![]() The bad news with FAT32 is related to security and size. The good news is a FAT32 drive can be used on any Mac or Windows operating system. The very definition of an oldie but a goodie, FAT32 may be approaching its 25 th birthday but it has still got some useful life left for a very specific application. Or for a photographer who needs to shuttle files between a Windows workstation and a Mac. This makes it an ideal format when platform agnosticism is important-such as file delivery for client uses and in work environments where multiple users on multiple machines need read/write access to the data on the drive. ![]() With third-party programs such as Paragon’s APFS for Windows and MacDrive APFS, APFS-formatted drives can be read and written via Windows PCs.Ī very versatile format, exFAT hard drives can be used interchangeably on many Mac and Windows operating systems without the limitations to partition size and file size. One additional APFS benefit is for those who may need their drive to interact with Windows machines. Designed with flash media in mind, APFS is the new default drive format and a great option for security and speed-particularly with increasingly popular solid state drives (SSDs). With the 2017 advent of the High Sierra version of Mac OSX, Apple introduced a new file system. There’s a fourth Mac OS Extended formatting option that combines all three of the aforementioned quirks for those who want it all: “Mac OS Extended – Case-sensitive, Journaled and Encrypted.” APFS That means a file named “john_smith_portrait.jpg” and the file “John_Smith_Portrait.jpg” could exist separately side by side. Unlike the standard in the Mac universe, “Mac OS Extended-Case-sensitive” adds another layer of specificity to file and folder names based on capitalization. “Mac OS Extended-Encrypted” uses password-protected encryption to secure the data on individual disk partitions. For several years, the Mac formatting standard has been “Mac OS Extended-Journaled,” which helps prevent corrupted data in case of power outage, improper ejection or drive failures. Click the Erase button to start to format the external hard drive.There are actually a few subcategories in the Mac OS Extended family, which can be selected when formatting a drive in Mac’s Disk Utility. Choose a preferred file system format and scheme. Select the target external hard drive from the left panel. On your Mac, you can use Disk Utility to easily format a USB drive or external hard drive to your preferred format, e.g., exFAT, FAT32, APFS, or Mac OS Extended. How to Format an External Hard Drive on Mac However, if you have installed an NTFS for Mac software application on your Mac, you can easily mount the NTFS drive read-write on your Mac. Therefore, it’s not advised to choose the NTFS format for the external hard drive for Mac. ![]() NTFS-formatted external hard drives are read-only on Mac. NTFS is the default file system for Windows and it is partially compatible with Mac computers. But if you want to get better performance for the disk, it’s advised you update your Mac to newer versions and choose APFS or exFAT format for the external hard drive for your Mac. Therefore, if you use an older Mac and want to use Time Machine backups, you may choose HFS+ for the external drive. The disadvantage of this format is it is not compatible with Windows. The advantage of Mac OS Extended format is that it is compatible with Time Machine backups. APFS vs Mac OS Extended, APFS offers more advanced features like snapshots, strong encryption, space sharing, fast directory sizing, and enhanced file system basics. In 2017, APFS replaces HFS+ as the default file system for newer Macs. Mac OS Extended (HFS+) is the default format for older Mac versions. Therefore, if you only need to use the drive on your Mac, the best format for the external hard drive for Mac (Ventura) is APFS. The drawback of the APFS format is that it is not compatible with older versions of macOS and is not supported by Windows. It is optimized for SSDs and provides better performance and security features than Mac OS Extended (HFS+) format. If your Mac is running macOS High Sierra or later, it’s advised you choose the APFS format to get the best performance. Therefore, the best format for Mac external hard drive would be exFAT if you intend to use the drive on both Mac and Windows computers and need to store and transfer large files.ĪPFS is the default file system format for newer Mac versions. exFAT allows you to store and transfer files larger than 4GB while FAT32 cannot store files larger than 4GB. The difference between exFAT and FAT32 is that exFAT is used for partitions larger than 32GB while FAT32 is used for volumes lower than 32GB. Also Read: How to Convert NTFS to FAT32 on Mac or Windows 10/11 Best Format for Mac External Hard DiveĮxFAT or FAT32 works on both Windows and Mac systems.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |