Here are some other factors that will conclude that formatting the external drive with Mac is necessary as it will also improve the performance of the drive. Unless you intend to use the drive for file exchange between Windows and Mac, the formatting would be the right thing to do. But unless you format the drive on Mac, it can't be used as a bootable disk or with Time Machine. It is possible to read and write on a drive that has a different file system. But if you want to ensure that the drive has complete Mac compatibility, then you'll have to format the drive using the Mac OS Extended filesystem. It is done as a routine maintenance task. Overview of Formatting Drive on Macįormatting isn't just a process of erasing the existing data on a drive. The Best Format Choice of External Drive on Mac It is also widely supported by memory storage technology companies and third-party operating systems like OS X and Linux.

Microsoft introduced exFAT in 2006 it’s an optimized version of FAT, providing better performance advantages over FAT32. Now you’ll be able to save and copy files to your thumb drive on both Windows and OS X. In the Format list box, select ExFAT, enter a Volume Label if you want, then click Erase. Select your thumb drive in the Disk Utility window, then click the Erase tab. Launch Disk Utility press Command+Space then type: disk utility.

If you only use a Mac computer, you can format your thumb drive to work on Windows systems.Ĭonnect the thumb drive to your Mac. In the File System list box, choose exFAT, type in a Volume Label if you want, and then click Start.Ĭlick OK to the format warning and wait until the process is complete. Right-click your flash drive and then select Format. Prepare a Thumb Drive for Both Windows and OS X or macOS

Before you start, though, make sure your thumb drive is formatted so it can work on both Windows and macOS. If you’re working in a mixed environment, where you might need to work on files between both systems, a handy solution is to use a thumb drive. This makes it difficult to move data between the two unless you have them networked together. MacOS uses the HFS+ file system, while Windows uses the NTFS file system that shares little in common.

Mac usb flash drive format