If you want to optimize performance, it’s best to format the drive using the computer’s native file system. Wait for it. ExFAT isn’t. When the Mac computer detects that your SD card is write-protected, it may set it to write-protected to avoid further corruption. Recover data from a formatted USB drive. And it’s effect on speed into the mix. Format: Pick your file system (APFS, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), exFAT, or MS-DOS (FAT)). Nov 29, 2024 · Learn how to securely format an ExFAT or FAT32 drive to NTFS on Mac with NTFS for Mac tool or built-in tools. It will mount the exFAT device automatically in Finder and desktop. Comparison of file systems in terms of speed, compatibility, security, and use on different devices. Jun 26, 2025 · Can Mac Read exFAT Can Mac read exFAT? Sure! Mac provides full read and writes support for exFAT. This can help repair any issues with the flash Jul 7, 2021 · To format a USB drive with the exFAT file system on a Mac, you'll need to use a tool called "Disk Utility" created by Apple that ships with macOS. Fortunately, there is a simple solution: format your external storage with the File Allocation Table (FAT32) or Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) file system. If everything else fails, use a recovery tool to get back everything. The Disk Utility application included with Mac can format a drive in the HFS+ or exFAT formats. Sep 9, 2025 · What is the best format for external hard drive on Mac, exFAT, FAT32, APFS, or Mac OS Extended? Check the analysis in this post to choose the right disk format. I am interested in getting a two-drive RAID 1 setup (from OWC or G-Tech) and wondering if I can format the drives as ExFAT. It Read more » 1 day ago · Mac can fully read and write external devices with exFAT format. 8 or later) and Windows (requires Windows XP SP3 or later). Scheme: Usually, "GUID Partition Map" is the right choice. QC Find out which is better for an external hard drive — exFAT or NTFS. . Seagate 1 TB 2 TB. It’s optimized for Mac. 15 (Catalina) IMPORTANT: This article applies to the following macOS versions: macOS 10. Any exFAT-formatted storage device can be automatically mounted in Finder programs and on the desktop when plugged in. Sep 25, 2024 · ExFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a file system developed by Microsoft that is designed to overcome the limitations of older file systems like FAT32. When the file system on an SD card - like FAT32 or exFAT - gets corrupted, macOS might load it without write access just to keep things safe. Here's how. But you can’t share a Mac OS Extended drive. [4] 6 days ago · To format a hard drive so it works on both Mac and Windows, you can use NTFS, exFAT or FAT32. Aug 2, 2021 · Windows uses NTFS while Mac OS uses HFS, and they're incompatible with each other. Nov 17, 2020 · The exFAT file system can be formatted with different cluster sizes. 2. To format your storage device to exFAT, you can follow the steps outlined on this page, which will guide you through the process and help you achieve the desired file system configuration. Jan 10, 2025 · A complete guide to preparing and formatting removable USB drives on a PC or Mac When you format a pendrive, all files and folders on the drive are removed and replaced with a new file system. 7. Oct 6, 2021 · Fortunately, you can format your external drive with the File Allocation Table (FAT32) or Extended File Allocation Table (ExFAT) file system. Click "Erase" to start. ExFAT drives must be safely ejected to prevent corruption because ExFAT is not a journaled file system When using between macOS and Windows, drives should always be formatted on macOS because not all Windows allocation unit sizes (cluster sizes) are supported by macOS which will prevent the drive from mounting Seagate Support KB Articles Video: How to format your drive ExFAT on macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later Oct 9, 2024 · What is ExFAT and Why Use It? Before we format or unformat the ExFAT drive on Mac, it's important to understand what ExFAT is and why you might want to use it. Dec 15, 2025 · Learn how to format a thumb drive on Mac safely with Disk Utility in minutes, pick exFAT or FAT32, fix common errors, and ensure it works on Windows 10/11. And ExFAT Jun 24, 2023 · My PC reads it instantly so I guess my Mac OS must be the culprit, right? The problem with formatting a drive with exFAT using Windows is that Windows may use a file allocation size for the file system which macOS doesn't understand. Name: Give it a name. Otherwise it will damage the disk. Windows and Mac OS support different sets of cluster sizes for exFAT, so your disk volume was likely formatted with a cluster size supported by Windows but not by Mac OS. (you can change it to FAT32/exFAT on a computer) info: 7 hours ago · File system errors or corruption. Enter the folder and file names in single-byte characters using uppercase letters. Aug 14, 2022 · Mac OS Extended Vs ExFAT Speed Benefits On a Mac, Mac OS Extended is the faster file system format. Oct 23, 2024 · Connect the ExFAT drive to the Mac, run Disk Utility's First Aid to repair the ExFAT drive or use Terminal, third-party tools to fix ExFAT drive not working on Mac issue. Warning: Reformatting your external drive to ExFAT will erase your data. exFAT is a lightweight file system optimized for flash drives, with larger file and partition size limits than FAT32, and wider compatibility than NTFS. 5 and later can create, read, write, verify, and repair exFAT file systems. The exFAT format is readable by all three, and making it easy to share files between different operating systems. Choose the optimal format for working with Windows, macOS, and game consoles! In Disk Utility on your Mac, format disks or volumes using Apple File System (APFS), Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), and ExFAT. 3. Support FAT32/exFAT format except NTFS, since device dissupport reading NTFS format. More importantly, you'll get how to recover data from USB flash drive. However, you can format the drive to work with both Windows and Mac by using the exFAT filesystem. Ensure you've backed up your data, then start formatting process. In that case, you need to follow these suggestions to make it work again. "Windows was unable to SD/Micro SD Card Viewer: sd micro sd card reader usb c allows you to view multiple types of SD/TF/SIM cards easily anytime and anywhere. In a shared drive environment speed isn’t the issue. 2 days ago · Want to know how to format your USB drive to FAT32, ExFAT or NTFS on Mac? In this guide, we'll show you detailed steps on how to format your USB flash drive. How to format your drive ExFAT on macOS 10. ExFAT was introduced in 2006 as a solution to the limitations of FAT32, particularly its file size cap of 4GB. Watch our video on how to use the SD Memory Card Formatter SD Memory Card Formatter 5. During format process, our hard disk will choose exFAT automatically as default efficient format. Learn about the benefits of using ExFAT for shared files between your Mac and PC, and avoid common pitfalls associated with incompatible formats like NTFS or HFS+. [22][23] Linux has support for exFAT via FUSE since 2009. Nov 8, 2021 · Windows and macOS use separate file system formats. Jan 3, 2024 · What are Mac supported file systems? Mac supports APFS, HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), exFAT, FAT32, etc. On Windows, use Disk Management to select the drive, choose exFAT or FAT32, and complete the format. This article describes the differences between these two file systems and how to format external storage using a Mac computer. Aug 20, 2018 · Answer ID 51139: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an External Drive, USB Flash, and Memory Card Answer ID 18341: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an Internal Drive Steps to Format a Drive on macOS IMPORTANT: Master Boot Record MUST BE SELECTED when formatting the drive. exFAT: The go-to choice for thumb drives and SD cards today. 6. Finished! Click "Done. Compatibility is. Adding an extra layer of software. It’s important to choose the file system that suits your need. 0. Make sure you back up anything important from your disk as you will lose everything on it when Jan 12, 2026 · To format to exFAT on Mac, you can follow this guide. For example, the specification of ISO 9660 includes a "File Expiration Date and Time" and a "File Effective Date and Time". ExFAT drives must be safely ejected to prevent corruption because ExFAT is not a journaled file system When using between macOS and Windows, drives should always be formatted on macOS because not all Windows allocation unit sizes (cluster sizes) are supported by macOS which will prevent the drive from mounting 1 day ago · Mac can fully read and write external devices with exFAT format. If this process fails, you may need to reinstall the system software. Choose the optimal format for working with Windows, macOS, and game consoles! We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. However, at times the exFAT USB doesn't show up on Mac. exFAT is optimized for cross-platform compatibility rather than raw speed. Aug 24, 2023 · NTFS is the modern file system used by Windows, offering advanced features like file permissions and encryption, but has limited compatibility with other operating systems. If you need to use your drive on both Mac and PC then it’s best to format exFAT. 15 (Catalina) macOS 10. In Disk Utility on your Mac, format disks or volumes using Apple File System (APFS), Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), and ExFAT. 11 (El Capitan) Need Help? Not sure which version you are using? Find out which is better for an external hard drive — exFAT or NTFS. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 12 (Sierra) macOS 10. exFAT is the abbreviation of Extensible File Allocation Table. 13 (High Sierra) macOS 10. Jan 29, 2025 · Can Windows 11/10 read exFAT? Yes, but you need to make sure you format the Hard Drive in exFAT so it is both read-write in Windows PC and macOS. 2 days ago · exFAT is a common format that is available for both Windows and MAC. Keep reading! Aug 20, 2018 · Answer ID 51139: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an External Drive, USB Flash, and Memory Card Answer ID 18341: How to Fix the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Message on an Internal Drive Steps to Format a Drive on macOS IMPORTANT: Master Boot Record MUST BE SELECTED when formatting the drive. " Troubleshooting Having trouble? Here are some common problems and how to fix them. Please DO NOT select NTFS manually, this format is not supported by our hard disk, will cause disk crash. 3 for SD/SDHC/SDXC/SDUC The SD Memory Card Formatter formats SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card and SDUC Memory Card (respectively SD/SDHC/SDXC/SDUC Cards) complying with the SD File System Specification created by the SD Association (SDA). Jul 14, 2025 · We cover how you should format your USB drive before using it as a storage device, and which format to use - APFS, exFAT or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Individual file systems may record additional special types of date and time stamps. It removes the 4GB limit, allowing you to store enormous files (Terabytes) while staying compatible with both newer Windows and Mac systems. Format FAT32 [on a Mac, known as MS-DOS (FAT)] is fully compatible with all versions of Windows and Mac operating systems. If you want to recover lost data from the SD card, try free Mac data recovery software to unformat the SD card. ExFAT file system, on the other hand, works on Mac OS X (requires Snow Leopard 10. Check the detailed explanation in this post. 🗨️ Is APFS better than NTFS? Jan 14, 2026 · Just keep in mind its 4GB file limit and lack of modern security features—best for small, quick transfers between different gadgets. Usually it is best to use Disk Utility to erase the drive if you are going to format it with exFAT. I formatted all my backup drives using ExFat format for a Mac running 10. 3 and a PC running Windows 7 64-bit. 11 (El Capitan) to macOS 10. Hardware issues or bad sectors. Not without special software running on your PC. 11 (El Capitan) Need Help? Not sure which version you are using? Mar 15, 2021 · Introduction In my previous blog post, Sharing a Drive Between Windows, macOS and Linux, I described how to setup the three operating systems to read a drive that had been formatted as exFAT. 🗨️ Is exFAT slower than NTFS? In general, exFAT can be slightly slower than NTFS for very large files or heavy operations, but for most everyday use, the difference is negligible. In Disk Utility on your Mac, format a disk that can be used with both Windows computers and Mac computers. ExFAT drives must be safely ejected to prevent corruption because ExFAT is not a journaled file system When using between macOS and Windows, drives should always be formatted on macOS because not all Windows allocation unit sizes (cluster sizes) are supported by macOS which will prevent the drive from mounting If your console doesn’t recognize the update file, check that the USB is in FAT32 or exFAT format and that the folder and file names are correct. Mar 26, 2024 · Are you confused about exFAT vs Mac OS Extended, which file system to use? This post will make it clear to you. Apr 22, 2024 · FAT32 Format is a free program that enables people to configure any hard drive, micro SD card, SD card, and USB drive that is more than 32 GB to the FAT32 file system. Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10. Mac users can access all files stored on exFAT devices. Format a USB for Mac and Windows. Format USB External Hard Drive to exFAT [Windows & Mac] Formatting a USB or external hard drive to exFAT in Windows or macOS is a straightforward process that can be done independently. To run it, press Command+Space on your keyboard and type "disk utility," and then click the Disk Utility icon. Only Data Storage, Read Write is supported on MAC OS, formatting is not supported on MAC OS. Jul 24, 2023 · Format a NTFS SD card or RAW SD card to ExFAT or FAT32 on Mac. 14 (Mojave) macOS 10. Please read carefully before use: 1. A natural question… Jan 17, 2025 · With Disk Utility, Terminal or third-party disk formatting tools, Mac users can easily reformat a SD card to ExFAT or FAT32 on Mac. 2 days ago · About how to format a USB drive on Mac to FAT32, Mac OS Extended, NTFS, etc.

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