Format Flash Drive For Mac Large Files



format flash drive in Exfat for transferring files between Mac and Pc.

  • I picked up an 8gb SD card from Target for $9 this weekend to easily transfer files between my Windows/Mac partition. However, I was disappointed to find that the stock filesystem, MS-DOS (FAT), does not support transferring large files. Would it be possible to format it in a way that they.
  • To learn how to format a pen drive in Mac, you can follow these simple steps: Firstly, connect your flash drive to the Mac by inserting it to the correct USB slot. Also, go to Mac's Finder Applications.

If, for example, you have tons of smaller files, a larger allocation unit size will eat up your drive space slightly faster. For everyday computing, this isn’t likely. Using larger than necessary allocation unit sizes can create unnecessary fragmentation on your drive.




FormatFiles

FORMAT TYPES

Flash Drive Format For Mac


FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

  • Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
  • Maximum file size: 4GB.
  • Maximum volume size: 2TB
  • You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.


NTFS (Windows NT File System)

Format flash drive for mac and pc large files
  • Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
  • Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
  • To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
    • For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
    • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
  • AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
  • Maximum file size: 16 TB
  • Maximum volume size: 256TB
  • You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.
Flash


HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT)))) (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

  • Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
  • Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac internal hard drive.
  • To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
  • Maximum file size: 8EiB
  • Maximum volume size: 8EiB
  • You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)
Format Flash Drive For Mac Large Files


Hard Drive Formats For Mac

EXFAT (FAT64)

  • Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
  • Not all Windows versions support exFAT.
  • exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
  • AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
  • Maximum file size: 16 EiB
  • Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
  • You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See 'disadvantages' for details.

Jan 19, 2014 12:17 PM