How to make Windows friends with the macOS file system. Formatting an external hard drive to work with OS X and Windows File system mac os extended journaled

The easiest way to increase your Mac's storage is to add an external USB drive (HDD or SSD) to it. Immediately after this, your task is to format it in the “correct” file system. But which one?

Free from Apple makes it easy to format a drive, assign it a volume, or even split it into multiple drives.

Now let's look at the available file system options and choose the best one.

Format your drive using Disk Utility

Unzip your drive and connect it to your Mac. Strictly speaking, it is already formatted - for use with Windows (then it will be NTFS) or for the widest possible compatibility ( Fat32). But for a Mac user, none of these file systems are suitable.

To begin, open Disk Utility. The easiest way to do this is through Spotlight(icon with a magnifying glass in the right top corner screen). Find Disk Utility you can also in (in the folder Other).

To format a new disk with a different file system:

1. Select it from the menu on the left.

2. Click Erase.

Important: Don't forget that you will lose all the data that is on this drive.

3. In the window that appears, select the file system format (an overview of all formats below) and click the button Erase.

APFS, HFS+, exFAT or FAT? What format should I format an external USB drive (flash drive) to work on Mac (macOS)?

Available file systems

• Apple File System (APFS)
• Mac OS Extended (HFS+)
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• MS-DOS (FAT)

Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Apple File System (APFS)

The latest development from Apple. First introduced in early 2017 for iOS devices. APFS replaces the legacy Mac OS Extended file system. All new Macs already come with it.

Apple File System is optimized for use with solid state drives(SSD) and flash drives, but it is quite possible to use traditional mechanical hard drives(HDD). You should choose this option if you bought an external SSD or a new USB flash drive and definitely won't use it with Windows computers.

The main advantage of APFS compared to file Apple system previous generation- this is speed. Copying and pasting is almost instantaneous thanks to the way the file system organizes your data. In APFS, much attention is paid to technologies such as encryption and improved work with metadata (since macOS actively works with metadata of files stored in the system).

The disadvantages include the fact that APFS cannot yet be used for data backup using Time Machine. Also APFS does not have native Windows support. To solve this problem, you will have to buy paid software like Paragon APFS for Windows or look for free alternatives.

Fits: for macOS system drives, hybrid drives, SSDs and flash drives that are used only on macOS.

Not suitable: for discs used with older Macs and discs with Time Machine.

Mac OS Extended (HFS+)

This file version, also known as HFS+ (Hierarchical File System +), was the mainstay for Mac computers from 1998 until 2017, when Apple introduced APFS. If you bought a Mac between these dates (and haven't upgraded since 2017), then it's probably running macOS installed on disk HFS+.

This system is still fully functional on a Mac with both mechanical hard drives and SSDs - although the SSD will perform better when running APFS. If you have a very old Mac (on which you can no longer install latest version macOS), selecting macOS Extended as the file system will allow you to connect external drives to your computer.

Main disadvantage HFS+ the same as APFS– to work with Windows computers you will need additional software like .

exFAT

This file system was created by Microsoft. exFAT offers similar FAT32 compatibility without the latter's annoying limitations (like the maximum file size of 4 GB).

This is a format for those who will definitely use external drive or a flash drive with both Windows and Mac. Both macOS and Windows can both read and write data from exFAT drives. So this format can be called an excellent “hybrid” for two worlds.

Fits: for disks that are used under both Mac and Windows.

Not suitable: for drives primarily used on Mac (a third-party driver may solve the problem).

The topic is well covered, but for me, as a newcomer to the world of Mac OS X, it is another small discovery. The question is related to one small problem - the choice of file system for flash drives.

For a Windows + Linux pair, the usual solution is file NTFS system. Both operating systems work fine with it - read + write.

For a Mac OS X + Linux pair, this choice will not work, since NTFS in Mac OS X has read-only support. To record, you need to install third-party software, such as Paragon. This is not a solution - native support is needed on both systems.

The solution is the ExFAT file system. On Mac OS X it has support out of the box. There is no out-of-the-box support in Linux - but the problem is solved by installing additional packages(as almost always).

Moreover, they write on the Internet about the ExFAT system as originally created for flash drives. That she knows how to take care of flash drives and supports sizes larger than 4Gb.

Everything is fine - I put it on both of my flash drives: Apacer 8Gb and Transcend 16Gb. I'll start with the more complex one - the Linux system.

ExFAT - installation on Linux

To enable file system support in Linux, you need to install a couple of packages -

And . It was this fact that gave me the reason to write this short review.

That's it - the job is done. Now I’ll format the flash drive for the ExFAT file system in Linux.

To do this, I first find where it is located in the file system (in my case this is the device

- this is a task for a flash drive name as a device.

Formatting occurs in literally a couple of seconds, you don’t have to wait. The first flash drive is ready and the formatting operation is completed under Linux.

ExFAT - formatting for Mac OS X

As I mentioned above, Mac OS X has native support for the ExFAT file system. That is, you don’t have to install anything additional - everything is ready out of the box.

Operations on formatting drives and other actions with hard drives are performed in standard utility"Disk Utility".

I insert the second flash drive and launch “Disk Utility”:

It’s not difficult to understand how this utility works, but I’ll briefly describe it.

On the left there is a window with all the connected disks that the utility was able to detect.

On the right, in the “Erase” tab, you can configure and perform formatting (in Mac OS X terminology, formatting is called “Erase”). In the “Format” list, select the desired file system (by the way, the choice is not rich).

In the “Name” list, select the disk that will be formatted. There is also a button of the same name “Erase” to start formatting.

Below is an informative (I was pleasantly impressed by the volume and quality of information presented in it) window in which you can see all the information on the connected disk. The attentive reader will notice that my flash drive is already formatted in ExFAT - I did the review “hot on the heels”.

In principle - that's all. All that remains is to press the “Erase” button and my flash drive will be formatted under the ExFAT system.

If I open it in Finder, I can now both read from and write to it.

Conclusion

So “unexpectedly” I solved the problem of flash drive compatibility for Mac OS X and Linux. Moreover, this system ExFAT is a Microsoft development, so there are no problems with its support on Windows at all.

And if we take into account the careful way of handling flash drives promised by the creators of ExFAT, then this solution has no price at all.

It's no secret that sections of hard disks in Mac and Windows have their own file systems, in Macs it is HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus - “hierarchical file system plus”), and in Windows - NTFS (New Technology File System - “new technology file system”).

At the same time, on Macs, the ability to read from partitions is enabled by default. formatted in NTFS, and in Mac OS X, starting from version 10.6 and later, there is also the ability to write to partitions of competitors from Redmond.

Windows cannot boast of this. In this OS, even in the super advanced Windows 8.1, there is no ability to read/write from HFS+ partitions.

Today we will fix this Microsoft flaw.

1. MacDrive ($50)

Version 9.2.0.2 is confirmed to work with Windows 8.1.

The developers offer five wonderful days to try the program.

With this software you can view and record data from Mac OS file systems such as HFS+, HFS, and HFSX. The following interfaces are supported hard drive like Parallel ATA (IDE), HDDSerial ATA (SATA) HDD, SCSI HDD, USB 1.x/2.0/3.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), MBR and GPT.

The program also has other useful features: viewing copies of Time Machine, correcting errors on a disk with HFS+, support RAID arrays, secure deletion files, defragmentation, creation ISO files and their installation.

After installing the program, a reboot is required to enable the HFS driver.

The HFS partition will appear as a regular drive in Windows Explorer.

2. Paragon HFS+ for Windows

This is a driver installed in Windows that allows you to read and write to a Mac OS partition as if it were one of the Windows partitions. As with MacDrive, the partition appears in File Explorer.

The program does not offer any other features, but it costs significantly less ($20).

3. Apple Driver Boot Camp

If you are not satisfied with any of the previous paid solutions, that is free way access HFS+ partitions from Windows: Apple driver Boot Camp, part of the BootCamp program that allows you to install Windows on Apple computers.

This solution has one drawback: the driver only allows reading from HFS partitions, but not writing to them.

Installation instructions

1. Uninstall MacDrive or Paragon HFS+ if they are installed on your system.

2. Download and unzip the files.

3. Select those drivers that match.

You can quickly find out the bit depth of your OS in the system properties (press the keys successively Windows and Pause/Break).

4. Copy two files from the folder with drivers of the appropriate bit depth to the folder in the following path:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers

Administrator rights required!

To avoid searching for this folder for a long time, paste this address into the Explorer line and click Enter.

5. Add information to the registry from a file Add_AppleHFS.reg

6. Restart your computer. Mac partition The OS will become available in Windows Explorer.

Uninstalling the driver

1. Add information from the file Remove_AppleHFS.reg to the registry by double-clicking on it.

2. Delete the previously copied 2 driver files from the drivers folder.

Additional information

1. Before installing the drivers and programs described in the post, we recommend disabling the FastBoot option in Windows 8 -8.1.

This is done like this:

Open Control Panel. In the search bar, type “Power Options.”

Click at the top Change settings that are currently unavailable.

Scroll down the window a little and uncheck the box next to Turn on quick start(recommended).

Or there is a need to completely erase its contents, it is customary to format the drive. This procedure deletes all data and often normal work devices.

During the formatting process, the computer prompts you to select a file system (FS). This is the name for organizing data on a flash drive. The macOS user has a choice of the following systems: MS-DOS (FAT), ExFAT or OS X Extended.

It is very important to format the drive in the file system that is best suited for your equipment. Let's figure out which flash drive file system is optimal for Mac and why.

Types of file systems and their features

MS-DOS (FAT)- this is what macOS calls the FS, known Windows users like FAT/FAT32. It is compatible with any computer and is also supported by consoles and household appliances like video cameras or even old media players.

For all its versatility, MS-DOS (FAT) has an important drawback: files larger than 4 GB cannot be written to a flash drive formatted in this file system.

ExFAT- a newer FS that is supported on macOS starting from version X 10.6.5, and on Windows - from XP SP2. Obviously, the disadvantage of this format is the lack of compatibility with earlier versions of operating systems. Additionally, not all USB devices support ExFAT. Well, the plus is that it can work with files larger than 4 GB.

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) provides maximum flash drive compatibility with macOS and is the default file system for hard drives on Mac computers. There are no restrictions on the size of the recorded file when using Mac OS Extended (Journaled) no. At the same time, this FS is not supported by Windows and many USB devices.

You can also see in the list of available FS Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled). It differs from the previous one only in case sensitivity. For example, the files hello.txt and Hello.txt in such a FS will be considered different. If you don't need this, choose the regular Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

NTFS- another FS that you may encounter. Drives formatted in it have no restrictions on file size and are compatible with Windows. But in macOS, files recorded on such a flash drive can only be viewed without the ability to write. Additionally, some USB devices do not support NTFS at all.

Which file system to choose

As you can see, the choice of drive file system depends on what devices you will use it with. If only with Mac and other Apple equipment, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

ExFAT is perfect for Mac and Windows PCs.

If you want to make the flash drive compatible with maximum number USB devices and do not plan to write files larger than 4 GB to it, choose MS-DOS (FAT).

How to change the file system

To change the drive's FS, use Disk Utility. Don't forget, this procedure destroys all data.

But first check the current file system of the flash drive. To do this, just launch Disk Utility and select the drive in the left panel. After this, detailed information about the flash drive will appear on the screen, including its FS type, which can be seen next to the name of the drive.

If the current file system does not suit you, click on the “Erase” button on the top panel. In the window that appears, select a new FS and click “Erase” again. After a few seconds, the utility will change the file system of the flash drive.

Electronics manufacturers are trying in every possible way to convince us that we live in a world wireless technologies. However, nothing has yet been invented better than the old, proven flash drive.

For fast data transfer from one device to another, for communication on different operating systems, for reliable data storage it is still convenient to use external drives information.

The only problem is to correctly format the flash drive or disk. Now we’ll tell you how to make sure that both macOS and Windows can work with such a flash drive without problems in the future.

Which file system to choose

Among the many existing file systems on at the moment The most popular are considered to be: FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, APFS (Apple File System), HFS+ (Mac OS Extended).

Out of the box Windows fully supports FAT32, NTFS and exFAT, and macOS– FAT32, exFAT, HFS+ and APFS (with macOS High Sierra and above).

Using third-party drivers and utilities, you can teach Windows to work with HFS+ and APFS, or add NTFS support to macOS.

Attention! When formatting a flash drive or other storage device, all data on it will be deleted; save everything you need in advance.

The solutions available today vary greatly in terms of stability and data transfer speed. In order not to load the system with unnecessary software and not waste time when copying or transferring files, it is better to use a file system that is supported by both Windows and macOS.

The choice is between FAT32 And exFAT.

The main disadvantage of FAT32 is the file size limitation. To such a disk it won't work write a file of size more than 4GB. Considering the presence of large databases, backups, projects or video files, it is better not to be tied to the outdated FAT32 file system and choose exFAT.

How to format a flash drive on macOS

1. Launch the application Disk Utility through Spotlight or Launchpad.

2. In the left pane, select the drive you need to format.

3. Click the button Erase.

4. Specify the file system exFAT and confirm the action.

How to format a flash drive in Windows

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Select the drive you need to format.

3. IN context menu select item Format…

4. Specify the file system exFAT, set other formatting options if necessary.

5. Confirm the procedure.

The finished flash drive in exFAT format will be recognized by both a Windows computer and any Mac. In this case, it will be possible to both read data from the drive and write to it without a limit on the file size of 4 GB.