Summary
IBoysoft NTFS for Mac is the best NTFS for Mac application which can read/write to NTFS drive in macOS Catalina 10.15/Mojave 10.14/High Sierra 10.13/Sierra 10.12 and Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11/Yosemite 10.10/Mavericks 10.9/Mountain Lion 10.8. It is a comprehensive NTFS for Mac solution for Mac users. On one hand, it can mount NTFS volumes in read-write mode automatically. Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is the best such software solution: reliable, fast, and now affordable as well Fast, seamless, and easy to use, Microsoft NTFS for Mac by Paragon Software is required for those who need to write to Windows volumes. And now it’s more affordable than ever. MacWorld, USA 2016, macworld.com. I want to enable write-access in a Mac OS X installation for an NTFS partition in an external hard disk. I don't want to switch to FAT32 for performance reasons. An exFAT partition sounds good, but it's not compatible with older versions of Mac OS X. I'm also not sure of its performance as compared to NTFS.
For Apple Mac users, there are two ways to format USB flash drive to FAT32, including Disk Utility and Terminal command line. Refer to detailed steps of using both tools for FAT32 format. Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup. Otherwise, you can only use data recovery software to recover data from a formatted USB drive.
Are you looking for a secure way to format USB flash drive to FAT32 on Mac? You are at the right place. Follow here, you will find two methods that will assist you in doing so on your storage device and if you lost data due formatting, reliable Mac file recovery software is ready to help anytime:
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Method 1. Use Disk Utility | Connect USB to Mac > Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility > Select USB and click 'Erase'...Full steps |
Method 2. Use Terminal Command | Connect USB to Mac > Hit cmd + space keys > Type terminal and hit Enter...Full steps |
Bonus Tip. Recover Formatted Data | If you lost data due to formatting, run EaseUS file recovery software > Scan and recover formatted data...Full steps |
How to Format a USB Flash Drive with Mac to FAT32
Mac Os Ntfs Support
Many computer users who use a removable flash drive have the demand for formatting it to the FAT32 file system. Compare with the other commonly used NTFS file system on a flash drive, FAT32 has a compatibility advantage across many operating systems.
It's a universal format that is compatible with Mac OS X/macOS, Windows, Linux and DOS systems. So, if users anticipate using the flash drive with more than one operating system, they will definitely benefit from the FAT32 file system. For Apple Mac users, there are two ways to format a USB flash drive to FAT32, including Disk Utility and Terminal command line. Refer to detailed steps of using both tools for FAT32 format.
Method 1. Format FAT32 on Mac [Disk Utility]
To format USB to FAT32 with Disk Utility will erase all data on the flash drive, so before you doing so, please do remember to check whether you have saved useful data to another secure device in advance.
To format the USB drive to FAT32, follow the next steps:
Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac computer.
Step 2.Go to Applications > Utilities > Double click and open Disk Utility.
Step 3. Select your USB flash drive on the sidebar, choose Erase.
Step 4. Rename the USB flash drive, choose the format as MS-DOS (FAT) for Format, Master Boot Record for Scheme. Then click Erase.
Wait for the process to complete, then you’ll get an empty new USB flash drive with FAT32 as the file system. You can reuse it for saving data again.
Method 2. Format FAT32 on Mac [Terminal Command Line]
The command-line behavior does the same way to erase data with the Disk Utility. Again, create a backup before taking this action.
To format FAT32 with Terminal, follow the next steps:
Mac Ntfs Or Fat32
Step 1. Connect your USB flash drive to your Mac computer.
Step 2. Hit cmd + space to run Spotlight, type: terminal and hit Enter.
3. Type:diskutil list and find out which disk is your USB drive. (In the below picture, you can see that /dev/disk2 is the USB drive)
4. Type: sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2.
- sudo gives you user right.
- Diskutil calls disk utility program.
- eraseDisk commands to format.
- FAT32 sets the file system.
- MBRFormat tells disk utility to format with a Master Boot Record.
- /dev/disk2 is the location of the USB drive.
Wait for the process to complete. After this, you can type: diskutil list in command again to check if the formatting has been successful.
Complementary Data Recovery Tip
Formatting would erase data completely, make sure that you have a data backup. Otherwise, you can only use data recovery software to recover data from a formatted USB drive.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard has both Windows and Mac versions, so it's the optimal choice for data recovery, no matter you're using a PC or Mac. If you're a Mac user, for example, it takes only a few clicks for the software to scan and display your formatted data. To guarantee an effective data recovery without spending money to no avail, you can install the Mac data recovery free version for the first trial. You can preview all the found data before the final recovery.
To recover data from a formatted FAT32 USB flash drive on Mac, follow the next steps:
Step 1. Correctly connect your USB flash drive to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Start selecting the flash drive and click Scan to let the software search lost files on it.
Step 2. After quick scan and deep scan, all files will be presented in the left pane in the scan results.
Step 3. Select files you want to recover and click Recover Now button. Don't save the recoverable files to the USB drive itself in case of data overwriting.
Nov 13, 2019
Let's Get Technical
Windows-supported operating systems rely on one of two different types of file systems: File Allocation Table (FAT) or New Technology File System (NTFS).
While both file systems were created by Microsoft, each has different benefits and disadvantages related to compatibility, security, and flexibility.
In this article, we will break down what a FAT file system is, what an NTFS file system is and what the pros and cons are for each system.
What Is FAT?
Microsoft created the File Allocation Table file system in 1977 and is the simplest file system supported by Windows NT. It is the older of the two file systems and therefore isn’t as efficient or advanced. However, it does offer more compatibility with other operating systems and removable storage devices.
The FAT is used to describe the allocation status of the clusters (the basic units of logical storage on a hard drive) in a file system, as well as the link relationship between each. It acts as a Table of Contents for the operating system, indicating where directories and files are stored on the disk.
A FAT is often most used in removable storage devices, such as digital cameras, Smart TVs and other portable devices.
Ntfs Or Fat32 For Mac
The file allocation table is a critical part of the FAT file system. If the FAT is damaged or lost, the data on the hard disk becomes unreadable.
There are several limitations to using a FAT32 file system:
- FAT32 only supports files of up to 4GB in size and volumes of up to 2TB in size
- FAT32 isn’t a journaling file system, which means corruption can happen more easily
- FAT32 doesn’t support file permissions
What Is NTFS?
Microsoft created the New Technology File System in 1993, and it is now the most widely used file system in Windows.
It was introduced as a replacement for the FAT file system, designed to improve upon FAT by increasing performance, reliability and disk space.
NTFS supports:
- Very large files
- Different file permissions and encryption
- Automatically restores consistency by using log file and checkpoint information
- File compression when running out of disk space
- Establishing disk quotas, limiting space users can use
FAT vs. NTFS
FAT is the more simple file system of the two, but NTFS offers different enhancements and offers increased security. Choosing the right operating system depends on your needs.
- Fault Tolerance: NTFS automatically repairs files/folders in the case of power failures or errors. FAT32 maintains two different copies of the FAT in the case of damage.
- Security: FAT32 only offers shared permissions, while NTFS allows you to set specific permissions to local files/folders.
- Compression: FAT32 does not offer any compression option. NTFS does allow for individual compression of files and folders so you don’t slow down the system.
- Compatibility: NTFS is compatible with operating systems back to Windows XP. For Mac OS users, however, NTFS systems can only be read by Mac, while FAT32 drives can be both read and written to by the Mac OS.
The biggest disadvantage of using the NTFS file system is compatibility:
- Many removable devices, such as Android smartphones don’t support NTFS
- While Mac OS X can read support for NTFS drives, but it can’t write to NTFS drives without third-party software
- Some media devices, including Smart TVs, media players, and printers, don’t support NTFS
- NTFS file systems are only compatible with Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows
When it comes to removable devices, it’s safer to use FAT32 so they can be used with almost any device.
Ntfs For Mac Download
There is no clear winner when it comes to FAT vs. NTFS. Choosing the right file system depends on your individual needs and uses.