You can consider disk formatting in macOS in various circumstances. Reformatting is done to free the storage space from the previous content stored in it. It is usually done during the OS installation or adding a new disk. It is called high-level formatting as it is used to prepare the disk for different file system formats. There is another term related to disk formatting and it is called reformatting. But it leaves the track to recover the data using the recovery tool. The basic operation is termed as low-level formatting which means erasing the existing data on the disk. Basically, formatting is the process of preparing the storage devices such as hard disk drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, or any other for initial use. Some people confuse the term with reformatting. Situations When Formatting a Hard Drive on Mac:īefore you get deep, you must understand what is the drive formatting.