The most common file systems are FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS on Windows, APFS and HFS+ on macOS, and EXT on Linuxthough you may run into others on occasion. Another option, for those who use both Windows and Mac OS regularly, is to partition your hard drive and have a portion of the drive formatted for each OS. If you have files larger than 4 GB and mostly share with Macs, choose HFS+ File systems are the sort of thing that many computer users take for granted. There are tools available to use NTFS on a Mac (Fuse) or HFS on PC (HFSExplorer). Windows will not detect this file system without a third party utility. Only use this option if the drive will only be used in Mac OS. Mac OS Extended is the native solution for Mac users and has the max file size of any of them.It has a much larger max file size but is read-only on Mac OS X (unless you install a third party NTFS read/write utility). NTFS format is the file system Windows likes to use by default for internal drives running the operating system or used as a secondary storage drive.

Older operating systems might require an update to properly read and write to a USB drive with an exFAT file system. How to format a USB drive for use on both Mac and Windows Click the Finder Icon to open Finder and select Applications from the left-hand side. It doesn’t have the 4GB file size limit and it’s compatible with most Windows and Mac operating systems. exFAT is the ideal file system for USB flash drives.It is the most compatible file system for older/modern computers (PC and Mac) plus gaming consoles and other devices with a USB port. Most USB flash drives will have a FAT32 file system out-of-box. FAT32 is a common option you’ll hear because it’s recognised by both Mac and Windows operating systems, but it offers no security and caps files at 4GB in size.In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with Windows computers. The file systems most commonly used in USB flash drives are: In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices. When formatting your drive, it’s important to understand the different formatting options available for your ideal use.

Usb format for mac and windows