• Apple Mac File System

If you have an external hard drive or USB flash drive that you’d like to use on both Macs and Windows PCs, choosing the right file system to format the drive can be confusing. Learn a few ways to make your drive Mac and PC friendly. Need to access or transfer files between Mac and PC? As simple as this task sounds, it’s not very straightforward for inexperienced users. Since Mac OS X and Windows use totally different file systems, the way a drive is formatted can determine what type of computer it will work with. In fact, there are four ways you can format an external or USB flash drive to achieve varying degrees of compatibility between Macs and PCs. Let’s take a look at them: HFS+ Mac OS X’s native file system is HFS+ (also known as Mac OS Extended), and it’s the only one that works with Time Machine.

But while HFS+ is the best way to format drives for use on Macs, Windows does not support it. If you’re only going to be using your external or USB flash drive with certain PCs – such as at home or the office – you might be interested in a program called. When you install MacDrive on a Windows PC, it will be able to seamlessly read & write to HFS+ drives. This isn’t a good solution if you need your drive to work on any PC without installing software, though.

NTFS The native Windows file system is NTFS, which is only partially compatible with Mac OS X. Macs can read files on NTFS drives, but it cannot write to them. So if you need to get files from a PC to your Mac, NTFS is a decent option. However, you won’t be able to move files in the other direction, from Mac to PC. FAT32 The most universally supported way to format your drive is with the FAT32 file system. It works with all versions of Mac OS X and Windows.

Case closed, right? Well, not so fast. Unfortunately, FAT32 is a very old file system and has some technical limitations. For example, you cannot save files that are larger than 4GB on a FAT32-formatted drive. This is a deal-breaker if you work with huge files. The other limitation is the total size of the partition. If you format your FAT32 drive in Windows, the drive partition cannot be larger than 32GB.

When a Mac file is copied to such a volume, its data fork is stored under the file's regular name, and the additional HFS information (resource fork, type & creator codes, etc) is stored in a second file (in AppleDouble format), with a name that starts with '._'. Browse and transfer files between your Mac computer and your Android device. By downloading, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. NFC file system v.0.1alpha2 A Mac OS X file system that can be used to change the behavior of an existing file systems so that all file names are returned in UTF-8 NFC form. Workaround for applications that have problem with the default file name encoding of Mac OS.

If you format it from a Mac running 10.7 Lion, the drive partition can be up to 2TB. Much better, except for that pesky 4GB limit. ExFAT The exFAT file system eliminates the two major deficiencies of FAT32: the largest partition and file sizes it supports are virtually unlimited by today’s standards.

Awesome, it’s perfect! Almost since exFAT is fairly new, it isn’t compatible with older Macs and PCs. Any Mac running 10.6.5 (Snow Leopard) or 10.7 (Lion) supports exFAT, while PCs running Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, and Windows 7 are compatible. If you know you’ll be using computers running updated versions of these operating systems, exFAT is the clear best choice.

Format a drive using Disk Utility on a Mac. Launch Disk Utility (Applications Utilities). Select your external hard drive or USB flash drive from the list on the left. Click on the Erase tab. Select the format – Mac OS Extended (HFS+), MS-DOS (FAT32), or exFAT – then name the drive. Click the Erase button and the drive will start formatting.

Be aware that formatting a drive deletes all of the files on it, so back up anything important before completing this step. Format a drive using Windows. Go to Computer (or My Computer in Windows XP). Select your drive from the list and right-click on it. Choose Format from the contextual menu. A window will pop up where you can choose the format – NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT. Make sure the allocation unit size is set to default and type in a volume label.

Click Start to format the drive. I did exactly what you said to do in order to format a LaCie 160gb external hard drive to exFat for use on a Mac (OSX 10.7 Lion) and a PC (Windows 7). Unfortunately, now my Mac doesn’t “see” the hard drive anymore and my PC tells me the device is not working properly (error Code 43 in Device Manager). Before reformatting from a NTFS, the LaCie worked fine on my Mac and my PC “saw” it but I couldn’t access it.

It is connected via USB 2.0 and AC/DC power. Where could I go or what resource(s) is/are available for me to solve this problem?

I heard using a firewire might help. I just got a Seagate GoFlex Desk External Drive, and after reading your article, I tried to format it for ExFat but got an error: Invalid Option. Seagate tells me that they do not support ExFat.

They say “Reformatting a drive in ExFAT is something that we don’t support. It can be an unstable format that can cause data corruption without warning.” Have you found that other hard drive manufactures say they don’t support this format for the same reason? Should I turn the hard drive back in, and get a different one, where the manufacturer supports this format. Is what Seagate says true?

I just got two Western Digital 3TB external hard-drives. I want to be able to use them on both Mac & PC. When i go to format it on my Mac, FAT32 is not an option, and every time i try exFAT i also get an “error: Invalid Option”. I then tried to do this on two other Macs & it still wouldn’t work, but then I tried it on a work-mate’s Mac today & it formatted in exFAT fine How unstable is exFAT? I don’t want to lose the media i store on this drive. I don’t mind formatting it in FAT32, but it’s not an option when trying to format this hard-drive.

Any suggestions? Is there a free formatting application that is good to use instead of using the “Disk Utility” on Mac.?

I have an IMAC running OSX 10.7.5 I recently bought a Trekstor DataStation pocket light 500 GB external portable hard drive 2.5″ I need it to transfer 190 GB of video and audio files to give to an editor. I received it and a small paper inside said it’s not compatible with my IMAC. Only to READ files. I’m not sure what system the editor will use and after reading all the comments above, I’m really hesitant to re-format the disc before moving the files onto.

Now the files are on another TrekStor external drive that the camera guy lent me. I am not very technical and don’t want to screw anything up. Can anyone help? I do hope you can help me with this I was using my sisters Mac temporarily and before giving it back to her I copied all my files onto a thumb drive. Tonight I copied those files to the hard drive of my PC laptop and removed them from the thumb drive.

For whatever reason I am trying to open a few of the files in a certain program, but it keeps telling me that the file I am trying to access is not supported. Someone mentioned that maybe it has something to do with the thumb drive. I have no idea what to do and I am praying that I didn’t lose any of my files.

Thanks so much!! I’ve read too many posts from people having all sorts of problems using exFAT to consider using it. Maybe one day, but for now, “not ready for prime time!”. The best solution I found was: 1. Format your hard drive, or every partition on it, using NTSF. You’ll end up with a drive that is: – Stable, so your data is relatively safe (priority #1) – Capable of handling large files – Readable/writable in Win 7+ – But only readable in Mac OS X 2.

Make the NTSF drive both readable and writable in Mac OS X. There are different ways to do that. Method 1: Mac OS X is actually capable of writing to a NTSF drive, just not by default (don’t ask!). So you need to activate it: 1. Go to “utilities” and start the “terminal” app.

(enter your password if prompted) 2. Type (copy/paste): sudo nano /etc/fstab Press “return” Type: LABEL=TEST none ntfs rw,auto,nobrowse Press “return”, CTRL+O to save, CTRL+X to exit the terminal. Unmount your drive, then plug it back in. It won’t show up anymore. Back in the terminal, type: open /Volumes press “return” There’s your NTSF drive! Now you can do whatever you want with it in Mac OS X. (tip: create an alias of the volumes so you don’t have to go back to the terminal every time) Another free method: “EaseUS ALL-IN-ONE Partition Manager” software I’ve not tried it myself, but I’ve only heard good things about it.

You can download it here:. Make sure to download the “free for home user” version.

The other methods involve using 3rd party drivers such as: Paragon NTFS or Tuxera NTFS. They’re not free, but they won’t break the bank.

I hope this helps. Thank you so much for this easy to follow and understand explanation. I have OS X 10.7.5 running Lion. Bought the new Passport 1T today and even though the package says it can run on MAC OS X, when I tried to format with the company instructions it wouldn’t let me and stated “It will only run on 10.8 or above”.

I looked at my old passport in Utilities and it was formatted as NTFS (Mac OS Extended) and wanted to follow the exact same since my old Passport has been excellent for my needs. I formatted the new Passport with NTFS and it works like a charm. Really appreciate how you explained everything in simple terms, so not only was I able to do the formatting, I also understand what I am doing and why.

I can now drag and drop files on to the new passport and they copy fast. Thanks a bunch. About MacYourself MacYourself was established in July 2008 by founders (and Apple enthusiasts) Ant and Frankie P., who wanted to create a tips & tricks site geared towards the average or new Apple product user. The name itself was an accident, shouted by Frankie P. In a moment of frustration when he couldn’t think of anything clever. Immediately, a light went off in Ant’s head and he eventually convinced Frankie P.

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To enable File Sharing on your Mac, open the Sharing pane of System Preferences and select the option for File Sharing. Windows computers and Macs can then see your computer on the local network. When you connect from a Mac using OS X Mavericks or OS X Yosemite to another computer using file sharing, your Mac automatically tries to use the Service Message Block (SMB) protocol to communicate. If SMB is not available, it tries to connect using Apple File Protocol (AFP).

To connect to a Mac or Windows computer that is sharing files on your local network, look under the Shared section of any Finder window. You can also access local file shares from Open and Save windows and sheets.

To connect to a file server directly, use the Connect To Server feature of the Finder. Select Go Connect To, and enter a URL, IP address or DNS name.

You can attempt to force a specific connection protocol (such as SMB or AFP) by using a valid URL. As long as the server you are connecting to allows the protocol you specify, the URL should work. Smb://ServerName/ShareName afp://DOMAIN;User@ServerName/ShareName. When entering a URL, the name of the shared disk, volume, or directory you are attempting to connect to (share name) must be specified.

You are not prompted for it. You cannot type spaces as part of a share name when connecting. In place of any space in the share name, use%20. When troubleshooting a connection issue, you can ping the IP address of the other computer using.

A successful ping verifies a TCP/IP connection between the two computers. This is an important first troubleshooting step when there's no response or a timeout for a connection attempt, since SMB connections involving a Mac require TCP/IP. However, a successful ping does not mean the SMB service is also available or working from the other computer. Check Microsoft support resources for information about setting up file sharing on your Microsoft Windows-based computer. These may include Help files installed on your PC, or the Microsoft online. When troubleshooting an SMB connection issue, use Console in the Utilities folder. Console logs can help advanced users identify an issue. Some log files may appear only when logged in as an administrator.

If you are connecting to a Windows SMB resource, check to see if your firewall is blocking TCP ports 137, 138, 139 and 445. After trying the above steps, you may perform advanced troubleshooting by inspecting log entries in the Event Log of the Windows SMB resource (if you have access to it), or the relevant logs in Console on your Mac. If you are connecting to Windows XP, make sure that the Internet Connection Firewall settings on your Windows computer are not preventing your connection. SMB uses ports 137, 138, 139, and 445. These ports should be open on the Windows XP computer.

This may require 'Advanced' configuration of the XP firewall. Mac uses SMB only over the TCP/IP protocol, not the NetBEUI protocol. It may be necessary to contact your network administrator in some situations in order to grant access to your Mac from the SMB resource, or its host network configuration. Learn about. Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement.

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Apple Mac File System

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