Format flash drive for Mac?

[MiniD3]

i know we format our external HDD's
Do we have to format our USB flash drives?
And, are we able to use them on an windows PC?
....Gary

 

[GGJstudios]

i know we format our external HDD's
Do we have to format our USB flash drives?
And, are we able to use them on an windows PC?
....Gary

Yes, any drive must be formatted before use, whether by the manufacturer or the user. For use with both OS X and Windows, your most likely format for a flash drive is probably FAT32, unless you intend to store files larger than 4GB.

Format A Hard Drive Using Disk Utility (which is in your /Applications/Utilities folder)

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Choose the appropriate format:

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HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac OS X system files. [*]To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive [*]To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
• Maximum file size: 8EiB
• Maximum volume size: 8EiB
• Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
• You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
  • For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion and later)
  • For 32-bit Mac OS X, install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free) (does not work in 64-bit mode)
  • For 64-bit Snow Leopard, read this: MacFUSE for 64-bit Snow Leopard
  • Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx $36).
  • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
• Maximum file size: 16 TB
• Maximum volume size: 256TB
• You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

exFAT (FAT64)

• Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
• Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
• Maximum file size: 16 EiB
• Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
• You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X. [*]Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB
• You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.

 

[MiniD3]

Much appreciated!

Will check them tonight,
Need to share some images etc with friends that are not Mac, (yet!)
Regards,
Gary

 

[ajoh30871]

Format flash drive for Mac?

i know we format our external HDD's
Do we have to format our USB flash drives?
And, are we able to use them on an windows PC?
....Gary
*************************************
MiniD3
Hello, sorry to input on this but i wanted to let you know that there are programs that will allow you to view and write to your external drives that you used for the pc...
I just Bought an iMac for my business and i was really worried about all of my images being spread across two external hard drives.. I started doing some extensive research and i found some software that claims that they work..
I went to Paragon.com and downloaded there software.. it will allow you to go from PC to Mac with no problem and vice versa.... I use it and now i can edit my files on my mac and still keep my external drives intact for my Sony Vaio!!!!! Hope this helps...

 

[MiniD3]

Thanks for the heads-up,

Not shifting anymore than 4GB anyway so should be good!
....Gary