![]() Suitable: For macOS system drives, hybrid drives, SSDs, and flash drives that are only used on macOS. If you have an external SSD or a new USB stick and you definitely are not going to use them with Windows computers, you can choose this option.Ĭons of APFS: As of now, APFS cannot be used to back up data using Time Machine. APFS also pays a lot of attention to technologies such as encryption, as well as improving work with metadata.īy default, APFS is optimized for solid-state drives (SSDs) and flash drives, however, it can also be used for traditional mechanical hard drives (HDDs). The main advantage of APFS is the fast speed of copying, pasting, and doing other operations on a disk. All new Macs are already bundled with APFS. APFS replaced the outdated macOS file system called HFS Plus. APFS (Apple File System)ĪPFS is the format introduced by Apple in early 2017 for iOS devices. Let’s take a closer look at each file format for external drives for your Mac. What is the best format for an external Mac hard drive? Keep reading, and we will explain the differences between disk formats in more detail, as well as how to format a hard drive for your Mac. If you want to be able to work with your hard drive on both Mac- and Windows-based computers, then you will have to choose other formats. If you are only going to use the hard drive on your Mac, then you should choose the HFS+ format. There are also FAT32 and ExFAT formats, which are compatible with both operating systems. Mac computers use a different file system called HFS+. For example, if you buy a new HDD, you will most likely first have to format the external disk to be able to use it on your Mac. This often causes difficulties when opening external drives on a Mac. Then click OK button to go on.Why do you need to reformat an external hard drive for your Mac?īy default, most models of hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs) are formatted for a Windows operating system. Right-click on the drive you want to format, select Format to see the list of configurations including file system. Press Win+X, then hit K key to open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc). ![]() Option 2: Format a USB drive as EexFAT in Disk Management. Under File system box, select exFAT for this drive. Right-click on the drive you want to format, click on Format. Press Windows logo key + E to open File Explorer. Option 1: Format a USB drive as EexFAT in This PC. Note: If you have important data on your USB flash drive, you should backup your drive before formatting it. There are several ways to format drive in Windows PC, you can do that in This PC or in Disk Management. ![]() How to format a USB flash drive as exFAT on Windows PC Be sure to eject the disk before you remove it from your Mac. This will erase all the files on the drive. Click the Erase button when you are done and the Disk Utility will format your disk with the settings you specified. Then select the default GUID Partition Map (GPT) scheme. You will be asked to provide the disk name and then select the file system as exFAT. ![]() If you have a USB flash drive inserted in your Mac, you can see it under the External in the Disk Utility. Go to Open Disk Utility, which is located under Applications in the Finder menu. To format a drive on a Mac, you'll need the built-in Disk Utility application. You will see the drive's file system shown on the right "Format".įormatting a drive will erase it completely, so make sure you have everything backed up that you want to keep. Right-click the drive icon in the Finder sidebar (or on the desktop) and select Get Info. So how do you know if your USB drive is in the correct format? You do not need to do anything special on the "Disk Utility" - simply insert the USB drive and open Finder. How to format a USB drive as exFAT on Mac
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