Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows. The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os x, though with some drawbacks. Save any files you need to another volume before formatting. May 29, 2018 two file systems compatible with mac and windows. Now you can share files between a mac and windows computer. The mass adoption of usb drive makes it one of the most used storage media today. You can then rightclick in the empty space and select new simple volume to create a partition and format it with the windows ntfs or fat32 file systems. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility macyourself. External data storage devices such as usb flash drives, external hard disk drives hdds, and solid state drives ssds provide one of the easiest ways to transfer files between separate computers without accessing the internet. After choosing the best format for usb drive according to your needs, you might start to wonder.
And fat32 is the format that both mac and windows pc support. You get to select a new file system for the drive before you click the start button. You can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. How to format a drive for mac and pc compatibility posted by ant on march 11th, 2012 43 comments if you have an external hard drive or usb flash drive that youd like to use on both macs and windows pcs, choosing the right file system to format the drive can be confusing. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac. We all make mistakes, and you wouldnt be the first person in the world to accidentally format a usb flash drive. 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. Its fairly straightforward and all you have to do is rightclick on it and select format. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmaclinux.
Apr 26, 2016 if you are a mac users, here are overviews of different file format systems, and how to choose which format to use for your usb drive to ensure compatibility with other operating systems. The process for formatting a drive is different depending on the system youre using. Although in principal, formatting means to erase existing data and free up space for utilization, the procedures are not exactly the same for mac and windows. How to format external hard drive to use on mac and pc. In other words, you can read and write fat32 file format on both the operating system. Compare with the other commonly used ntfs file system on a flash drive, fat32 has a compatibility advantage across many operating systems. Feb 21, 2020 how to format a usb flash drive with mac to fat32. Most do not even realize it is possible to manipulate their file storage in this way. Best usb format tools pen drive stick formatters for. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesnt worry its not complex.
How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmac. Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Now, you can follow these two solutions to format any hard drive, flash drive, usb drive, ssd or any other external storage drive so as to make them work on your mac now. 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. If you want to use a different file system on your usb drive, youll need to format it. Ntfs is the default file system for windows operating system and hfs for mac operating system. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows 7 by jack scicluna photography, llc guest writer. File system formats available in disk utility on mac. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. 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. The other formats microsofts ntfs and apples mac os extended dont work well on the other operating system.
Disk utility on mac supports several file system formats. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos. 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. How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on. Thus in order to make the hard drive windows formatted, you have to convert the file system to ntfs or fat32. Fortunately, theres a great tool that you can use for free to create bootable macos media on a usb drive in a windows 10 environment. 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.
Dec 29, 2015 how to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Hi there, i have a usb flash drive which was formatted for a mac. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos easeus. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in the file explorer window and select format. If you are techy and use windows and mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between mac and pc. The latest trend with computers is not including a cddvd drive.
How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility youtube. How to format drive with compatible file system for mac and. Thats because most of the computers in the world run windows, and windows uses a different file system, usually one known as fat32. Formatting your flash drive will remove all files or folders on the drive, so make sure you back up your files before formatting your drive. If you are not able to login to your mac, you need to use time machine backup disk. 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. How to format an external drive for mac compatibility.
The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os. Jul 05, 2017 youll see the drives file system displayed to the right of format under the general heading. Formatting a drive will erase all data and partitions on the disk. Many computer users who use a removable flash drive have the demand for formatting it to the fat32 file system. Whether the usb should be readable by windows machines and mac machines or just by mac and not readable in windows. Nov 01, 2011 format a flash drive for both mac os x and windows cult of mac. Windows formatted hard drives have either ntfs file system of an fat32 file system. Download hp usb disk storage format tool on mac, install it on emulated windows. Creating windows 10 bootable usb on mac is a common task for people who have multiple computers at home. Windows will format the drive as exfat and youll be able to use the drive on both windows and mac. If youre using your drive as a secondary windows drive, youll need to choose this option. Some flash drives have to be formatted first before you can store files on them. Mar 03, 2020 im showing this to verify that the usb drive has been reformatted to the file system i wanted. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility.
As this is only compatible with older versions of mac os, it is recommended that you use an alternative method. Dec 05, 2019 the windows system uses a hard drive with a different file system than the mac systems. The good news is that formatting usb on mac is also as easy as on windows 10. The overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. Im showing this to verify that the usb drive has been reformatted to the file system i wanted. Format usb or external hard drive for mac using mac disk utility format usb or external hard drive for mac on windows pc using thirdparty usb format tool. Jul 22, 2019 how to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows.
In order to write on the usb drive on mac, you need to format the device into apple supported file systems like apfs or mac os extended. One simple way to make the drive readable on both platforms is to format it to exfat, which both operating systems can understand. Usb drives can be formatted on your mac using the disk utility application. How to convert a macformatted drive to a windows drive. How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility. However it is an easy way to make the most out of your data storage experience. Use microsofts media creation tool to ensure you have a windows 10 boot drive. External data storage devices such as usb flash drives, external hard disk drives hdds, and solid state drives ssds provide one of the easiest ways to transfer files between separate computers without accessing the. You have to format the drive to exfat or fat32 if the burning process failed due to the wrong partition scheme. Format an external hard drive or usb flash drive for mac os x. If youve been a windows user for even a small amount of time, youd know how to format usb drive on windows. How to format a usb flash drive on windows 10 windows.
If you want to format a write protected usb drive, then stick with this article till the very end as we tell you about several integrated write protected usb drive format tools in your windows and you. How to format usb flash drive on mac stepbystep tutorial. The mac drive may have an efi system partition on it. How to format a large capacity usb flash drive, fat32, windows. How to format a flash drive for mac and pc compatibility in macos. Its exactly the same procedure if you need to reformat a flash drive on a mac. If you want to use the usb devices in windows you have to know how to do it. You will learn the easiest way to format drive on mac and windows as exfat. How to share an external hard drive between mac and windows. A drive with two partitions, for example can have one partitioned in exfat and another in a mac os extended format, so you can use the same drive on a mac and a windows computer. If you want to use a usb drive on both mac and windows, then you need to format the drive to the format supported by both systems. However, for this you need to follow the next steps.
Though you can mount the drive to view and copy the content, you cant write on the drive. Format external hard drive or usb drive for mac easeus. How to format flash drive on win7 when it was formatted on a mac. To share a usb drive between a mac and a windows pc, there are two disk formats to choose from. In the screenshot below, the drive is formatted with the exfat file system. How to format new or second hard drive on windows 10mac. I saved several files to the disk, and open disk utility again. Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. Oct 25, 2016 usb devices,that are formatted in mac format. Mar 12, 2020 this brings us to the end of this extensive guide on how to format a write protected pen drive. Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac apple. This is a simple procedure and is achieved the same way for all drive types and through all connections, be they usb, firewire, or thunderbolt. As you can see, exfat is the only file system that works with all versions of windows and.
How to open mac format usb devce in windows youtube. Gpt is a newer format supporting larger capacities, but isnt compatible with. 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. 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. The hp usb format tool allows you to format the usb flash drive in the mac os x. You dont have to be a technological wiz to reformat your usb drive. Now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. Use disk utility on mac if you are running an older version of mac, you can use the builtin disk utility app to create a windows 10 bootable usb drive. How to format a usb flash drive on mac wondershare. Im here to use a windows 10 based hp laptop to format my lexar drive. Moving from windows to mac transferring your documents.
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. To format usb drive in windows operating system, it is recommended to use the free usb formatter minitool partition wizard free edition. Rather than use a mac formatted drive, you should get the important files off of it and use exfatformatted drives for moving data between macs and pcs. In disk utility on your mac, you can format an external disk for a windows computer. Apr 30, 2016 now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. How to create macos bootable usb on windows 10 uubyte. Jun 14, 2018 format usb drive for both mac and pc use. Format usb for mac and pc on windows quickly and securely. Sep 19, 2011 the overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. How to format a usb flash drive on a mac techwalla.
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. Convert formatted drive from mac to windows info remo. I understand that you are unable to format the usb flash drive and not getting recognized on windows 7 computer. If youre lucky, you can just rightclick each partition on the mac drive and select delete volume to remove the partitions. 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 on mac. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Now, when you are formatting a usb drive on mac, you have an important decision to make. 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 usb drives on windows 10 make tech easier. How to format usb to fat32ntfsexfat on windows and mac. Dec, 2019 you can format the external hard drive or usb drive to make it compatible with both mac and windows machines. How to format a new or second hard drive in windows 10 formatting a drive may vary in terms of different operating systems, like windows and mac. This brings us to the end of this extensive guide on how to format a write protected pen drive. Read mac formatted drives with windows the tech guy. It may even already be formatted fat32 if you just brought it home from the store. 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. Connect the drive to a usb port on your windows machine. Have you ever ran into a problem where youre trying to use a flash drive on both windows and mac. How to format and create a usb drive or pen drive that is compatible with windows 10, 8, 7 or mac or linux. If you only use a mac computer, you can format your thumb drive so it can work on windows systems.
Most external hard drives and usb drives are compatible for use on mac computers as long as you format the devices for use with mac os x. Im sure that after following this step by step tutorial on the same, you would certainly be able to format a write protected usb drive on both mac and windows systems. 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. Lets see how to format usb drive on a windows pc first. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple.
Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. How to format usb drive on windows 10 using command prompt. Similar to windows 10, you can format usb drives on mac using disk utility app. 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. This article shows you how to download a macos dmg file, format a usb drive using a guid partition table, burn the dmg to the drive and boot your mac from the usb. How make a windows 10 usb using your mac build a bootable. Most usb flash drive users do not ever think to format their drives. 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. Install the parallels desktop emulator on your mac os. How to format internal andor external drive to work properly on mac and windows computers.
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