Can you switch your iPod from a Windows to a Mac format?

Bought a mac not too long ago and have all my music on the mac now. Just wondering if you can change your Ipod format from a windows to a mac.

Using your iPod on a Mac, then on a Windows machine doesn't format it.

I went from using my iPhone syncing to a PC, to syncing to my MacBook with no issues whatsoever.


IIRC, though, if you sync a playlist from the new computer, it will remove music synced from the previous computer.

my mac asked me if i wanted to manage it on the mac or something so i said yes and it formatted it from windows to mac FS. Shame.. it doesn't work in windows any more on my work laptop.

DB2k said:

my mac asked me if i wanted to manage it on the mac or something so i said yes and it formatted it from windows to mac FS. Shame.. it doesn't work in windows any more on my work laptop.

Click to expand...

how did you do that? I knew that to reformat any drive you have to destroy all the data to write it over again with the new format. You have to have all your songs backed up in itunes for that.

You might be able to use your mac formated ipod in any OS if you disable the journal. having the ipod in windows format is more versatile however it may cause some weird behaviors that get fixed by restarting the ipod...

if you wanna try disabling your ipods journal to see if it works in windows go ahead and tell us. its not a destructive procedure, heres how to do it: http://www.castyour.net/

yes you can its importent for you to do it to becous its the only way the your ipod will be able to get updates from apple..

its will format your ipod and your songs and all the other staff you got on your ipod will be gone..

thats what you need to do:
1.connect your ipod to your mac.
2.wait until your computer show thet the ipod is connected.
3.open iTunes.
4.prss format.
5.wait a minite.

thats it...

DB2k said:

my mac asked me if i wanted to manage it on the mac or something so i said yes and it formatted it from windows to mac FS. Shame.. it doesn't work in windows any more on my work laptop.

Click to expand...

All you had to do was click "No".

Ok your iPod is formatted to the format of the first computer you use it on.

So if you first plug it into a windows cimputer then it will be formated as windows and same for mac.

There is no difference, the whole thing works the same, the only thing I can think of is that it would be easier to update it on its format that it has rather than on the other one.

If you want to reformat it then I can only think of wiping the iPod to factory settings and plugging it into a mac first.

That is what I have done.

hope this helps???