If you’re using a newer style Mac that only has USB-C connections, you’ll need a dongle to be able to read an SD card. In this guide, we’ll show you how to format an SD card to FAT32 on your Mac.
First, plug the SD card into the dongle and insert it into the computer. In the top right-hand corner of your screen, you will see your SD card. Right above that, a little to the left, you’ll see a magnifying glass icon. Click that and type in “disk utility.” Double-click the Disk Utility app when it appears.
On the left-hand side, you’ll see your internal memory and anything external. This is where you’re going to go to format the card. If your card is already formatted, it will display how much space you have used up and how much space you have free.
Pay attention to the file structure that your card is in. For your SD card to be compatible with most trail cameras, you’re going to need it to be in FAT32 format. If your card is in exFAT, you will need to change the file structure to FAT32. This is especially important for cell camera users, such as Exodus Render cell camera users.
To format your card, click “Erase” at the top of the Disk Utility screen. If you hover over it, it will say, “Erase and format the selected volume container or device partition map.” You can rename the card if you want to. Leave the file structure as FAT32, then select “Erase.” The computer will do its thing, and the format process will be complete. Click “Done” and safely eject the card.
For a 64GB card, the default file structure is exFAT. It’s important to change this to FAT32 for best results. Plug the card into your dongle and select “Disk Utility” again. Select “Erase” and keep the name as Exodus. Next, select “MS-DOS FAT” as your FAT32 format. Select “Erase,” and the process will be complete. Click “Done,” and you now have a clean 64GB SD card to use.
That’s it! That’s how you format an SD card on an Apple MacBook. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below.