{"id":80813,"date":"2022-03-02T14:35:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T20:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=80813"},"modified":"2023-08-01T20:38:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T01:38:00","slug":"picking-the-right-drive-format","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/","title":{"rendered":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This is all about drive format and, mainly, why ExFat is not your friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The TL: DR? I\u2019m going to suggest you only use ExFat for transferring between computers \u2013 not as an active access use. Use APFS or HFS+ (macOS Journaled) if you\u2019re on Mac systems; use NTFS if you\u2019re on Windows systems. If you\u2019re cross-platform, buy a utility (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.macdrive.com\/\">MacDrive<\/a>) that allows you to read the other format for the highest compatibility\/data sanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a shortlist of common drive formats. Yes, there are some others, but these are the ones you\u2019re most likely to encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Fat32<\/strong> (File Allocation Table). Most of my thumb drives have been formatted from the factory. They read\/write cross-platform, but a file must always be less than 4GB.<\/li><li><strong>NTFS<\/strong> (New Technology File System). This is the Windows standard for drives. Readable on both Mac and Windows, but only writeable on Windows.<\/li><li><strong>HFS+<\/strong> (Hierarchial Filing System +). It\u2019s the Mac drive format for spinning disk hard drives (HDD).Read\/Write only on a Macintosh. You can\u2019t see it on Windows.<\/li><li>APFS (Apple File System): The newest Mac drive format best for Solid State Disks (SSD). Read\/Write only on a Macintosh. You can\u2019t see it on Windows.<\/li><li><strong>ExFat<\/strong> (Extensible File Allocation Table). It can be read\/written by Mac or Windows and doesn\u2019t have the limitation of 4GB like Fat32. On paper, it looks great, but no, I don\u2019t think you should use it!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A good rule of thumb? If you\u2019re on a Mac, use APFS for SSDs and HFS+ for HDDs. And if you\u2019re on Windows? NTFS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many, many of us who professionally switch platforms, sometimes inside of the same day. And ExFat looks like the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1401\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize.jpg\" alt=\"ExFAT (Extension File Allocation Table)\" class=\"wp-image-80819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize.jpg 1401w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-213x120.jpg 213w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-284x160.jpg 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-190x107.jpg 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-750x421.jpg 750w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-548x308.jpg 548w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-364x204.jpg 364w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-230x129.jpg 230w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-213x120@2x.jpg 426w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-284x160@2x.jpg 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/01Exfat_resize-190x107@2x.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1401px) 100vw, 1401px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the problem with ExFat. <strong>It\u2019s not Journaled. <\/strong>While reading\/writing to a drive, some information is cached \u2013 especially some quick small elements. If they\u2019re not accounted for, and you eject the drive incorrectly, you\u2019ll possibly lose data or corrupt the drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where should I use ExFat? Predominantly on a removable drive that is used solely to transfer between systems. Never use for live access of information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What should you do instead? It depends on your primary platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>If you\u2019re primarily on Mac, format SSDs in APFS, HDDs inHFS+ and buy a utility like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paragon-software.com\/home\/ntfs-mac\/\">Paragon\u2019s Microsoft NTFS for Mac<\/a>. It can read\/write the Windows Format on a Mac System.<\/li><li>If you\u2019re mainly on Windows, format everything NTFS and buy a utility like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.macdrive.com\/\">MacDrive<\/a>. It can read\/write the Mac formats on a Windows system.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That way, you stop thinking about what any drive is formatted and just get your work done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One footnote<\/strong>: I am hesitant to mention other ways to write NTFS on OSX for free. And at least one way to read mac-formatted drives on Windows (for free). Why am I hesitant? I consider disk access too important. I want a group with support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hope this answers some common drive questions. Friends don\u2019t let friends use ExFAT. Hope you found this helpful. And let me know if you have any questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color is-style-wide\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is all about drive format and, mainly, why ExFat is not your friend. The TL: DR? I\u2019m going to suggest you only use ExFat for transferring between computers \u2013 not as an active access use. Use APFS or HFS+ (macOS Journaled) if you\u2019re on Mac systems; use NTFS if you\u2019re on Windows systems. If [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":80919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"class_list":["post-80813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v20.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here&#039;s how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here&#039;s how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rocket Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/YTT-ExFAT.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeff Greenberg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeff Greenberg\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jeff Greenberg\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b34b8e7cbd8f9bdd0e9a820b8f6ac4\"},\"headline\":\"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\"},\"wordCount\":541,\"commentCount\":52,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"#OWCblog\",\"Mac\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tech Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\",\"name\":\"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here's how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Rocket Yard\",\"description\":\"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"OWC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"OWC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b34b8e7cbd8f9bdd0e9a820b8f6ac4\",\"name\":\"Jeff Greenberg\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/935a1bee6176f830260e5e2141bf8f96a9f4dfb6de524f0b704a367981f8ecf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/935a1bee6176f830260e5e2141bf8f96a9f4dfb6de524f0b704a367981f8ecf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jeff Greenberg\"},\"description\":\"Jeff Greenberg is an Editor\/Colorist\/Consultant in post. An early adopter, he sent his first email in the 80s. He chairs conferences and is a Master Trainer (teaches the \u201cTrain the trainer\u201d classes for the major NLEs.) Most of all, he\u2019s a Dad and Filmgeek. And hates being defined by fifty words. Just like you.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/jeffgreenberg\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend","description":"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here's how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend","og_description":"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here's how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.","og_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/","og_site_name":"Rocket Yard","article_published_time":"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/YTT-ExFAT.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jeff Greenberg","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jeff Greenberg","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/"},"author":{"name":"Jeff Greenberg","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b34b8e7cbd8f9bdd0e9a820b8f6ac4"},"headline":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend","datePublished":"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/"},"wordCount":541,"commentCount":52,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["#OWCblog","Mac"],"articleSection":["Tech Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/","name":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-03-02T20:35:21+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-02T01:38:00+00:00","description":"Formatting your drive? Which do you pick? HFS? NTFS? Here's how to choose, and why ExFat is not your friend.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","name":"Rocket Yard","description":"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"OWC","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"OWC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/38b34b8e7cbd8f9bdd0e9a820b8f6ac4","name":"Jeff Greenberg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/935a1bee6176f830260e5e2141bf8f96a9f4dfb6de524f0b704a367981f8ecf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/935a1bee6176f830260e5e2141bf8f96a9f4dfb6de524f0b704a367981f8ecf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jeff Greenberg"},"description":"Jeff Greenberg is an Editor\/Colorist\/Consultant in post. An early adopter, he sent his first email in the 80s. He chairs conferences and is a Master Trainer (teaches the \u201cTrain the trainer\u201d classes for the major NLEs.) Most of all, he\u2019s a Dad and Filmgeek. And hates being defined by fifty words. Just like you.","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/jeffgreenberg\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/YTT-ExFAT.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pmPaT-l1r","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80813"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86397,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80813\/revisions\/86397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}