How To Format an External Drive for Windows and Mac

Personally, I have a MacBook Pro with Windows 10 installed through Boot Camp, so having an external drive that works with both operating systems is essential. Two file systems that will work with both are FAT32 and exFAT. While you would never want to use these file systems for an internal hard drive due to their lack of security features, for a USB drive you can get away with them. In fact, FAT32 is usually the default file system that comes with a USB flash drive.

When deciding between FAT32 and exFAT, keep in mind that FAT32 only supports a maximum file size of 4GB. Therefore if you are going to be working with files larger than 4GB, exFAT is the way to go.

In order to format your external drive with either of these formats use my written guide and choose either FAT32 or exFAT in step 5 or watch the video below.