Mar 03, 2020 as you can see, exfat is the only file system that works with all versions of windows and macos and does not have any max filesize or partitionsize limits. Go to the applications folder on your macs hard drive, then go to the utilities folder, and launch disk utility. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. For example, in the screenshot below, the macformatted drive is disk 2.
For example, in the screenshot below, the mac formatted drive is disk 2. So dont format until you get the important files out of the drive. Heres how to format a new flash drive thumb driveusb stick on a mac for both pc and mac. Sep 26, 2018 windows pc and mac use different filesystems. I put it in my win 7 pro machine to format it for win7. Jan 30, 2017 its for windows only, no mac os x version. Just carry on reading to learn the methods in real. Go to the applications folder on your mac s hard drive, then go to the utilities folder, and launch disk utility. Even though most people associate formatting with system installation, there are many other reasons why you might want to format your hard drive. The drive will be erased with the selected format and will be usable on both macs and windows pcs. Moving from windows to mac transferring your documents. How to format a flash drive for mac and pc compatibility in. You should go ahead and format your storage drive with exfat. The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os x, though with some drawbacks.
This wikihow teaches you how to change your flash drives default file format. Windows 7 professional, windows 7 ultimate, windows 8. In this guide, we show you virtually every method to format a usb flash drive and quickly erase its contents or fix data corruption and other issues using windows 10s builtin tools. Sometimes windows 10 setup can become confused if it sees a thumb drive. Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup. This free download is able to format my usb thumb drive that could not be formatted with windows built. Feb 17, 2020 creating a windows 10 boot drive is easy peasy. Use microsofts media creation tool to ensure you have a windows 10 boot drive.
Aug 27, 2019 in todays technology, if you buy a usb hard drive, you can just simply use it directly using your mac. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows 7. We all make mistakes, and you wouldnt be the first person in the world to accidentally format a usb flash drive. You will learn the easiest way to format drive on mac and windows as exfat. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. However, there are instances that not unless that your flash drive is build to use for your mac, you will not be able to format it. Usb flash drive format tool free download and software. Flash drive works on mac but not pc apple community. Both mac os x and windows allow users to format their hard drives using builtin utilities. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x. So that brings me, whats the best format to have your flash drive, if you will be using it back and forth.
So, if users anticipate using the flash drive with more than one operating system, they will definitely benefit from the fat32 file system. You can do this in disk utility on your mac, where it is called msdos fat format, but it is probably easier to just reformat the drive on your windows machine. As you can see, exfat is the only file system that works with all versions of windows and. Apfs is optimized for ssd solid state drive such as flash drives, so if you reformat a flash drive on a mac, you should definitely choose apfs unless you plan to use it with a prehigh sierra mac, of course. If you have an old flash drive or one that was formatted to work with windows or another operating system, you can still format your flash drive to work on a mac. Both fat32 and exfat can be used on windows pc and mac. Next, open a command prompt window as administrator. 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.
To do this, you can take the assistance of disk utility, which is a dedicated system component in mac. Under file system box, select exfat for this drive. Jul 16, 2017 heres how to format a new flash drive thumb driveusb stick on a mac for both pc and mac. Transferring a 4gb or larger file to a usb flash drive or. If you are installing from a retail windows 10 usb thumb drive, you. Formatting your flash drive will typically remove any files or folders on the drive, so make sure you back up your files before. Read mac formatted drives with windows the tech guy. Apr 30, 2016 now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. Fat32 file allocation table readwrite fat32 from both native windows and native mac os x. This article will teach you how to format the usb flash drive so both macs and pcs can read them. The overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats.
How to format a large capacity usb flash drive, fat32, windows. First, note the number of the disk in the disk management window. I use the exfat format so you can go between the two of them. However, i was disappointed to find that the stock filesystem, msdos fat, does not support transferring large files. How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on a mac. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows. One simple way to make the drive readable on both platforms is to format it to exfat, which both operating systems can understand.
Jan 15, 2019 so if you think you might need to plug the usb drive into a mac running an older version of macos, format it as mac os extended. Learn how to format your usb flash drive or usb external drive so you can use it on both mac os x and windows computers. You can format a hard drive or usb flash disk specifically so that it will be compatible with both mac os x and windows pc computers. How to format usb flash drive on mac stepbystep tutorial.
A window will pop up where you can choose the format ntfs, fat32, or exfat. How to format usb drive external hard drive on macos catalina. This is the easiest way and simply requires you to plug in your usb drive, open the windows file explorer and right click your drive to view a number of actions that you can perform. Usb drives and external hard drives on macos catalina are used for storing and backing up important data such as photos, videos, audios, images, notes, messages, music files, pdf files, word documents, among other files.
Hi there, i have a usb flash drive which was formatted for a mac. I dont know why i am so amused that you can format a drive for fat32 much more easily on a mac with a utility that comes included with every mac when the format is not one that you would normally use on a mac. Would it be possible to format it in a way that they. Find out how to format an external drive or usb disk making the drive work with both windows pc and mac can read and write. Transferring a 4gb or larger file to a usb flash drive or memory card. 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. Macs and pcs use different file systems, which can make it tricky to put data from your mac on a flash or hard drive and give it to a windows. Select your drive from the list and rightclick on it. Some flash drives have to be formatted first before you can store files on them.
In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. Make sure the allocation unit size is set to default and type in a volume label. I use the exfat format so you can go between the two. How to format usb drives on windows 10 make tech easier. If you want to use a different file system on your usb drive, youll need to format it. Dont worry, the following part will show you the solution for windows and mac os users. If the drive comes formatted in ntfs, which is the default file system for windows, youre going to want to reformat the drive because mac os x. Aug 16, 2019 in this guide, we show you virtually every method to format a usb flash drive and quickly erase its contents or fix data corruption and other issues using windows 10s builtin tools. How to format a flash drive for mac and pc compatibility in macos. I have seen all of these recommended in different articles, books and sites. How to format an external hard drive for mac and windows. Flash drive not recognized issue on windows and mac. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive.
The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. This will erase all contents on the disk, however, so youll need to. Here in this article we would use certain third party tools to read the mac formatted drive on. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmaclinux. Now you can share files between a mac and windows computer. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. So if you think you might need to plug the usb drive into a mac running an older version of macos, format it as mac os extended. Be careful using these instructions to ensure you are formatting the correct disk. How to format a flash drive for mac and pc compatibility. How to format a usb flash drive on windows 10 windows. Not every flash drive out there can be used with a mac computer right out of the box. How to recover data from flash drive not recognized on windows when you fix the usb flash drive not recognized with format solution, all your data on the drive will got formatted and lost.
How to format usb driveexternal hard drive on macos catalina. On this guide we will show you how to recover data from flash drive not recognized on windows. Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos. How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on. Rightclick on the drive you want to format, click on format.
While if youre using the usb drive as a windows computer backup drive, to store highdefinition videos, movies, pictures and any other large files, at the same time, asking for a high security, choose ntfs. But if it does not contain any important files, then you can surely go ahead by clicking the format button. Here in this article we would use certain third party tools to read the mac formatted drive on windows. It may even already be formatted fat32 if you just brought it home from the store. Disk drill, a premium data recovery solution for mac os x with support for all popular file formats and common storage devices, is here to help you recover deleted files from usb flash drive. Have you ever ran into a problem where youre trying to use a flash drive on both windows and mac. The process for formatting a drive is different depending on the system youre using. In this article, we are taking a closer look at the disk utility, which comes with all recent versions of the mac os x operating system and how you can use it to format usb drive. Format usb drive, external hard drive on macos catalina. Sep 20, 2016 learn how to format your usb flash drive or usb external drive so you can use it on both mac os x and windows computers. Now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. To format a usb flash drive to fat32 in mac os x follow these steps. Windows will format the drive as exfat and youll be able to use the drive on both windows and mac. To share a usb drive between a mac and a windows pc, there are two disk formats to choose from.
Oct 29, 2019 just like windows, mac also allows a seamless solution to do pen drive format. The instructions below are for windows 10, but other versions of windows from windows 7 and up can also format an external drive as exfat for use with mac as well. When you plug a drive thats been formatted for mac into a windows pc, you may find that it isnt readable. Jul 22, 2019 how to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. Should it be gpt ot mbr, should it be nfts or fat32, etc.
It can help you manage system partitions, erase an external unit like a thumb drive, and even repair your disk. You can use this format if you share the drive between mac os x and windows computers and have no files larger than 4gb. Feb 21, 2020 its a universal format that is compatible with mac os xmacos, windows, linux and dos systems. The file allocation table 32 fat32 was the standard windows file system before ntfs. For apple mac users, there are two ways to format a usb flash drive to fat32, including disk utility and. How to format flash drive for pcmac with large file sizes. If you wish to boot the drive on a pc or use it with older versions of windows, you may also need to set the partition scheme to master boot record mbr for full windows compatibility. In the file system list box, choose exfat, type in a volume label.
Volume format most manufacturers use the fat 32 or msdos fat volume format. Rightclick your flash drive and then select format. Once made your own decision as above guided, its time to format your usb drive a desired file system. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. I was recently trying to put a file on a 16gb flash drive that is formatted via fat32.
Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. Just like windows, mac also allows a seamless solution to do pen drive format. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos easeus. Use microsofts media creation tool to ensure you have a windows 10 boot drive handy should you ever run into issues with your current pc. Usb drives and external hard drives on macos catalina are used for storing and backing up important data such as photos, videos, audios, images, notes, messages, music.
How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. In the screenshot below, the drive is formatted with the exfat file system. Its a universal format that is compatible with mac os xmacos, windows, linux and dos systems. Sep 19, 2011 the overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. For apple mac users, the easier way to format usb flash drive to fat32 is using the disk utility. How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. Mar 15, 2018 rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. Therefore, its perfect for a usb flash drive or external disk, especially when you need to save files more than 4gb in size. In todays technology, if you buy a usb hard drive, you can just simply use it directly using your mac.
The best way to fix flash drive not recognized on windows and mac. Lets see how to format usb drive on a windows pc first. Insert the flash drive or hard drive you want to format for windows compatibility. If you want to use the drive between a windows and mac machine, you can format it to fat32. Connect the drive to a usb port on your windows machine. Simple and easy to use, macdrive is recognized as the leader for accessing mac disks from windows for almost 20 years. How to format and create a usb drive or pen drive that is compatible with windows 10, 8, 7 or mac or linux. The file being bigger than 4gb would not go on it, seeing how fat32 cant handle it. Rather than use a macformatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility youtube. It recognizes the drive, installs the drivers, yet never shows up as an active. Youll see the drive s file system displayed to the right of format under the general heading. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmac. If you only use a mac computer, you can format your thumb drive so it can work on windows systems.
25 551 1185 487 351 1155 1199 141 153 692 156 250 646 1283 260 762 175 1167 411 708 642 1268 1393 1503 982 901 878 655 1428 1083 500 633 398 222 520 866 1314 388 970