Note: Formatting your flash drive will remove all files or folders onthe drive, so make sure you back up your files before formatting yourdrive.

The best ways to format an external drive for Windows and Mac. Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with Windows and Mac. And, no: the answer isn't always FAT32. Nov 30, 2020 Format USB Drive in Mac If you want to use the USB drive on your Mac computer only, formatting it to be entirely Mac compatible file system is highly recommended, such as HFS+ file system. If you want to use the drive between a Windows and Mac machine, you can format it to FAT32. Aug 16, 2020 Under Volume Type, click Select Device and find your flash drive. If your flash drive is empty, select Create encrypted volume and format it. On the next page, you will be able to select hashing and encryption algorithms. If you are not sure what to choose, we recommend AES and SHA-512. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View Show All Devices. If Disk Utility isn’t open, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type Disk Utility in the Search field, then click the Disk Utility icon. In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with Windows computers. Click the Erase button in the toolbar.

Windows:

1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

2. Click “This PC”.

3. Right-click the flash drive’s icon. It’s beneath the “Devices and drives” heading in the middle of the page.

4. Click Format. This option is near the middle of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Format window.

5. Click the “File System” box. It’s below the “File System” heading near the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear with the following options:

NTFS - The default Windows operating system format. If you’re using your drive as a secondary Windows drive, you’ll need to choose this option.

FAT32 - The most widely compatible format. Works with most computers and gaming consoles.

Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products.

6. Click a format option (FAT32 or NTFS). If you’ve formatted your drive before and you’re positive that it isn’t broken, you can also check the Quick Format box.

7. Click Start, and then click OK. Doing this will cause Windows to begin formatting your flash drive for you.

8. Click “OK” when prompted. Your flash drive has successfully been formatted.

Mac:

1. Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac.

Note: Some Macs don’t have USB ports, so you’ll need to purchase an adapter.

2. Click “Go”. It’s a menu item in the top-left side of the menu bar.

If you don’t see Go, first click the Finder icon, which resembles a blue face in your Mac’s dock.

3. Click “Utilities”. This option is in the Go drop-down menu.

4. Double-click “Disk Utility”. You’ll likely find this option in the middle of the Utilities page.

Mac Flash Drive To Pc

5. Click your flash drive’s name. It’s on the far-left side of the Disk Utility window.

6. Click the “Erase” tab. This option is at the top of the Disk Utility window.

Flash Drive For Mac And Pc

7. Click a format option.

Format Flash Drive Windows 10

Flash Player For Mac

Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products.

8. Click Erase, then click Erase when prompted. This will begin the formatting process. Once the formatting is complete, you’ll see an icon for your flash drive appear on your Mac’s desktop.