If you only use a mac computer, you can format your thumb drive so it can work on windows systems. How to format a usb flash drive on mac wondershare. More than likely the usb stick is formatted for an apple device so the link i gave may be your only solution other than finding and using an os x based device to read and copy the files to a fat32 exfat or other format that is shared between apple and windows pcs. Jul 24, 2018 if youve been a windows user for even a small amount of time, youd know how to format usb drive on windows. Please help me to find a way to format it on macos or windows or via any application. In this clip, youll learn how to prepare and format a usb thumb drive for use with an apple ipad. Technician pc windows pc that youll use to format the usb flash drive. This also allows you to restore time machine backups on windows.
Choose the exfat file system in the list and click start. How to format a usb drive for mac and pc compatibility. Again, formatting a drive will erase it completely, so make sure you have everything backed up that you want to keep. Creating windows 10 bootable usb on mac is a common task for people who have multiple computers at home. Rightclick your flash drive and then select format. If you cant format usb, sd, external hard drive or hard drive partition, relax. In the sidebar, select which disk you want to format to use with windows computers.
Bottom line with so many ways to break the incompatibility barrier between mac and windows, you should never be limited whenever you want to transfer files across devices. Apr 17, 2019 if your computer warns you that the windows was unable to complete the format of usb drive, dont worry. How to format a usb drive on a mac or windows alphr. The latest trend with computers is not including a cddvd drive. In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with windows computers. In the disk utility app on your mac, choose view show all devices.
Click continue, you then are asked for admin and password. Click the format popup menu, then choose one of the following. Readwrite fat32 from both native windows and native mac os x. If you have just bought it, it will already be blank. In some cases, the usb flash drives need to be formatted to fat32 as it is one of the most preferred and compatible file systems for both mac and windows.
Wait for a while until the process is finished completely. Dec 10, 2019 i found a usb stick that comes with my old macbook air. I have tried to format it via diskutility application and the terminal but it is not working. On windows, cmd and powershell are the keys to do anything but in mac operating systems, the terminal can do anything as long as you know how to use the terminal. Oct 10, 2018 how to format a write protected usb on pc or mac. How to quickly make a mac os x bootable usb on windows.
Format a disk for windows computers in disk utility on mac. Moving from windows to mac transferring your documents. How to format usb drives on windows 10 make tech easier. Instead the disk utility tells me it contains kind of mac os extended file system german, sorry but unable to mount also information looks strange. File system formats available in disk utility on mac apple. Then, set the format to msdos fat and click the erase button to re format the usb drive. Usb drives can be formatted on your mac using the disk utility application. Jan 15, 2019 the main reason for formatting a usb drive as fat32 on a mac is that you want to be able to use the drive on a windows pc, as well as a mac perhaps to transfer files between the two machines. On your mac, log in as an administrator, quit all open apps, then log out any other users. The file allocation table 32 fat32 was the standard windows file system before ntfs. Create an ubuntu bootable usb on mac, windows or ubuntu.
This is the easiest way and simply requires you to plug in your usb drive, open the windows file explorer and right click your drive to view a number of actions that you can perform. How to format a flash drive to work on os x and windows. Therefore, it is advisable to format your external drive as a last result and only if all the devices you have support exfat. In order to write on the usb drive on mac, you need to format the device into apple supported file systems like apfs or mac os extended.
The whole point of having a usb stick is for portability and quickly sharing data between computers. In general any fat format should work on both a pc and a mac as i understand it not from personal experience for from others and again in general if you select photos in photos and export them file menu export to a desktop folder then drat that folder to a fat formatted usb stick you should be able to use those photos on either a mac. Click on the usb drive in the sidebar in disk utility. Jul 24, 2017 for whatever reason, the option to format usb drives larger than 32gb with the fat32 file system isnt present in the regular windows format tool. Better still, it can be read from and written to on any mac running mac os x snow leopard or later and on windows. This tutorial will shows you the two options available for formatting a usb drive so it works on both mac. How can i format a disk on my mac that can be read in a windows 10 computer. Select the usb volume name, then select choose this disk. I was trying to format it to reuse it in the daily purposes. A very simple utility for the correct flash stick formatting in fat32 or ntfs formats.
You will now see that one of the ports will become populated with information as you can see in the example below. Format drive to exfat in windows 10 so it is readandwrite in mac os as well. I got a 64gb usb stick formatted as exfat from windows containing a lot of files. Jan 10, 2009 it should be noted at the time of writing this, my windows install is actually more configured than my os x ugh. Apr 30, 2016 now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. The quickest way is to search on spotlight and click the result under top hit. If you want the storage device to only show up on mac systems, then format your storage device with apfs. You should always have your usb stick in exfat file format, period. You may also be preparing the drive for use as, say, a storage device for a media player or to record tv programmes on a tv with a usb port. The trick is actually not all that hard, but it took me a while to find a solution that would work on a chinese website. How to open mac format usb devce in windows youtube.
If you want to use a different file system on your usb drive, youll need to format it. How to format usb flash drive to fat32 on mac os xmacos easeus. Dont worry, the following part will show you the solution for windows and mac os users. File system formats available in disk utility on mac. Thunderbolt 3 and usb c docks are all the rage and plugable has a real heavyweight to share.
Click on erease to format the usb and create the disk. Remember, this will erase all the files on the drive. You will learn the easiest way to format drive on mac and windows as exfat. Disk utility in macos high sierra or later can erase most disks and volumes for mac using either the newer apfs apple file system format or the older mac os extended format, and it automatically chooses a compatible format for you. Mar 03, 2020 if you are on an earlier operating system like windows 7, xp, etc. Formatting sandisk usb flash drives in fat32 format using thirdparty windows applications how do i format my 64gbor larger capacity sandisk usb flash drive with the fat32 file system in windows. Now i want to tell you how to create windows installation usb flash drive without formatting it. Why you should always format your usb stick file system to. Similar to windows 10, you can format usb drives on mac using disk utility app.
This tutorial explains how to format external hard drive usb flash drive exfat in windows 10. Format a usb drive as exfat for mac and windows compatibility. How to format usb to fat32ntfsexfat on windows and mac. How to choose the best format for usb drive on windowsmac. Want to use one external drive for both your windows pc and your mac. Choose this format if the size of the disk is 32 gb or less. Okay, lets take a step back, there are quite a few reasons why you want to do this. How to make a windows 10 usb recovery drive duration.
Insert the apple usb restore stick in a usb port of your computer. Dec 19, 20 formatting a usb flash drive usb stick so it can be used on both windows and mac osx. The main function is to help the user to quickly select options and format the usb flash drive on the computer by pressing a format button. Mac can format drives to fat32 but windows 10 os does not seem to be able to read fat formatted disks. So, i boot back into os x, delete but not format all the files on the usb stick. Formatting deletes all data on your sandisk usb flash drive. Locate your usb stick under this pc, rightclick on it and select the format option. This wikihow teaches you how to remove write protection from a usb drive so you can format it in windows or macos. There are many ways to make a bootable usb stick with windows on board. Feb 21, 2020 how to format a usb flash drive with mac to fat32. Jul 01, 2019 how to use diskpart to clean and format a drive not working on windows 10. How to format usb drives on windows 10 by ayo isaiah posted on apr 30, 2016 apr 28, 2016 in windows if you have a malfunctioning or corrupted usb drive, formatting it may be the best way to get it back to its original working state. The first step is to make sure the usb stick is completely blank. If you have knowledge of terminal you can create bootable usb for macos mojave and windows 10 with only two simple commands but if you dont know then use the unibeast.
Now, lets take a look at some ways you can format your usb drive on windows 10. Solved unable to format usb apple forum spiceworks. Here we see that a almost 8gb usb stick has been inserted. But most of them lead you through a mandatory formatting step or are very difficult to use with many options and confusing. Formatting your flash drive will typically remove any files or folders on the drive, so make sure you back up your files before. Learn how to format your usb flash drive or usb external drive so you can use it on both mac os x and windows computers. Install windows on your older mac using boot camp apple. The installer is running, but at around 44% it complains some install files are missing or corrupt, and it cant continue. Whether youre the proud owner of an apple ipad or perhaps just considering picking one up, youre sure to benefit from this free video tutorial. Many computer users who use a removable flash drive have the demand for formatting it to the fat32 file system. Install windows from a usb flash drive microsoft docs. Is there a way to retrieve data from a mac formatted usb stick on a pc running windows xp or windows vista.
Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable usb flash drives, such as usb keyspendrives, memory sticks, etc. The stick needs at least 8gb of space for the installer to be built properly. Go to the applications folder on your macs hard drive, then go to the utilities folder, and launch disk utility. Now, well need to install and open etcher for macos. How to format a write protected usb on pc or mac with pictures. This wikihow teaches you how to change your flash drives default file format. I have tried two different windows 10 laptops and they both do not recognize the fat usb disk and says that it needs to be formatted. Aug 16, 2019 in this guide, we show you virtually every method to format a usb flash drive and quickly erase its contents or fix data corruption and other issues using windows 10s builtin tools. In this guide, we show you virtually every method to format a usb flash drive and quickly erase its contents or fix data corruption and other issues using windows 10s builtin tools. Sep 29, 2017 how to fix usb drive not accessible or unable to format on windows 10 when your usb drive, sd card, or another type of drive isnt working on windows 10, you can use these commands to fix the problem. Fix cant format usb flash drive error and restore it to. Some of these usb flash drive format software run only in administrator mode, while some run normally. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows.
The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os x, though with some drawbacks. Formatieren einer festplatte fur windowscomputer apple support. Jul 22, 2019 heres how to correctly format the drive to work on both. For more information, including a detailed overview, watch this ipad users guide. In this article, we will introduce 5 disk formatting tools for windows and mac to help you securely format hard drive usb flash drive or memory card on a pc or a mac. The good news is that formatting usb on mac is also as easy as on windows 10. Wiping a usb device ought to be simple, but by choosing the right settings you can maximise compatibility and space. Im menu format rechts wahlt ihr nun msdosdateisystem fat oder. Go to applicationsutilities and launch disk utility. So this is the way to create bootable usb of windows xp and after installing the windows, format your usb using the computer management if you dont know how to format the usb using computer management then follow the method below. Under the devices and drivers section, rightclick the flash drive and. Insert the flash drive or hard drive you want to format for windows compatibility. With exfat, you can write and read on both mac and windows pcs and is our recommended option for an ultraportable usb device.
Lets see how to format usb drive on a windows pc first. It may even already be formatted fat32 if you just brought it home from the store. Under the external tab, highlight your flash drive. Usb stick am mac fur windows formatieren apfelwerk. How to format a hard drive for both windows and mac. Be absolutely sure you have your files off the driveand that youve selected the correct drive you want to format. The first format, fat32, is fully compatible with mac os. Before you install windows, install all macos updates. The stick mounts without any problems on a windows 10 system. How can i read a mac formatted usb stick on windows. How to prepare a usb flash drive to work with an apple ipad. Connect the drive to a usb port on your windows machine. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows 7 by jack scicluna photography, llc guest writer. Wie sie einen usbstick unter macos formatieren erfahren sie hier.
May 03, 2016 audacity is a free product someone may have put on some system for you to utilize. Windows cant normally read mac formatted drives, and will offer to erase them instead. How to format usb drive on windows 10 using command prompt. My chinese sucks so i thought it might be practical for other users to translate it and add some of my own experiences to it. How to fix usb drive not accessible or unable to format on. This drive will be formatted, so make sure it doesnt have any important files on it. You have to format the drive to exfat or fat32 if the burning process failed due to the wrong partition scheme. You can do this in disk utility on your mac, where it is called msdos fat format, but it is probably easier to just reformat the drive on your windows machine. The overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. To format the drive in windows, rightclick it in thefile explorer window and select format. If youre still using a mac os x the time will come when your computer wont boot, or a problem may arise where you cant take control of the device, and booting from an os x installation media will be required. Most external hard drives and usb drives are compatible for use on mac computers as long as you format the devices for use with mac os x. Transfer from flash drive to computer microsoft community. Formatting sandisk usb flash drives in fat32 format using.
Format external drive usb exfat in windows 10 in simple steps. Compare with the other commonly used ntfs file system on a flash drive, fat32 has a compatibility advantage across many operating systems. If you want to format a hard drive or usb flash drive on your computer, disk formatting tool is the best choice. Format a usb stick for mac and windows osx mavericks youtube.
Its fairly straightforward and all you have to do is rightclick on it and select format. Fat32 is a solid file system for external drives, so long as you dont plan to use files over 4gb in size. Click the scheme popup menu, then choose master boot record. Now you can share files between a mac and windows computer. Want to know how to format your usb drives in windows and mac. How to format a usb flash drive on windows 10 windows. Though you can mount the drive to view and copy the content, you cant write on the drive. Format usb flash drives to work with both mac and windows 7. But, while trying to format a flash drive in the usual manner, problems may arise or the fat32 option might not be available. This article will provide effective methods to get all these problems fixed and just follow to find the solutions here now.
Sep 19, 2011 the overwhelming majority of usb flash drives you buy are going to come in one of two formats. In case you want to use the ubuntu live usb stick on a mac, insert the usb stick and restart. Sep 03, 2011 yes, any usb stick can be used with mac and windows, provided the format is correct. Hp usb storage format tool is available for free, the installer can be downloaded for windows 10, 7, 8, etc. Heres how to format a usb drive on a mac or windows. My chinese sucks so i thought it might be practical for other users to translate it and add some of. For example, in windows xp my computer is equivalent to this pc on windows 10. This is why its recommended that you make a mac os x bootable usb when your mac is in working conditions.
Many non apple devices will not work with macos catalina. How to create bootable usb for macos mojave on windows. Find out how to format an external drive or usb disk making the drive work with both windows pc and mac can read and write. How to format usb drives larger than 32gb with fat32 on windows. Disk utility on mac supports several file system formats. Best usb format tools pen drive stick formatters for. You get to select a new file system for the drive before you click the start button. Format usb for mac and pc on windows quickly and securely. Keep your music, movies, and photographs safe with a portable or desktop storage solution for your apple products. How to use diskpart to clean and format a drive not working.
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