However there is a simple solution – you can format the drive to FAT32 or exFAT that performs better than FAT32. In the resulut, your external hard drive will work just fine with Mac and Windows. You can format your external hard drive from either the PC or Mac. How to Format a Hard Drive on Mac to Work on Mac and PC. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both Mac and Windows by using the ExFAT file system. You can select the ExFAT format when using the Disk.

In Disk Utility on your Mac, you can format an external disk for a Windows computer.

Mac Format Usb For Windows

WARNING: Formatting a disk or volume erases all the files on it. Save any files you need to another volume before formatting.

1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices.

2. In the sidebar, select the disk you want to format to use with Windows computers.

3. Click the Erase button .

4. Click the Scheme pop-up menu, then choose Master Boot Record.

5. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose one of the following:

   • MS-DOS (FAT): Choose this format if the size of the disk is 32 GB or less.

   • ExFAT: Choose this format if the size of the disk is over 32 GB.

6. Enter a name for the volume.

   The maximum length for the volume name is 11 characters.

7. Click Erase, then click Done.

Network Mac And Pc

You can also partition a disk using the Master Boot Record partition layout, which is compatible with Windows.

Usb Format For Mac And Pc