Format Flash Drive For Mac And Windows 10

Posted By admin  On 16.09.21

How to format and create a USB drive or pen drive that is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7 or Mac or Linux.

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I mounted the USB drive on Mac, ran DiskUtililty and erased using MS-DOS. Able to place files from Mac on USB drive. If I insert the USB drive on a Windows machine, Windows indicates that I need to format the drive before I can use it. I click on the “Format Disk” button, a window is displayed indicating the capacity of the drive at 200MB. Make Windows Bootable USB Mac with PassFab 4WinKey. Thinking about how do I create a. Oct 30, 2020 Need to format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows. Windows PC and Mac use different filesystems. Windows uses NTFS and Mac uses HFS. They are incompatible with each other. So, if you want to use an external hard drive on both Windows and Mac, you need to format it to a filesystem that is compatible with Windows PC and Mac.

A file system is a method and structure of data used by an operating system, called Windows, Linux or Mac OS, for reading media files such as disks, removable drives, etc.

Types of File Systems

It is vital that we are aware that each developer implements a series of file systems for their operating system, for example, we have the following:

Windows:

  • FAT
  • FAT32
  • NTFS
  • exFAT

Linux:

  • ext2
  • ext3
  • ext4
  • ReiserFS
  • Swap

Mac OS:

  • HFS +
  • MS-DOS (FAT)
  • exFAT
  • APFS (Present in the new edition of macOS High Sierra)

Each system manages its file system and in this way, USB drive with NTFS can only be recognized in Windows environments but not in Linux or macOS environments, even if it is accepted in macOS we can not make changes to it.

At this point, another question arises, what type of file system to use that is compatible with these three operating systems?

In technical terms, it has been recommended that the file system of the USB drives be FAT32 thanks to the fact that it is an old file system and that it has evolved to FAT32 at present, but there is a format that is much better regarding security, reliability, and compatibility: exFAT.

Let’s see in detail what is and what covers each of these file systems.

FAT32:

This format is one of the most compatible, but due to its useful life, it has been in force since the 90s, it has a series of limitations that can affect the pace of updates we are experiencing today.
Being a format with so much active time is compatible with virtually any operating system.

As mentioned, it has its limitations such as the inability to host files larger than 4 GB or that partitions with this file system cannot have more than 8 TB capacity.

exFAT:

exFAT is in a way a more modern and dynamic FAT32 which was developed in 2006 and is present in most modern operating systems.

By default, all traditional operating systems, Windows, Linux or Mac OS are compatible with exFAT, and its use is highly recommended for external drives, such as USB devices or external drives, thanks to its simplicity and multiple features.

Now we will analyze a little more in detail the fields of action where these two file systems are compatible to know which is the best option to choose.

Device Support

This is the first fundamental field since if the USB device formatted with FAT23 or exFAT is not compatible with the device where it has to be connected it will be impossible for it to be recognized and to access its contents.

In this field, we can say that FAT32 has an advantage over exFAT because, being an old file system, it is compatible with all operating systems and devices such as game consoles, Smart TV, multimedia players and others.

ExFAT, although it is currently compatible with more than 95% of the devices on the market, can still find individual limitations in some Linux distros or Android devices.

In some Linux distros the exFAT file system will not be recognized immediately, so we must install the several utilities by executing the following line:

Then update the packages running the line:

Reading & Writing Speed

Another of the pillars in a file system is the ability with which this can access the content and read or write it since this depends on optimal performance which is a highly required value today. Undoubtedly in this regard exFAT outperforms FAT32 to be a much more recent technology which is compatible with USB 3.0 which can have a transfer rate up to 5 Gbps.

In the previous graphic of flexense we can see the performance of exFAT on FAT32, and in the following link we will be able to look in detail multiple operations carried out by this software developer called Flexsense

Size of Supported Files

Undoubtedly on this field wins exFAT because, as we mentioned above, FAT32 only allows files with a maximum capacity of 4 GB in partitions that do not exceed 8 TB of storage while exFAT is virtually unlimited in this aspect to support 16ZB files.

How To Format a USB drive with exFAT

Starting from the detail that exFAT is the most practical and functional file system, unless we are not going to use files of more than 4 GB, this is the process of formatting the USB drives with exFAT.

It will first be necessary to install the exFAT tools by executing the following command, as we have mentioned before:

Later we run the fdisk -l line to list the active disks in the system.

There we will locate the USB drive which has the extension /dev/sd** (Replace the ** with the indicated number)
Once the USB disk is identified, we will execute the following syntax:

Format

As we understand, we have the freedom to select the best file system for our USB drives to have the best capacity and performance.

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Just like most storage mediums, partitioning a flash drive is also possible. There may be a number of reasons why you would want to partition a flash drive. If you have never partitioned a flash drive before, then don't worry; this article will help you. Read on to find how to partition a flash drive..

    • Partition with Diskpart

    • Partition with an USB Flash Drive Partition Tool

  • Bonus Tip 1. Best Way to Recover Files from Flash Drive after Partition or Format

1How to Partition Flash Drive on Windows10/8.1/8/7?

Although it is possible to create multiple partitions on a flash drive via third-party tools, Windows will only read and show the first/primary partition. If you want the Windows to read a certain partition of the flash drive, then you will need a third-party tool to set that partition as primary.

Backup Your Data

Partitioning a flash drive will erase all data stored on it. That's why it is highly recommended that you back up all the important data before proceeding. The backup process is quite easy as all you need to do is connect the flash drive to your computer and copy the desired data to a location of your choice. Follow these instructions:

  • 1. Connect your flash drive to your computer. Then open This PC on your Windows and find your flash drive.

  • 2. Double-click on it to see its contents. Select the files that you want to back up and right-click on them and click Copy.

  • 3. After that, navigate to the folder on your computer's hard drive where you want to store those files, right-click and select the Paste option. The transfer process will begin and your selected files will be copied to that folder.

Now that you have backed up your data, you can proceed to partition your flash drive. Following are some methods to do this:

1Partition a Flash Drive Using Diskpart

You can easily partition a flash drive via the Diskpart utility of Windows. The utility is run through Command Prompt. Follow these instructions:

Step 1. Press Windows and R key on your keyboard at the same time and type 'diskpart' in the Run pop-up window and then press Enter to launch it. A command prompt window will open.

Step 2. On that window, input 'list disk' to see which number your connected flash drive has.

Step 3. Next, input 'select disk X (X here is the number for your flash drive). It will be selected.

Step 4. Now input 'clean' and press enter to clean the device.

Step 5. Now enter 'list part' and then input 'create partition primary'. After that, input 'list part' and then input 'select partition 1'. Set this partition as active by inputting 'active'.

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Step 6. Next, input 'format fs=fat32' to format the partition. After that, your newly created flash drive partition will be ready to use.

2Partition a Flash Drive with an USB Flash Drive Partition Tool

If the method to partition a flash drive via diskpart seems complicated, then there is another easier way to partition a flash drive. You can partition the USB flash drive via a flash drive partition tool called Bootit. Follow these instructions to partition a flash drive via Bootit:

Fist, you should install and launch Bootit software on your computer.

Step 1. Connect your flash drive to your computer and make sure it is detected by the operating system.

Step 2. Now open Disk Management on your computer. You can launch it from the Start Menu.

Step 3. Now select the current partition shown on the flash drive and delete it via the software.

Step 4. After that, right-click on the unallocated space of flash drive and click on New Simple Volume to create a partition. You can specify the size, label, etc. for the new partition according to your preferences.

Step 5. You can create multiple partitions on your flash drive by repeating the above step.

2How to Partition a Flash Drive on Mac?

If you want to partition your flash drive on your Mac, then you will be glad to know that it is possible. On Mac, you can do this via Disk Utility.

Steps to Partition Flash Drive on Mac

Follow these instructions to partition flash drive on Mac:

Step 1. On your Mac, open Disk Utility. And connect your flash drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Once the Disk Utility is opened, select your flash drive from the sidebar and click the Erase button.

Step 3. On the newly opened window, select OS X Extended (Journaled) from the Format menu.

Step 4. Make sure to click on Scheme > GUID Partition Map. Next, format the drive via the Erase option.

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Step 5. After formatting, click the Partition button and then use the '+' button to create and add additional partitions. Add as many partitions as you like.

Step 6. After setting the sizes, labels, etc. to partitions, click Apply to confirm your action. Partitions will be created.

Bonus Tip 1. Best Way to Recover Files from Flash Drive after Partition or Format

It's wise to backup the data on your flash drive before partitioning or formatting it. So, what to do if you forgot this or some important files were left when made a backup? Don't worry, a powerful data recovery tool can help you find them back!

iMyFone AnyRecover is one of such popular data recovery tools. It can help you find all your lost files no matter how you lost them. Files recovery at a formatted or partitioned USB flash drive is easy as 1-2-3 with AnyRecover.

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Key Features

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  • Recover lost files from different data loss scenarios, including formatted data recovery, deleted files recovery, formatted device recovery, etc.

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  • Recover files from various storage mediums, such as USB flash drive, hard drive, SD card, digital camera, computer, etc.

  • Differing from other recovery tools, AnyRecover is 100% safe to use, it won't do any damage to your existing data.

  • One of the most reliable data recovery software with high data recovery rate - Up to 98%.

Steps to Recover Files from Flash Drive after Partition or Format

Step 1. Open AnyRecover on your computer, then connect your Flash Drive to your computer, select it.

Step 2. After selecting the location, hit “Start” button to start the process.

Step 3. After scanning, preview and select the files, then click on Recover button to get the lost files back.

Bonus Tip 2. Best USB Flash Drive for Windows & Mac

Format Flash Drive For Mac And Windows 10 32-bit

Among many quality flash drives, SanDisk Extreme PRO 128 GB Drive is considered the most popular USB flash drive for Windows and Mac. Following are the top features of this USB flash drive:

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  • Blistering speeds: 380 MB/s write, 420 MB/s read.

  • Durable, sleek, and eye-catching aluminum casing design.

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  • USB 3.0 as well as backward compatibility with USB 2.0.

  • Lifetime warranty.