Can you format an external drive for both Mac and PC?

One hurdle you’ll face is that, by default, these platforms use different filesystems. Windows uses NTFS while Mac OS uses HFS, and they’re incompatible with each other. However, you can format the drive to work with both Windows and Mac by using the exFAT filesystem.

How do I make my Mac external hard drive compatible with my PC?

How to create an external hard disk compatible on Mac and Windows?

  1. exFAT – Formatting a hard drive with the exFAT file system.
  2. Dual formatting – If you are a user who prefers to have both APFS and NTFS file system on a single external hard disk, you can partition and dual format the hard drive.

Which format is compatible with Mac and Windows?

QWhat file format works on both Mac and Windows? FAT, FAT32, and exFAT formats work on both macOS and Windows operating systems. With a capable NTFS driver for Mac, the NTFS file system can work equivalently as these compatible file systems.

Can I use Mac external hard drive on Windows?

While you can physically connect a Mac hard drive to a Windows PC, the PC cannot read the drive unless third-party software is installed. Because the two systems use different file systems for storage: Macs use the HFS, HFS+, or HFSX file systems, and PCs use either the FAT32 or NTFS.

Can a Mac external drive be read on a PC?

A hard drive formatted for use in a Mac has either an HFS or HFS+ file system. For this reason, a Mac-formatted hard drive is not directly compatible, nor readable by a Windows computer. The HFS and HFS+ file systems are not readable by Windows.

Does exFAT work on both Mac and PC?

If your external hard drive is Microsoft NTFS formatted, the best way to make this HDD compatible with Mac and PC without formatting is to install an NTFS for Mac driver on Mac. QWhat file format works on both Mac and Windows? FAT, FAT32, and exFAT formats work on both macOS and Windows operating systems.

What format works for Mac and PC?

If you want to use the same disk on both Mac and Windows computers, you need to have FAT32 or exFAT because they are compatible formats. But if you prefer to use the external drive on only one of the operating systems, you can choose APFS (Apple file system) for Mac and NTFS for Windows to work to the utmost extent.