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. 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.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. 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. 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.

The file systems most commonly used in USB flash drives are: When formatting your drive, it’s important to understand the different formatting options available for your ideal use.

External disk format for mac and pc