You might know how to format an iPhone, but do you know how to format a DVD-RW? Stands for 'Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable.' A DVD-RW is like a DVD-R but can be erased and written to again. Like CD-RWs, DVD-RWs must be erased in order for new data to be added. DVD-RWs can hold 4.7GB of data and do not come in double-layered or double-sided versions like DVD-Rs do. Because of their large capacity and ability to be used multiple times, DVD-RW discs are a great solution for frequent backups. So today we will talk about how to format DVD-RW on Mac and how to rewrite it as well.
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Preparation: What you need to know to format DVD-RW on a Mac
Before formatting DVD-RW, you need to know what DVD-RW is and what you need to format DVD-RW. So let's first take a look at the DVD-RW, then we have detailed solution to show you how to format a DVD-RW on Mac.
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As introduced above, a DVD-RW is a disc that can be erased in order to rewrite. To record data onto a DVD-RW disc, you'll need a DVD burner that supports the DVD-RW format. Once a DVD-RW is formatted, you can use it again just like a new disc. Keep in mind that rewritable discs have a limited life. It is probably not a good idea to use them for long term file archiving, and you should never erase and reuse them more than about 100 times.
But before writing data onto a new, blank disc, you must first format it. Mac allows you to do this without the need to install a third-party utility. Every Mac made today can burn DVD-RW discs, and if your Mac has a SuperDrive, you can burn DVD-RW discs, too. The problem with reusing a rewritable DVD is that Apple didn't exactly make it easy to figure out.
Part 1: How to format DVD-RW on a Mac
If you want to know exactly how to format a DVD-RW on Mac so that you can reuse it for other data, here is what to do:
Step 1. Place the DVD-RW you want to format into your Mac. If there are any files you want to keep that are on the disc, be sure to copy them to your hard drive.
Step 2. Launch Disk Utility. It is in Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Step 3. Select the DVD you want to format in the column on the left.
Step 4. Click the Erase tab. The Quick Erase box is checked by default. Using Quick Erase to prepare the disc for reuse takes less time.
Step 5. Click the Erase button to format the DVD-RW. Once this process finalizes you will have a clean DVD-RW ready to write on.
Part 3: How to rewrite DVD-RW on a Mac (Leawo DVD Creator for Mac)
After formatting the DVD-RW, then you will have the need to burn the new files into the DVD disc again. Concerning the DVD burning process, you have to use a third-party burning program. Leawo DVD Creator for Mac is highly recommended as your firm choice due to its powerful features in burning DVD and customized disc menu.
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☉ Convert videos like MP4, AVI, MKV to DVD format fast.
☉ Create DVD-5, DVD-9 disc, folder or ISO image without quality loss.
☉ 1-click operation to create photo slideshows and burn to DVD.
☉ Easily editable effects, 2D to 3D conversion support.
☉ Built-in menu templates and edit disc menu with personal preferences.
Step 1. Load video files
You can either add single video file or a video folder to this Mac DVD Creator. You can also drag the video file you need to add video files. After loading videos, at the bottom, select to burn video to DVD-5 or DVD-9 and choose a suitable aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9. Also, you can choose the burning speed (fit to disc/2/3/5/7/9 Mbps). Space needed for DVD burning can be accessed here.
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☉ Convert videos like MP4, AVI, MKV to DVD format fast.
☉ Create DVD-5, DVD-9 disc, folder or ISO image without quality loss.
☉ 1-click operation to create photo slideshows and burn to DVD.
☉ Easily editable effects, 2D to 3D conversion support.
☉ Built-in menu templates and edit disc menu with personal preferences.
Step 1. Load video files
You can either add single video file or a video folder to this Mac DVD Creator. You can also drag the video file you need to add video files. After loading videos, at the bottom, select to burn video to DVD-5 or DVD-9 and choose a suitable aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9. Also, you can choose the burning speed (fit to disc/2/3/5/7/9 Mbps). Space needed for DVD burning can be accessed here.
Step 2. DVD Creator Mac program settings
In the menu bar, navigate to the 'Preferences' option to do program settings upon burning:
'General': Select a program language from preset UI languages.
'Conversion': Enable Priority native codec or not.
'Burn': Choose default DVD video mode from NTSC and PAL, according to the place you locate.
'Others': Add external subtitle, choose encoding, choose thumbnail (screenshot) location and format.
Step 3 Video to DVD burning settings
Click the big green 'Burn' button to call out the burning setting sidebar, where you could set Burn to, Disc Label and Save to options. The 'Burn to' option allows multiple choices. To burn video to DVD disc on Mac, you need to insert a blank writable DVD disc into the disc recorder drive, and then select it as target under the 'Burn to' option.
Step. 4 Burn video to DVD
After you inserted a blank DVD disc to your DVD drive, chose path to save to, and typed the disc labeled, start to burn video to DVD on Mac by clicking on the 'Burn' button. Then it will start video to DVD creation.
Leawo DVD Creator can burn DVD from more than 180+ formats of videos and photos with 6X faster speed. Additionally, it can allow you to experience all kinds of DVD menu templates for free and you can edit your video according to your own preference. Besides, you can freely choose subtitles and audio tracks as well as preview changes in the video instantly and screenshot taking.
Conclusion
All the solution above are good ways to help you figure out the problem that how to format a DVD-RW on Mac. Remember that you have to make sure your DVD disc is the type that can be rewritten and read. You can erase the DVD disc freely and you can also rewrite the new files into the DVD disc again with the help of powerful Leawo DVD Creator.
Sharing discs
If your Mac doesn't have a built-in optical drive and you need to use a CD or DVD, you can connect an external drive like the Apple USB SuperDrive. You can also share discs from the optical drive of another Mac, or from a Windows computer that has DVD or CD Sharing Setup installed. DVD or CD sharing allows you to access documents stored on these discs, and allows you to install some software.
DVD or CD sharing isn't designed for some kinds of optical media. Connect a compatible optical drive directly to your Mac if you need to use one of these discs:
- Audio CDs
- Blu-ray or DVD movies
- Copy protected discs (such as some game discs)
- Recordable CDs or DVDs that you want to burn or erase
- Microsoft Windows installation discs
If you have a Microsoft Windows install disc that you want to use with Boot Camp, you can create a disc image of this disc and copy it to a USB flash drive for installation instead.
Setting up a Mac to share discs
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To share discs from a Mac that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:
- On the Mac that has an optical drive, choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
- Click the Sharing icon in the System Preferences window.
- Make sure you've entered a name that you can easily recognize in the Computer Name field.
- Enable the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
- You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'
Setting up a Windows PC to share discs
To share discs from a Windows PC that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:
- Download and install DVD or CD Sharing Update 1.0 for Windows.
- From Control Panel, open 'Hardware and Sound'
- Click 'DVD or CD Sharing Options.'
- Select the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
- You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'
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If you're sharing discs from a Windows computer and your PC has firewall software enabled, be sure to allow access to the following programs from your firewall:
- ODSAgent
- RemoteInstallMacOSX
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Use a shared DVD or CD
After you've enabled DVD or CD Sharing, you can use that computer's optical drive at any time. Insert a disc in the optical drive of the computer that's being shared. The disc should then be available on any Mac that's connected to the same network.
- On the Mac that doesn't have an optical drive, open a Finder window.
- Select Remote Disc in the Devices section of the sidebar. You should see the computer that has DVD or CD Sharing enabled.
- Double-click the computer's icon, then click Connect to see the contents of the CD or DVD available from that computer.
If you can't use a shared disc
If your Mac already has a built-in optical drive, or an external optical drive connected, you won't see the Remote Disc feature appear in the Finder or other apps.
If you're using a compatible disc and you don't see it from Remote Disc, make sure the sharing computer is turned on, is connected to the same network as your Mac, and has a compatible CD or DVD in its optical drive. If you've enabled the option to ask for permission before using the drive, click Accept on the computer that is sharing its optical drive.
