Open the Windows Search and look for Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions. Use of the Disk Management utility to format a flash drive can be a little complex option but can be an assured solution for formatting your drive. It may take a while, based on the size of your drive. Under the file system, pick exFAT or FAT32 from the drop-down list. Right-click on the flash drive and choose 'Properties'. Insert it into your PC if it hasn't been inserted as yet. Go to the File Explorer and then locate your flash drive. You can either go with the built-in option or opt for a third-party tool as per your preferences. If you are checking out the options for how to format a USB drive for PC or Mac, Windows does provide you access to several options. You can read and understand a few differences and comparisons between FAT32 and exFAT in the following content.Īlso read: Fix the item can not be copied because it is too large for the volume's format on Mac and Windows 10 How to Format USB Flash Drive on Windows 10 Having obtained complete information on which file formats work on the individual operating systems, we can easily find the file system that can be compatible with both platforms.įrom the table above, it can very well be found that FAT and exFAT are the two best file systems that provide you access to complete compatibility with both Mac and Windows.

That is indeed a tough task, but not an impossible one! What Format of Flash Drive Works on Both Mac and PCīefore we can move ahead in finding how to format a USB drive for PC and Mac, we need to find which file systems work on the two major operating systems. Under ideal conditions, you are expected to format USB flash drive for Mac and PC compatibility. Unfortunately, Windows and Mac systems work with different file systems, which should make it difficult to format a flash or USB drive and then use it interchangeably between the Mac and Windows devices. PAGE CONTENT: What Format of Flash Drive Works on Both Mac and PC How to Format USB Flash Drive on Windows 10 How to Format USB Flash Drive on Mac with Disk Utility FAT32 vs Exfat: What Is the Difference Between the Two File SystemsĮvery operating system works based on the files and folders, given that Windows and Mac have been the widely used operating systems, understanding how to work with the file systems on both devices.

Mac format usb for mac and windows