Can you use the same thumb drive on a Mac and PC?

If you’re frequently using both Macs and PCs with the same drive, the ideal solution is to configure a USB drive with a file system that both operating systems can read. That file system is called exFAT, and it’s designed for flash media cross-platform compatibility.

What is the best format for USB drive on Mac and PC?

The Best Format for External Hard Drives If you want to format your external hard drive to work with Mac and Windows computers, you should use exFAT. With exFAT, you can store files of any size, and use it with any computer made in the last 20 years.

How do I use USB between Mac and Windows?

  1. Step 1: Open Windows Disk Management.
  2. Step 2: Select the Drive to Format.
  3. Step 3: Proceeding to Format the Drive.
  4. Step 4: Select the Format to Use.
  5. Step 5: Finish Formatting the Drive.
  6. Step 1: Launch Disk Utility to Format USB for Mac and Windows.
  7. Step 2: Choose the Drive to Format.
  8. Step 3: Choose the Format to Use.

How do I transfer files from PC to Mac via USB?

Just plug the external drive’s USB cable into your PC and copy your files to the drive. After everything is copied, shut down Windows, unplug the hard drive’s data cable from the PC, and plug the cable into your Mac. The drive’s letter or name should appear on your Mac’s desktop.

Are SanDisk flash drives compatible with Mac?

I have Sandisk Micro USB Flash Drive, is it compatible with MAC OS? According to Sandisk, no. While they do make USB flash drives that are compatible with Mac OS, like their Fleur or Crossfire USB flash drives, the Micro USB flash drive is Windows-only compatible.

Does Apple make a thumb drive?

SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Go – Apple.

Which format works on both Mac and Windows?

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 long will a thumb drive last?

ten years
eHow says flash drives can last up to ten years, but as mentioned on NYTimes.com, flash memory doesn’t usually degrade because of its age, but rather because of the number of write cycles, which means the more you delete and write new information, the more quickly the memory in the device will start to degrade.