- #KEEP TELLING ME TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE WINDOWS 10 PORTABLE#
- #KEEP TELLING ME TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE WINDOWS 10 MAC#
FAT32 was introduced in Windows 95 in 1997, but it remains useful because nearly every system can work with it.
#KEEP TELLING ME TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE WINDOWS 10 MAC#
If you need to transfer files between Mac and Windows computers, exFAT (extended File Allocation Table) is the best option, although it doesn’t work with File History or Time Machine.If you’re using an SSD, there is a newer format called APFS (Apple File System), which is intended for built-in drives and external SSDs for newer Macs.(Check the product listing to confirm the drive will be labeled as an HDD or SSD.)
#KEEP TELLING ME TO FORMAT EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE WINDOWS 10 PORTABLE#
If you buy an external drive-such as one of our recommended portable or desktop hard drives, portable solid-state drives, or USB 3.0 flash drives-you may need to reformat it to work with your operating system of choice, since different operating systems use different file systems to process data.Īlthough it’s true that any drive is compatible with both Windows and macOS once it’s formatted properly, most drives come preformatted for Windows out of the box.