But contrary to its name, its a rather old file system that was developed by microsoft decades ago and launched in 1993. I recommend using it when compatibility between mac and windows is important. If its a removable disk like a usb drive, plug it in the usb slot on your pc. Thats useful if you need to get some data from a friends windows disk, but if you use both windows and macos, youll. The exfat format is compatible with mac and also with some devices that do not support ntfs, such as digital cameras even if they are not yet fully compatible. Wondering what the best format for your new external hard drive is. After many years of using ntfs formatted disks except mac internal hd and my backup external hard disk hfs, i am considering of migrating to exfat for the first time. Fat32 has several limitations, including a 4 gb perfile limit. The first is fat and the other is exfat, which well discuss a little later. Ntfs, a modern file system, is used in system drive by default due to its advanced features what benefit system running.
Use exfat for excellent compatibility with windows without fat32s. Exfat a newer file format, supported in mac os x 10. Then there is the inability to write files greater than 4gb on fat32 and of course the complete lack of. Macs dont have an integrated way to format partitions with ntfs, either. It is the second most common, behind the exfat, and is used by windows and most flash drives. You have to format the drive to exfat or fat32 if the burning process failed due to the wrong partition scheme. If you use your stick also on windows machines running xp sp2, vista sp1 or windows 7 you can use the very new file system exfat. Format your new drives to be readable on both osx and windows. How to format wd my passport for mac and pc easeus. Exfat should basically only be used on drives that need to work with both windows and macos computers. Whether youre formatting an internal drive, external drive, usb flash drive, or sd card, windows will give you the choice of ntfs, fat32, and exfat. Use an external usb drive across windows and mac osx.
The nt file system is the most modern out of all three of the file systems available. But i need opinions, experiences, and thinking about it. To format ntfs to exfat, you have to connect the external drive to computer running windows and free download aomei partition assistant standard. In addition, microsofts xbox 360 is not supported, while the xbox itself. The format is not used for the internal hard drives in mac. How enable ntfs writing on mac write to ntfs drives mactip. The good news is that formatting usb on mac is also as easy as on windows 10. The format dialog in windows doesnt explain the difference, so we will. How to format ntfs on mac ntfs is a commonly used file format for windows systems and external devices. By default, macs use hfs, while pcs use ntfs, which are not compatible with each other. If the maximum file size is less than 2 gib and the file syste.
The number of devices that support exfat is more than ntfs, but some older devices may not support. Whether youre formatting an internal drive, external drive, usb flash. Fat32, ntfs, and exfat are the three file systems users commonly use for windows system. File system formats available in disk utility on mac. Need to use a usb drive on both a windows pc and a mac.
The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. Fat32 is most compatible file system format that can be readandwrite in many. Your choice is msdos aka fat32 or exfat and i go over the difference in the video. Usb flash drives, external drives with the need to store files larger than 4 gb. Let us looks at some of the most notable differences between exfat vs ntfs vs fat32. Therefore, slntfs software acts as an interface for the mac os 10. You can not edit the ntfs formatted file using mac. One is to use a paid 3rd party tool to add ntfs write support to a mac, such as paragons ntfs for mac tool. The main windows disk format, ntfs, isnt supported by macos. How to convert ntfs to fat32 or exfat without data loss. Before you get the answer, you must figure out what kind of file system can work well on both the macos and the windows system. If the drive comes formatted in ntfs, which is the default file system for. This only makes use of what youre familiar with the windows file explorer.
Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. Use the exfat file system and never format your external drive. Make a rightclick on the icon of the usb drive you want to format. Copy any one of the following commands to format the exfat drive to fat, fat32 or ntfs. I havent tried this one, but it should also do the job. The fat32 file system is compatible with windows, mac and the linux operating systems. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Choose this format if the size of the disk is over 32 gb. Well show you how using tuxera ntfs for mac and tuxera disk manager. When you format a partition or drive in windows 10, there are three types of file system you wont be unfamiliar, ntfs, fat32 and exfat. Use the exfat file system and never format your external. First, there is the lack of ntfs write capability on macs.
The format dates back to 2006, and was made by microsoft to provide some of the crossplatform compatibility of the older fat32 format without the file and partition size limitations. Quickly format an external hard drive for mac and windows pc. From then on, that drive should work fantastically between mac and windows machines. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Creating windows 10 bootable usb on mac is a common task for people who have multiple computers at home. Understandably, it is the default file system for windows pcs.
The best format for your external hard drive the hellotech blog. If you want to write to ntfs formatted hard drives in mac os x, youre going to need. Ntfs disks can be read by macos, but not written to. Fat32 works for both oses, but has a 4gb size limit per file, so it isnt ideal. A file system uses a set of rules to control how data is stored and retrieved on a storage device. If you plan on using an external drive with both macs and pcs, you should format the disk with the exfat file system instead. However, the write support in the os settings is not active. Windows uses ntfs and mac os uses hfs and theyre incompatible with each other. Microsoft introduced ntfs in 1993, as a component of the corporateoriented.
For a hard drive to be able to be read and written to in both a pc and mac computer, it must be formatted to exfat or fat32 file format. Thus, if you wish to format ntfs on mac, then you must be using an external storage unit. To format hard drive for mac and windows without data loss, we suggest using minitool partition wizard and its convert ntfs to fats32 function. Exfat is a relatively newer filesystem owned and controlled by microsoft, therefore requiring a license for other companies to use and not free. When the driver is installed, you format your ntfs disks with disk utility where you select windows nt filesystem as the format. This article will illustrate to the differences between the three, analyzing their pros and cons, compatibility and usage in an allrounded way. I fed up to set up paragon ntfs or tuxera, every single time mac os is upgraded to a major new version, every year. It is also compatible with gaming consoles as well as with any device with a usb port. Format your external drive with exfat for both mac and windows. I want to use my external hdd on more devices, like macs, but i know osx or ubuntu linux cant read or write to ntfs drives.
What is the difference between fat32 exfat and ntfs. The maximum length for the volume name is 11 characters. It is mainly used in modern digital cameras and in ball games. The conventional wisdom is that you should format your external drives as exfat if you want to connect them to both osx and windows computers. By widely used i mean supported by different operating systems. Then, you can do as the following stepbystep instruction. In the file system dropdown, choose exfat instead of ntfs. How to format a disk to ntfs using mac os x ask different. Format the new drive on the win 7 machine, right click on its icon and format. With tuxera ntfs for mac, you can use apples disk utility or tuxera disk manager to format ntfs drives. However, you can format the drive to work with both windows and mac by.
Ntfs new technology files system is the newer drive format. Macyourself blog archive how to format a drive for mac and pc. For instance, you might wish to format as sd card, pen drive, external hard disk, etc. A window will pop up where you can choose the format ntfs, fat32, or exfat. Fat32 is an older file system thats largely relegated to. Make sure the allocation unit size is set to default and type in. While it may sound like a weightloss product from a latenight infomercial, exfat is a hard drive format that feels like the child of ntfs and fat32. The other is to format your drives with the exfat file system. To learn more, we can also read our article format usb in exfat or fat32 to use the stick on mac and pc. Disk utility on mac supports several file system formats.
Whats the difference between fat32, exfat, and ntfs. How do i convert an ntfs external hdd to exfat without. Unfortunately exfat is only supported on mac os 10. The overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. This is the most convenient and easiest way to perform the format on your computer.
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