The resulting FAT32 file system will be compatible with all versions of Mac OS X, and Windows including Windows 10 back to 95.
Once you have done with formatting, your external hard drive will be able to write and read files from both a PC and Mac.
Many still choose FAT32 over exFAT despite its slower performance, as it’s also compatible with Linux Os and is supported on many gaming consoles. If you have to work with large video clips, games or any other kind of massive files, FAT32 may not be the best choice. FAT32 has a maximum 4GB file size limit, but exFAT can work with files as large as 16EB, that’s more than you will ever need. However, each of these filesystems has their own pros and cons. You can format your external hard drive in both – exFAT and FAT32. Just keep in mind if you want to use your drive also for OS X’s Time Machine backups, we advise you to format your drive through Mac because there is an additional step to make drive compatible with “Time Machine Backups”. And you can only do this with exFAT as with FAT32 Mac OS X’s Time Machine backup won’t work. You can format your external hard drive from either the PC or Mac.
In the resulut, your external hard drive will work just fine with Mac and Windows. However there is a simple solution – you can format the drive to FAT32 or exFAT that performs better than FAT32. Windows uses NTFS, and Mac OS uses HFS, these file systems are not compatible with each other. Or check out the other drive related articles on the site.Often switch between a Mac and PC? Want to use one USB flash storage device for both? The thing is that by default, these platforms use different file systems – discs are formatted differently. While you’re here why not check out the other Easystore external drive articles.
Now you know how to format a WD Easystore for PC and Mac. And another partition you format as ExFAT to share your data on. And have a partition you backup your Mac to. Or File explorer on your PC.Īnd see the same data in a Finder window on your Mac.īut remember the applications you use to view that data needs to be able to read those files.Īnd know you can’t use an ExFAT formatted Easystore external drive for a Time Machine backup of your Mac.īut if you’ve a large enough Easystore external drive you can partition it. When you want to use your Western Digital Easystore under Windows explorer. Things To Remember About A Shared ExFAT Drive When you’re done with your WD external hard drive, don’t forget to Eject it from your Mac. So, your Mac computer and Windows PC can share data and files.Ĭlick on your Easystore’s drive icon when it appears on your Mac’s desktop and you can create folders. You’ve formatted your Easystore’s file system in ExFAT to share. So, you can share your whole USB drive between a PC and a Mac.Īnd again you enter GUID Partition Map for scheme. Or a Type A to USB C adaptor.įollow the following steps to format your Easystore. To plug into your Mac, you’ll need to buy yourself a MicroB to USB C cable. Modern Macs have a type C USB port on them. And a MicroB on the end that plugs into the Easystore hard drive. Your Easystore drive ships with a USB cable that has a type A connector on the end that plugs into your Mac.
How To Format WD Easystore For Mac And PC You’ve valuable shared files on your external hard drive. Or on a Windows PC risks your WD Easystore drive working unreliably on your Mac.Īnd a reliable drive is important when. Why Use Your Mac To Format Your Easystore External Drive?īecause Macs are very particular about their external hard drive’s formatting.įormatting your Easystore using WD Drive Utilities.