How to Format Drive with Compatible File System for Mac and Windows?

Find out a common file system for Mac and Windows. Then format your external hard drive or USB flash drive with the file system to make your drive compatible with Mac and Windows.

By Bryce / Last Updated December 8, 2020

How can I make my external hard drive compatible with Mac and Windows?

“I have two computers, one running Mac operating system, another running Windows. I want to copy and transfer files between the two computers using my portable external Western Digital hard drive that is originally formatted with NTFS. I have realized that NTFS drive is fully supported on Windows computer, but read only on Mac computer. That is to say, my external hard drive is unable to work well both in Mac and Windows. Is there anyone who can tell me how to make my hard drive compatible with Mac and Windows? Thanks a lot!”

Two file systems compatible with Mac and Windows

NTFS is the default file system for Windows operating system and HFS for Mac operating system. If you want to make your drive compatible with Mac and Windows, you need to format it with a common file system for Mac and Windows. FAT32 and exFAT can be compatible with Mac and Windows and you can choose one after realizing their respective merits and defects based on your demands:

FAT32 takes advantages in compatibility. It is compatible with various devices like DVD player, game console, etc. Apart from Mac and Windows, it can support Linux and Android. However, it is with significant defects: Single file size is up to 4GB and partition capacity is not beyond 2TB.

exFAT supports partition larger than 2TB and a single file over 4GB. But it is also with a defect: Compared with FAT32, the entire file system of exFAT is easier to be corrupted.

Two utilities to format a drive for Mac and Windows

From all above, you can have a general idea of FAT32 and exFAT file system. It is time to learn how to format your external hard drive or other external drives to a common file system for Mac and Windows.

вњ” Format drive to exFAT via Diskpart

In general, Windows built-in tools Disk Management and Diskpart can format drive to exFAT easily. However, in Disk Management, you’ll find that there is no exFAT option when you right-click the partition that you need to format and choose “Format Partition” if the partition is on an internal or external hard drive. Then, let’s see how to format a drive with exFAT using Diskpart utility.

PS.: Formatting will delete all data on the partition. It is advised to backup important data on the partition before formatting.

1. Connect your drive to working computer running Windows and make sure that it will be detected by operating system.

2. Open Run box by pressing “Windows” + “R” simultaneously and hitting “Enter”.

3. In the box, input “diskpart” and hit “Enter”.

4. In the Diskpart windows, type the command lines below and each command shall be followed by hitting “Enter” key:

(“n” is the disk number)

select partition m

(“m” is the partition number that’ll be formatting)

format fs: exfat

When you see Diskpart successfully formatted the volume, type “exit” and press “Enter

PS.: If you need to format the drive with FAT32, replace «format fs: exfat» with «format fs: fat32».

вњ” Format drive via free partition formatting tool

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is great partition formatting freeware, which offers you more file systems to choose during formatting. It allows you to format partition to exFAT, FAT32, NTFS, Ext2 and Ext3 and Ext4 on an external hard drive, internal hard drive, USB flash drive and SD card. It can work with Windows 10/8/8.1/7, XP, and Vista. And it can format large drive beyond 32GB to FAT32.

To format an external drive to file system compatible with Mac and PC, connect the drive to your computer, free download the software and follow the detailed steps given below (Take formatting hard drive to exFAT in Windows 7 for example):

Step 1. Install and run it. In the main interface, right-click the partition on that need formatting and choose “Format Partition”.

Step 2. In this pop-up window, choose exFAT among listed file systems and click “OK”.

PS.: In this window, it is available to specify the Partition label to the partition and adjust cluster size.

Step 3. Here you’ll go back to the main interface. Confirm formatting operation and click “Apply” > “Proceed” to perform this operation.

Notice: If there is no partition on your disk, you can create exFAT or FAT32 file system partition using “Create Partition” function.

Conclusion

It’s not a tough task to format your drive with a common file system for Mac and Windows. You can format it using Windows built-in tools or third-party partition formatting tool. In fact, AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard can provide you with more functions. For instance, it allows you to delete partition, resize partition and wipe partition, etc. And you can experience more features, covering converting to basic disk without losing data, recovering partition, and so on if you upgrade it to Professional version.

Как включить Windows Projected File System на Windows 10

Компания Microsoft недавно представила предварительную сборку Windows 10 под номером 17604 в канале обновление «Ранний доступ». В этом релизе добавляется одна интересная функция под названием Windows Projected File System.

• Откройте меню Пуск > Служебные — Windows > Панель управления > Программы и компоненты > Включение или отключение компонентов Windows. Здесь поставьте галочку напротив строки Windows Projected File System (в моём случае в сборке 17110 на ней написано beta).

Защита файлов Windows File Protection (WFP) не позволяет программам заменять критически важные системные файлы Windows. Приложения не могут перезаписывать их, поскольку операционная система и другие программы пользуются этими файлами.

Microsoft представила Windows File Protection для защиты этих критически важных системных файлов и предотвращения проблем в работе операционной системы. Windows File Protection не является новой функцией Windows. Microsoft использовала эту подсистему ещё в Windows 2000 и Windows XP, вернув обратно к жизни в 2018 году.

Однако вряд ли новый механизм полагается на архитектуру 20-летней давности. Например, Microsoft переименовала GVFS (Git Virtual File System) в ProjF (Windows Projected Filesystem).

Как работает Windows File Protection

Если программа использует метод для замены защищённых файлов, WFP восстанавливает оригинальные файлы. Инсталлятор Windows подключается к WFP при установке критически важных системных файлов и делает запрос на установку и замену защищённых файлов вместо попытки установить или заменить их самостоятельно.

WFP работает главным образом незаметно в фоновом режиме. Механизм защиты запускается после того, как WFP получает уведомление об изменении файла в защищённой директории. Система заменяет изменённый файл на файл из кэша или источника установки, отменяя изменения.

Windows Compatible Products List

The Windows Compatible Products List is a comprehensive list of certified devices and systems. The Windows Compatible Products list has the following features and restrictions:

• You can find devices and systems by filtering the list or by running a search for a specific product name.
• You can search across all certified devices and systems for the entire catalog.
• If you need an OEM system report for RFPs, you can search for the product/marketing name and receive a verification report, which you can download.
• The Compatible Products List displays Declarative & Universal status for all Device Classes.

System search does not support the D & U status field. Therefore, you must set the D & U Status search field dropdown to All to see system results.

Searching for Marketing and Product names for systems or devices

If you search using the Marketing/Product Name box, the Compatible Products List returns matches in the product name, submission name, and marketing name fields. Consider these:

• Limit your search to plain text, without quotes or wildcards.
• Any spaces between words are treated as AND expressions.
• Do not use any special characters or search-limiting terms. For example, do not use (OR, AND, ””, *, ?, etc.).

Searching for a Company Name

Limit your searches to plain text, without quotes or wildcards. For example, do not use (OR, AND, ””, *, ?, etc.).

The search function will auto-complete results after you type five letters.

You may find that some companies are listed twice. This is a result of merging the previous database with Hardware Dev Center. Each entry is different, so it’s best to search using the Marketing/Product Name field.

How to Find Windows 10 Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements

Here’s an overview of how to find computer specification requirements, versions, and languages available for Windows 10.

Table of Contents

System requirements for installing Windows 10

These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard drive size:

32GB or larger hard disk

Note: See below under “More information on hard drive space to install or update Windows 10” for more details.

Compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800×600 Internet Connection:

Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode, and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Activity Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here.

There may be additional requirements over time for updates, as well as requirements to turn on specific features within the OS.

Keeping Windows 10 up-to-date

Windows 10 is designed to deliver updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Two types of updates may be provided: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include both security and non-security updates and are typically targeted to be released once a month. Feature updates also include security and non-security fixes as well as new features to Windows 10 and are typically provided twice a year. Ensuring that your device receives these updates and is kept up-to-date is important for your device security. Windows 10 periodically checks for updates so you don’t have to. When an update is available—and sufficient free disk space is available on your device—it will be automatically installed. So that Windows 10 continues to stay updated, it’s important to ensure your device has sufficient free space. See additional applicable details in the following notes.

Important notes about updates:

• A device might not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, if it lacks current drivers or sufficient available hard drive space, or if it’s otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Visit the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet or the Lifecycle FAQ for Windows products to learn more about the servicing timeline for each feature update.
  • Some of the disk space needed for installing updates is only temporarily required. Typically, ten days after installing an update, a disk cleanup will be automatically performed to delete copies of the older, unneeded Windows files and free up space again.
• Not all features in an update will work on all devices.
• An internet connection is required to perform updates and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.
• If you need assistance installing an update, Windows 10 Update Assistant may be able to help.

More information on hard drive space requirements to install or update Windows 10

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of space needed to download and install Windows updates, are highly variable as they depend on a variety of factors. Visit here to learn why. The factors that impact the amount of free hard drive space needed to take an update include: the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine, the amount of disk space available to reuse from Windows files, such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file, which applications are installed on your device and how those applications store data. Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB. The 32GB or larger drive requirement is set to leave space for users to install apps and to keep data on the device. Installing Windows or updating from a previous version of Windows on devices with less than 32GB storage will continue to work if the device has enough free space available. When updating, Windows will attempt to automatically free up enough hard drive space and guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient. You can also take steps to free up space on your own. For more information, see Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update or visit the related FAQ.

Feature-specific requirements for Windows 10

In addition to the requirements above that are needed to run Windows, some features have additional requirements. In some cases, features included with updated versions of Windows 10 will be best experienced with newer processors. For specific hardware support please refer to your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Below are some additional details regarding requirements for key features:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (available with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise only) requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher and Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI. BitLocker can be used on devices without TPM, but you will need to save a startup key on a removable device such as a USB flash drive. TPM 2.0 and InstantGo support is required when you want to automatically encrypt the local drive when joining a device to Azure Active Directory (AAD). Check with your PC manufacturer to confirm if your device supports the correct TPM version and InstantGo for the scenario you want to enable.
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Australia and India.
• Microsoft account is required for some features.
• Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
• Movies & TV application is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Movies & TV information page.
• Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database.
• Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page.
• Snap: The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
• Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:
  • High fidelity microphone array
  • Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed
• Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter «tablet mode» automatically.
• Touch: To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric (finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
• Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
• Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
• Wi-Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi-Fi Direct Printing.