#Formatting external drives for mac for mac os x#
#Formatting external drives for mac update#
#Formatting external drives for mac full#

But despite the best of the best device specifications there remains one small glitch to rectify. The role of the WD My Passport drive is crucial since the individual will leverage the portable media to safely store their collection of pictures, videos, audio, and docs. Usually, their arsenal includes a cutting-edge Windows 10 desktop, the latest and the magnificent MacBook Pro, DSLR & SD-Cards of-course and the trusted & loved external drives such as the WD My Passport. Professional Photographers and videographers have their hands laid upon various digital devices. Maybe one day, but for now, вЂњnot ready for prime time!вЂќ. Thanks so much!! IвЂ™ve read too many posts from people having all sorts of problems using exFAT to consider using it. I have no idea what to do and I am praying that I didnвЂ™t lose any of my files. Someone mentioned that maybe it has something to do with the thumb drive. Disadvantages: Windows-running PCs can read files from drives formatted this way, but they can't write to them (at least not without the same amount of work it takes to get OS X to write to NTFS-formatted drives).

#Formatting external drives for mac for mac os x#

The 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' option will have the highest degree of support for Mac OS X features, and there's no limit to the size of files you can put on the drive. You can even if you have the right files, the know-how, and a big enough flash drive, which will allow you to boot your Mac off an external disk if something goes wrong with your built-in drive.

It also includes support for features from OS X Lion, such as.

#Formatting external drives for mac full#

Advantages: Formatting your USB flash drive this way will give you full interoperability with Macs. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) - This is the default file system format for Mac OS X drives. I'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the other three formats below. In all other cases: Use MS-DOS (FAT), aka FAT32. If you need to transfer files larger than 4 GB between Macs and PCs: Use exFAT. If you absolutely, positively will only be working with Macs and no other system, ever: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The Bottom Line Here's a basic rundown of which format we recommend for your USB flash drive, broken down by use case. If you need to transfer files between your Mac and one of these non-PC devices, you're almost certainly going to have to format your flash drive in FAT32 instead. Of greater issue is that most consumer electronics (cameras, camcorders, video game systems) don't support exFAT, either. If you won't be dealing with older Macs or PCs, this may not be a problem. Windows 7 Disadvantages: As a relatively newer file system format, exFAT isn't supported in older versions of Mac OS X (anything prior to 10.6.5) or anything older than Windows XP SP2.

#Formatting external drives for mac update#

Windows XP SP2 or later (with an additional update for exFAT support).Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.5 or greater).Formatting Drives For Mac And Pc Average ratng: 4,0/5 4108 reviewsД®xFAT is supported by the following operating systems: