To format a drive as FAT32 from a Mac, follow these simple steps.ġ.
Conversely, Windows 7 can’t read and write to drives formatted as HFS+–also known as Mac OS Extended (journaled)–unless you install third-party software such as Paragon’s. Macs running Snow Leopard or Lion can read from drives formatted as NTFS, but they can’t write to such drives unless you install a third-party driver or muck about in the Terminal. Windows prefers to use NTFS (which stands for New Technology File System, though it has been around for nearly 20 years now). Finally, Mac OS X’s Time Machine backup utility won’t work with FAT32.
When formatting partitions, Windows 7’s Disk Management utility won’t let you create one that’s larger than 32GB, whereas Mac OS X Lion can create partitions as large as 2TB using its Disk Utility application. So if you work with bulky video clips, for example, adopting FAT32 may not be a good idea. FAT32 imposes a size limit of 4GB on single files. The chief drawbacks of FAT32 involve file and partition size limitations. Though this format has some limitations, it enjoys nearly universal support from active platforms, including Mac and Windows operating systems, and many gaming and Linux OSs. Here, you can try EaseUS free partition software, a program allows you to format the Western Digital hard drive, Seagate hard drive, Toshiba hard drive, etc to FAT32 in Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista with simple steps.Looking to share an external hard drive between a Mac and PC? The best way to do it is with a drive formatted as FAT32. You know, Windows Disk Management utility completely cannot help at this moment. If you ignored all the disadvantages and decided to format your external hard drive to FAT32, you might need a third-party software for help when the disk is larger than 32GB.
How to Format an External Hard Drive to fat32 for Mac and PC
Mac OS X's Time Machine backup utility won't work with FAT32.
Single files larger than 4GB on the external hard drive is not supported by FAT32.Ģ. Disadvantages of the FAT32 file system:ġ. Advantages of the FAT32 file system:įAT32 is not only compatible with Mac and Windows but also many gaming and Linux OSs. If you are one of them, you can choose FAT32 or exFAT in your case. What is the best file system that supported by both PC and Mac? Actually, many users have some doubts on this question. But how can you format the external hard drive for Mac & PC? What is the best file system that makes external hard drive compatible with both PC and Mac
So, if you frequently use both a PC and a Mac computer and want to share an external drive between the two operating system for data backup or transfer, you need to make it compatible with Mac and PC first. Can you tell me how to format an external hard drive for Mac and PC compatibility so that I can easily access or transfer my stuff between the two operating system?" Overview of External Hard Drive Formatting for Mac and PCĪs we all know, Mac and Windows use different file systems by default. But I don't know how to format it since I should frequently switch from a PC to a Macbook. "I get a new Western digital hard drive and want to use it as an external disk to save working files.