

But the single file on a FAT32 partition cannot be larger than 4GB, and the drive partition larger than 32GB cannot be formatted to FAT32 via Windows inbuilt tools, the drive cannot be over 2TB on MacOS. Which is better for Mac, exFAT, or FAT32?įAT32 works with all versions of Mac, Windows, Linux, gamed consoles, and other devices supporting a USB port. So when you want to share a Samsung SSD drive between Windows and Mac, you need to format it a proper file system: FAT32 or exFAT, both of which work with macOS and Windows OS. Similarly, Mac cannot write files to NTFS drives or edit files, though it can read an NTFS drive. Windows cannot read or write to HFS+APFS and you will be asked to format the HFS+ drive once you connect it to Windows computer. Windows uses NTFS while Mac uses HFS+ or APFS. That’s because these two platforms have their specific file systems by default. To format Samsung 850 EVO or 860 EVO SSD or other hard drives for Mac on Windows computer could be a complicated task. How do I do that? It is not nearly as easy as it should be! So anyone have a great solution? Thanks! What type of format should I use for Mac? Be sure you’ve identified the Mac drive - if you accidentally delete partitions from another drive, you could damage your Windows installation or lose your files.I have a Samsung solid-state 850 EVO drive that is NTFS formatted (Windows format), and now I want to reformat Samsung SSD for my Mac.

Locate the Mac drive in the list of disks. This tool allows you to manage the partitions on drives connected to your computer - internal ones or external ones connected via USB. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog, type diskmgmt.msc into the box, and press Enter to open it. RELATED: Understanding Hard Drive Partitioning with Disk Managementįirst, open the Windows Disk Management tool. You’ll probably want to uninstall Java when you’re done.Įrase the Mac Partitions, Including the EFI System Partition

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HFSExplorer unfortunately requires you install Java to use it, but it’s the only free option here. If you only have Windows systems available, you can use HFSExplorer to copy files from the drive onto your Windows system drive or another drive. If you have a Mac lying around, you can plug the drive into a Mac and back up the files. Instead, we’ll just be wiping the drive and starting over from scratch. This process won’t actually convert the file system. First, back up the data on the Mac-formatted drive if you have anything important on it.
