
- #Best format for mac and pc shared drive how to#
- #Best format for mac and pc shared drive mac os#
- #Best format for mac and pc shared drive windows#
Note that there is another file system called FAT32 that pretty much does the same thing but with one major flaw.

In other words, you can access the drive and transfer data without any hassles. If your disk was initially formatted to NTFS on a PC (or HFS+ on a Mac), most likely you’ll suffer limitations, for example, the data on your drive can’t be read or written on one of your computers.įortunately, there is a file system (actually two, I’ll explain) that you can format your flash drive to be fully compatible with Mac and PC. If you have a USB drive, and you plan to use it on both a Mac and PC, things can get a bit tricky here. By default, Macs are with HFS+ (since 2017 there’s new Apple File System, APFS, optimized for flash storage), while PCs are with NTFS. Click Cancel and it will turn off the Time Machine.Īfter you turn off the Time Machine, redo steps 4 to 6.1.7 Author’s Opinion regarding the Format Flash Drive For MAC And PC Guide: Formatting A USB Flash Drive For Mac & PC Compatibilityįormat Flash Drive For MAC And PC: It’s no surprise that PCs and Macs do not work well with each other, due to differences between the two operating systems (Windows vs. Time Machine in menu bar.” This will open another window. You can do this by opening System Preferences and unchecking the box This is an issue caused by Time Machine running on your external Click done toĬontinue,” don’t freak out about it. If you get an error message that states, “Erase process has failed. This will immediately wipe the entire drive.
#Best format for mac and pc shared drive mac os#

#Best format for mac and pc shared drive how to#
Here’s how to do that: How to Format a Hard Drive for Mac So if you’re trying to connect an external hard drive to a Mac, you might have to format the drive before you can use it.

#Best format for mac and pc shared drive windows#
Most external hard drives are designed to work for Windows computers.
