Today this video will show you how to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. How to format a wd hard drive to exfat or fat32 file system. The easiest way to add storage to your mac is to buy an external hard drive. If you want to transfer files from a mac to windows pc and vice versa using an external portable hard drive then you have to have the external drive formatted in a file system. A wd my passport formatted with mac file system will be a dud on the windows and viceversa. In other words, you can access the drive and transfer data without any hassles. How to erase and format a disk in windows 10, 8 or 7. Jun 20, 2019 for mac, the mac os extension is the file system included in mac os 10.
Sep 26, 2018 the windows uses ntfs and mac uses hfs. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple support. Choose exfat as the file system in the format partition screen. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Thus, in short you cannot access your mac file system from windows vista, and vice versa. Use the exfat file system and never format your external drive. Best file system for sharing between os x and windows. Mar 15, 2018 windows cant normally read macformatted drives, and will offer to erase them instead. So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both windows and mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with windows pc and mac.
Ntfs is the modern file system windows likes to use by default. Fat32 has several limitations, including a 4 gb per file limit. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. Apfs or apple file system is the default fs for macos high sierra 10. The easiest way to do that is hit cmd and the spacebar at the same time and type in disk utility to find the program. If you only use a mac computer, you can format your thumb drive so it can work on windows systems. The exfat file system was introduced in 2006 and was added to older versions of windows with updates to windows xp and windows vista. By default, mac os x can only read ntfs drives, not write to them. This also allows you to restore time machine backups on windows. If, however, you are not planning to use external storage to transfer large files or create any executable partitions such as a mac startup drive the fat32 file system might be an option, since this format is supported in all versions of the operating system. In that case, the best option would be choosing exfat file system. Because your windows pcs uses ntfs new technology file system to store your files. How to format a usb flash drive on windows 10 windows.
Give your settings a final lookover and click apply. Mar 22, 2012 the best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. The m4v file format is a video container format developed by apple and is very similar to the mp4 format. Now, click on the top partition, name it windows, and change its format to msdos. Both of these applespecific file systems are incompatible with windows, tvs, cameras, or most other non mac devices, which is why it should only be used on internal primary disks where you store macos and programs. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple.
A file system is a method and structure of data used by an operating system, called windows, linux or mac os, for reading media files such as disks, removable drives, etc. If you need to format external hard drive mac or windows, you. Itll create a new partition and configure a compatible file system to store files from your windows 10, macos, or linux machine depending on your settings. Jun 14, 2019 before jumping on the formatting, it is important to check your drives file system. How to choose a filesystem for your usb drive make tech. Read on for step by step instructions how to check a usb drives file system. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. Whats the difference between fat32, exfat, and ntfs. But if you didnt foresee that, you may have formatted your drive with apples hfs plus, which windows cant read by default. How to format your hard drive to exfat file system on windows 10. Mac os x uses the hfs plus file system, while windows uses the ntfs file system.
Developed by microsoft, this modern file system is optimized for situations where the ntfs file system is not a feasible solution, and the file size limit of the standard fat32 file system. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. Select your external hard drive or usb flash drive from the list on the left. You can format external hard drive or other external drives with exfat or fat32 file system for mac and windows, so that both mac and.
However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by using the exfat filesystem. In 2008 the ext4 was introduced which is the most modern dedicated linux file system. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with windows and mac. Crossplatform file system file sharing between mac, windows. Files output by the system are also included in this category.
In some cases, the usb flash drives need to be formatted to fat32 as it is one of the most preferred and compatible file systems for both mac and windows. It replaced the hierarchical file system hfs as the primary file system of apple computers with the 1998 release of mac os 8. Now it is ntfs but back in the day the ntfs support was not stable under linux and i think it is not supported on a mac. First of all, plug your flash drive into the usb port on your computer. You can format the drive on your mac or windows computer.
Seagate backup plus slim user manual optional formatting. Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. External hard drive for mac and pc with data interchangeable. How to format a hard drive on windows or mac avast. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. File system explained and how to format your drive dong. What filesystem for an external harddrive linuxmacwindows. May 29, 2018 two file systems compatible with mac and windows. How to know what current file system your flash drive is with, and how to format it to exfat. But contrary to its name, its a rather old file system that was developed by microsoft decades ago and launched in 1993. You can also partition a disk using the master boot record partition layout, which is compatible with windows.
As ntfs is proprietary, apple would need a special license to use it. File open hlp windows help file system conversion ai. Whether youre formatting an internal drive, external drive, usb flash drive, or sd card. Whats usb format for ps3 how to free format ps3 usb easeus. Macs can read files on ntfs drives, but it cannot write to them. After reading this post, youll know what is the best file system for your cameras sd card and what is the best format for your mac and pc. Thankfully, msdos fat32 and exfat formats have survived to date, and these are the file system to make your wd my passport work with a mac and a windows pc simultaneously. The hlp windows help file format specifies how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. If you are using boot camp the mac installation should be able to see the windows files, but will be. How to format an external hard drive for mac and pc. The native windows file system is ntfs, which is only partially compatible with mac os x.
Os extended used to be the default file system for macos until it was replaced by apfs. How to convert wd external drive to apple file systemapfs. Which video format for viewing on mac and apple community. How to format your hard drive to exfat file system on windows. To format a new drive to a different file system, select it and click erase. Using an external drive between mac and windows computers can be a hassle, since you constantly have to reformat it to fit which computer. If you want to make your drive compatible with mac and windows, you need to format it with a common file system for mac and windows. The reason being is that they are 2 different, and proprietary, file structures. What is currently the best file system to use for drives that are regularly accessed both reading and writing from both windows and os x on a single machine using bootcamp. Understandably, it is the default file system for windows pcs. How to format a hard drive windows 10, 8, 7, vista, xp. What filesystem should i use for an external usb harddrive 500gb, with possibility to share with a mac and windows systems, for example at the office. Both mac os x and windows also support the fat32 file system, but we dont recommend it for hard drives. The nt file system ntfs is the file system that modern windows versions use by default.
It is recommended to choose the compatible format that the system lists. How to change the file system without formatting in windows. And apfs takes the advantages of strong encryption, space sharing, disk snapshots and is compatible with ssd on new mac. Aug 16, 2019 format fsfile system labeldrivename quick. But, while trying to format a flash drive in the usual manner, problems may arise or the fat32 option might not be available. Sep 18, 2019 on windows 10, you can convert to the ntfs, exfat, and fat32 though the options may differ based on the type of drive that youre looking to change the file system of. There are other file system besides these three such as apples own proprietary apple file system. All you need to do is format the drive on a windows machine and you. Though the default hard disk file system also known as format of windows and mac are different, there should be some ways to format an external drive for both mac and pc. Sep 12, 2019 to format ps3 usb to fat32, first you need take out the usb drive and connect it to a computer, of which the operating system can be windows 108. How to share files between mac os x and windows with boot. This format was created for microsoft and allows users to quickly plug their drives into windows machines and work with files. Seagate backup plus is preformatted exfat for compatibility with both mac and windows computers. How to change the file system of a drive on windows 10.
Formatting your drive to exfat file system is very easy. The western digital units mentioned below use a proprietary file system and cannot be reformatted as fat32, ntfs, or a mac file system. If you plan on using an external drive with both macs and pcs, you should format the disk with the exfat file system instead. For mac, the mac os extension is the file system included in mac os 10.
If you know youre going to use a drive on both mac and windows, you should use the exfat file system, which is compatible with both. Because fat32 supports only up to 4 gb large files, it should be used only with flash drives. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac laptop mag. Essentially, its a file system thats both readable and writable on any modern mac or windows machine sorry, leopard users. Using apples free disk utility app, you can easily format the drive, give it a label, or even partiti. Once you have it, your first task is to pick a suitable file system for that drive depending on your intended usage.
This is critical if you are using the drive on macs and pcs. How to convert mac specific files to work on windows 10. Fwiw, mp4 videos should play on both osx and windows. How to erase and format a disk in windows 10, 8 or 7 read this article to learn about the difference between quick and full format, the file system you should choose when formatting a disk, how to use the windows builtin tool to format disks, create or delete partitions. A file format like hlp windows help file is a standard way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file. The best ways to format an external drive for windows and mac. File system formats available in disk utility on mac. Ntfs is the default file system for windows operating system and hfs for mac operating system. Simply follow any of the methods discussed in the article and successfully format your drive to exfat file system. Ive been using ntfs so far, coming from a windows background. Jan 25, 2019 the easiest way to add storage to your mac is to buy an external hard drive.
The exfat file system eliminates the two major deficiencies of fat32. Which mac file system is best for an external drive. We hope this guide helps you change the file system of a drive without formatting it on your windows based computer. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. The system files category includes files related to mac, windows, and linux operating systems. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Or you take a few minutes to format your external hard drive for both mac and pc. If you own a windows computer, the hard drive in your system is probably running the ntfs format, which stands for new technology file system. How to convert macspecific files to work on windows 10. How to format and create a usb drive or pen drive that is compatible with windows 10, 8, 7 or mac or linux. Mar 03, 2020 now that youve learned exfat is the ideal file system to go. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. Itll create a new partition and configure a compatible file system to store files from your windows 10, macos, or linux machine depending on. Windows systems, by default, cannot read from mac formatted drives.
Ntfs, exfat, fat32, ext4 file systems explained utilize windows. However, the new macs are shipped with the latest mac os version, macos high sierra which supports the apple file system or apfs. Disk utility on mac supports several file system formats. If you change or leave it macs default format drives file system, it may not work on other devices as before. Some examples include system libraries, icons, themes, and device drivers. If you need to format external hard drive mac or windows, you may also consider the exfat files system. However, fat32 has a maximum 4gb file size limit whereas. Once the drive is formatted it will be compatible to be read and written to on both. The file system on wd my book live, wd my book live duo, wd sharespace, wd sharespace, wd my book world edition hard drives support access from windows, mac and most linux based computer systems through a samba. If you are going to use your usb drive on mac devices mainly, choose this file system. How to format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility since the pc and mac are two different operating systems, they use different file systems. Use the exfat file system and never format your external. Fortunately, there is a file system actually two, ill explain that you can format your flash drive to be fully compatible with mac and pc. However, this format doesnt support larger files, which can be problematic for transferring 4k videos and so on between macs and windows 10 pcs.
By default, macs use hfs, while pcs use ntfs, which are not compatible with each other. How to format an external hard drive on windows and mac. You will need a mac to convert a drive to this file system, or a paid app. So if you need to get files from a pc to your mac, ntfs is a decent option. While the new is originally referring to the year 1993, it has since been improved and updated over the years.
Macyourself blog archive how to format a drive for mac and pc. Why cant you share an external hard drive from mac to pc by default. The disk utility application for mac gives you a lot of file system options to format a drive into. Crossplatform file system file sharing between mac. Hfs or the hierarchical file system was introduced by apple in 1985 for use in mac os. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. Next, download easeus partition master free and install it on your windows computer.