Windows uses NTFS and FAT32 while Mac uses HFS and they’re incompatible with each other. However, it’s not just a case of formatting if you want to use your hard drive on both Mac and PC when these 2 platforms use different file systems. And only after formatted, your computer can work normally.
Without this step, your computer will have no idea where to write or read. Usually, when we use a new hard drive for the first time, no matter it's portable or non-portable, it can not be directly put into use for it has to be initialized and formatted first, like giving it fresh new birth. How to format portable hard drive for Mac and PC?