USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC HOW TO
USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC FULL
USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC WINDOWS 10
USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC WINDOWS

RELATED: Why Does Windows Want to Format My Mac Drives? Before You Get Started: Back Up the USB Drive First This disk preparation setup process is called “ formatting.”

USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC HOW TO

Below, we’ll show you how to set up a USB drive as exFAT for both Windows and Mac. That file system is called exFAT, and it’s designed for flash media cross-platform compatibility. If you’re frequently using both Macs and PCs with the same drive, the ideal solution is to configure a USB drive with a file system that both operating systems can read. And likewise, if you format a USB drive as NTFS on Windows, Macs can read it but not write to it (although there are some ways around it).

USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC WINDOWS 10

On Windows, File Explorer and EaseUS Partition Master shall be your first choice for formatting removable devices.So here’s the problem: If you format a USB drive as APFS on a Mac, Windows 10 won’t read it without third-party tools (and will actually ask to format it).Formatting USB or external hard drive to ExFAT is easy.įor a quick tip, here is EaseUS Editors' Pick: If you prefer or plan to set a cross-platform supported format for your storage devices, ExFAT is the best.Īlso, we provided 4 ExFAT formatters on Windows and one reliable disk formatting tool on Mac that you can pick any method that applies to you the best for help. On this page, we explained the best format for USB and external hard drives on both Windows and Mac is ExFAT. Step 5. Last, click 'Erase' to confirm the operation.įormat USB/External Hard Drive to ExFAT for Windows and Mac with The Best ExFAT Formatter Step 4. Select 'ExFAT' as the file format from the Format drop list. Step 3. Select the USB or external hard drive on the left pane in Disk Utility, and click 'Erase' on the top menu. Step 2. Press Command + Space keys, type Disk Utility in the spotlight, and hit 'Return' to open it. Step 1. Connect your external hard drive or USB flash drive to your Mac computer. Also, remember to copy and back up useful files to another location in advance.

USB DRIVE FORMAT FOR MAC AND PC FULL

If you are using a Mac computer and need a full guide to format the USB or external hard drive to ExFAT, you can turn to Disk Utility for help. Format USB/External Hard Drive to ExFAT on Mac select partition 2 (replace 2 with the volume number of your USB or external disk)Īfter formatting the USB or external hard drive, you can connect the device to both of your Windows and Mac computers to transfer and share files as you want.select disk 2 (replace 2 with the USB or external drive number).Step 3. Type the following command lines one by one, and make sure that you type in the right command lines each time. Step 2. Press Windows + R keys, type diskpart and click 'OK' to open it. Step 1. Connect the USB or external hard drive to a Windows computer. Step 4. Select the file system as 'exFAT' and tick 'Perform a quick format', click 'OK' to confirm. Step 3. Right-click the USB or external hard drive, select 'Format'. Step 2. Search 'Create and format hard disk partitions' to click and open Disk Management. Step 1. Connect external hard drive or USB drive to Windows computer. Here is a list of details of ExFAT and you'll learn why is ExFAT recommended as the default format for USB flash drives or external hard drives:įollow this video yo learn more featured functions in EaseUS exFAT formatted: What's more, it has been adopted as the default file system for SDXC cards larger than 32GB. It also has a greater file-size limit compared to FAT32 - 4GB.

It's an optimized file system for flash memory like USB flash drives, SD cards, and external hard drives.ĮxFAT is also regarded as the best format for USB and external hard drives on both Windows and Mac computers as ExFAT can be used where NTFS is not supported. Full stepsĮxFAT - Best Format for USB/External Hard Drive on Windows and MacĮxFAT, known as a newer version of FAT32, is short for Extensible File Allocation Table, introduced by Microsoft in 2006.

Full stepsĬonnect your external hard drive or USB > Press Command + Space keys, type Disk Utility. To format USB or external hard drives, there are 4 major USB formatters that you can have a try.

Usb drive format for mac and pc