.

You can wipe a hard drive and data drives through your Windows 10 Settings, the DBAN utility, and the Disk Utility manager in a Mac's Recovery Mode.