Not every USB drive can be used on Mac out of the box -- you need to format the drive to make sure it's compatible with the MacOS extended file system. And here in this article, we'll offer you a full guide on how to format a USB Drive on Mac. Besides, in case you lose important data due to formatting, we have a professional data recovery tool to help you recover data from a formatted USB drive on Mac.
To do FAT32 format on a Mac, please follow these simple steps: 1) Once the SD card is detected on your Mac, go to Applications Utilities double click and open Disk Utility. 2) Select your SD card on the sidebar, choose Erase. 3) Rename the SD card, choose the format as MS-DOS (FAT) for Format, Master Boot Record for Scheme.
Part 1. What You Should Do First Before Formatting USB Drive on Mac
Make sure that уоu know clearly whаt уоu are doing whеn you begin the whole formatting process, which will еrаѕе your еntirе hаrd drivе.
To avoid formatting the wrong disk, firstly remove the USB drive from Mac, check the title of other storage disks, then insert the USB disk again and note the name of the disk. Next, drag the USB data to a safe location for backup/recovery measures before formatting it. Then you are set to get it done!
Part 2. What Is the Best Format for USB Drive on Mac?
You'll be given several format options when you try to format a USB drive on Mac, including Mac OS X Extended (Journaled), Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled), Mac OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted), Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted), MS-DOS (FAT) and ExFAT. If you are using macOS 10.13 or later, you'll also see an option named APFS, which is the default file system of macOS 10.13 and later.
1APFS (Apple File System)
APFS is a new file system for macOS. It's the most appropriate format for SSD. However, you need the latest macOS to write to this file system. If you're sure that you don't need to use it on a Mac running old version in the future, then you can format your USB drive to APFS.
2Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) & Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
Mac OS X Extended, aka HFS+, is the default file system before APFS for macOS 10.12 and earlier. It doesn't put a limit on the size of files you can save on the drive, which is the greatest advantage. Windows-running computers can read the files formatted to Mac OS X Extended but can't write to them. And this file system is necessary if you plan on using the drive for Time Machine backups.
The biggest difference between Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) and Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled) is the latter one is case-sensitive to folder names. For example, 'file' is different from 'File'. Therefore, if you do not have special needs, just ignore this option.
3Mac OS X Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) & Mac OS X Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted)
These two are basically the same with the previous two but with encryption, which means you have to provide the password whenever you connect the drive to your Mac.
4MS-DOS (FAT)
This is Disk Utility's name for FAT32 file system. As the most widely compatible file system, it suits both Windows operating system and macOS. Therefore one can easily transfer data between PC and Mac using a USB drive formatted this way. However, a USB drive formatted to FAT32 doesn't support long file names and an individual file cannot be larger than 4GB.
5ExFATFat32 Format Apple Software
ExFAT is the improved version of the older FAT32, which offers larger storage space and supports files larger than 4GB. Of course it also supports transferring files between PC and Mac as a cross-platform file system.
To arrive at a conclusion, if you need to transfer smaller files between operating systems, choose MS-DOS (FAT) or FAT32. And with no doubt, ExFAT will be the best format for USB drive on Mac for larger files.
Part 3. How to Format USB to FAT32/ExFAT on Mac![]()
As earlier stated, you need to first back up your USB drive before formatting it as the formatting operation will wipe all the data. Now, you can follow the steps highlighted below to get the USB successfully formatted.
Method 1: Format a USB Drive on Mac OS with Disk Utility
Step 1: Insert the USB waiting to be formatted to a Mac computer.
Step 2: Navigate to Applications > Utilities, and click it twice to open it.
Step 3: Select the drive you want to format and click on Erase.
Step 4: Rename the USB drive (optional), and choose one file system from the options.
Step 5: Then select Master Boot Record for scheme, hit Erase.
Step 6: Once the process is done, you are ready to use the drive with new file system to store data again.
Method 2: Convert/Format USB Drive to FAT32/ExFAT
Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Mac computer.
Step 2: Click on cmd + space to run Spotlight, input terminal then tap Enter key.
Step 3: Type diskutil list to find the location of your USB drive (eg: dev/disk2 is the USB drive in the below picture).
Step 4: Type sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2.
Note: You can replace FAT32 with ExFAT in the command, and your USB drive will be formatted in that way.
After the process completes, type diskutil list Digital airbrush software. in command once more to check if the USB drive has been formatted successfully.
Bonus: How to Recover Lost Data After Formatting USB Drive
Formatting a USB drive is never an easy task and problems tend to arise from time to time, among which data loss is perhaps the most common one. Users format a USB drive by mistake or directly format it without doing any backup job and both mistakes will cause data loss disaster. This issue will worry us even more when there are important files we cannot offord to lose. If this is the case, you'll need a professional data recovery software to help you get back lost files, and AnyRecover is what you need exactly. With this software, anyone can recover all kinds of data from formatted USB drive on Mac with only 3 simple steps.
As a comprehensive Mac data recovery solution, it handles all data loss scenarios, including formatting USB drive, hard drive failure, and Mac crash.
All-round and deep scan ensures high recovery rate, and sophisticated algorithms contribute to quick scanning speed.
Supports data recovery on all types of USB drives in various file formats like NTFS, HFS+, FAT32, and ExFAT.
Brings back the lost photos, videos, documents, compressed files, etc. - numerous kinds of data from formatted USB drive easily.
Provides preview before recovery and enables selective recovery.
Note
AnyRecover offers free trial for every user, with which one can scan, preview and recover 3 files for free. Just download and have a try! The more time for hesitation, the less possibility for your lost data to get back!
Follow the simple steps below to recover data after formatting USB drive on mac:
Step 1: Make sure you have connected your USB drive to your Mac successfully. Download, install and launch AnyRecover. Then select the formatted USB drive you are trying to recover data from as the location to find data. Press the 'Start' button to initiate the scanning.
Step 2: The software will immediately begin the scanning process. You can pause the process at any time and resume from that point later.
Step 3: Immediately after the scanning process is complete, all the files will be listed in their respective file formats and folders. Freely preview and choose what to recover by clicking on 'Recover' button.
Final Words
Formatting is a complicated process indeed but by clearing your mind and then follow the steps as listed out in the article, you can successfully format a USB drive on Mac without much difficulty or errors. Loss of data may come as a nightmare but AnyRecover is powerful enough to help you out. In fact, not just after you format a USB drive, it can work wonders whenever you lose data. Try it and you won't be disappointed.
Dec 03, 2020 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions
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'exFAT' file system is the latest file system that has been launched and many people are looking to convert from the 'FAT32' to the 'exFAT' file system. This article is for those looking to convert their file systems.
This article gives a brief detail on the difference between the 'FAT32' and 'exFAT' file systems, different ways to format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' on Windows which include using file explorer, disk management, command prompt, and AOMEI partition assistant tool. In addition to this, you can also see some bonus tips to be followed while formatting the partitions.
Part 1: 'FAT32' vs. 'exFAT': What's the Difference and Which One Is Better?
'FAT32' (File Allocation Table) is the most popular file system as it is the oldest and is used by almost every Operating system. But, 'exFAT' is the latest file system which is widely used in formatting external and USB drives. Let us understand which one is better by comparing the following
Based on the above table, it is proven that the 'exFAT' file system is far better than the 'FAT32' file system when you have files with large sizes and need effective and efficient formatting.
Part 2: How to Format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' on Windows?Way 1. Format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' in File Explorer
Using File Explorer, you can format the flash drive from 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' easily and effectively following the below steps:
Step 1: Open File Explorer by pressing 'Windows' + 'E' keys.
Step 2: In the explorer look for your USB flash drive and right-click on it.
Step 3: Click on 'Format' and select 'exFAT' from the 'File System' list.
Step 4: Click the 'Start' button in the end.
Way 2: Convert 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' using CMD
You can convert 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' using a CMD prompt if you know the commands to perform the Diskpart. To use this Diskpart tool, you need to follow the below steps:
Step 1: Open Run dialog box and type 'diskpart ' to the run the Diskpart.
Step 2: Type the following command and press enter after every command:
From above n = no of external drives, m = no of external drive partitions.
Step 3: Once all the above commands are executed, the formatting progress will be completed within a short time.
Way 3: Convert 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' with Windows Disk Management
Windows Disk Management is an effective built-in feature provided by Windows which helps you in managing the hard disk partitions without any difficulties or errors. It might not be an effective solution when compared to other third-party tools but it is enough to convert 'FAT32' to 'exFAT'. For this follow the below steps:
Step 1: Open 'Disk Management' by right-clicking on the Windows start menu.
Step 2: Select the 'FAT32' formatted partition, right-click on it and click on 'Format'.
Step 3: In the format page, change the 'file system' to 'exFAT' from 'FAT32' and click on 'Ok'.
Step 4: Now the formatting process will start and you may lose all your data so make sure that the important data is taken as a backup.
Step 5: Once the formatting is done, you can see that 'FAT32' is converted to 'exFAT' in the disk management interface.
Way 4: Format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' through a third-party converter
Generally, the above-mentioned methods may or may not work as they may face issues like write-protection, file system corruption, etc. In such cases, third-party tools like the AOMEI partition assistant can give better results in formatting the 'FAT32' to the 'exFAT' file system. Follow the below steps for using the AOMEI partition assistant tool.
An important point to note is to take a backup of all the important files and data because once the formatting has been started, you may lose all your data and it will be difficult to retrieve the data.
Follow the below steps for using the AOMEI partition assistant tool.
Step 1: Launch AOMEI
Download, install, and double click on the AOMEI icon to launch the AOMEI partition assistant tool.
Fat32 Format Apple Mac
Step 2: Format Partition
In the interface, choose the drive that you wish to format and right-click on it. In the menu displayed, click on 'Format Partition'.
Step 3: Choose 'exFAT'
In the 'Format Partition' interface, select 'exFAT' from the file system menu. 'Partition Label' and 'Cluster Size' can be added as per the need. Click on 'Ok' and 'Apply' to perform the formatting.
Following the above-mentioned steps, you can format your disk partition or drive from 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' easily and effectively.
Part 3: Bonus Tips to Convert 'FAT32' to NTFS on Mac and Linux1. Convert 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' on Mac
You can easily convert a 'FAT32' file system to 'exFAT' using the 'Disk Utility' option on Mac. Follow the below steps for the following:
Step 1: Go to 'Applications'->' Utilities' and launch 'Disk Utility'.
Step 2: In the Disk Utility interface, select the external drive that you want to format.
Step 3: Under the 'Erase' tab, select the 'exFAT' file type from the menu list.
Step 4: Click on the 'Erase' button to start the formatting from 'FAT32' to 'exFAT'.
2. Format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' on Linux
To format 'FAT32' to 'exFAT' file system on Linux, follow the below steps:
Step 1: To view all the drives attached to your system, type sudo fdisk -l in the command line.
Step 2: Select the drive that you want to format and type sudo wipefs -a /dev/sdb to start fresh with a new 'exFAT' file system
Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions and select 'exFAT' from the message 'HPFS/NTFS/exFAT' it displays
Step 4: Press 'w' to sync the disk partitions.
Step 5: Type sudo mkfs.'exFAT' -n hardDisk /dev/sdb1 to format your drive to 'exFAT'
The Bottom Line
As mentioned in the article, different ways can be used to convert or format from the 'FAT32' to the 'exFAT' file system. Follow all the above-mentioned procedures to easily and effectively format your drive.
While formatting your drive using file explorer, command prompt, or disk management, you may find some trouble because of the issues like write-protection, file system corruption, etc. So, it is recommended to use the 'AOMEI Partition Assistant' a third party tool which provides an interactive and easy to use interface to format effectively without any interruptions.
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