
You have to format the drive to the compatible file system the target computer works on. As we said before, Windows and macOS support different types of files system. Part 3: USB File System ExplanationĪ USB drive can be partitioned to any file system as it is supported by current operating system.

In general, USB drives come from 4GB to 1TB and it depends upon you to choose the one as per your storage needs. Now, you are familiar with the types of USB drives as per the speed and usage, but the file storage is a key feature that distinguishes the USB drive from others. And the main purpose is to expand the internal storage or backup data. These are external devices to be connected via physical port to a computer. In regards of usage, you will find different types of USB drives such as USB stick, USB hard drive or USB SSD. However, reading/writing speed of USB 2.0 drive have only 480 Mbps. These USB drives differ from one another based on speed and, USB 3.0/ 3.1 drive is much faster than old versions and the maximum speed is 4,800 Mbps y. It is vital to know the difference when using a USB device.įor USB port, USB drive is manufactured with USB standard 2.0, 3.0 or 3.1. In some cases, it can be also categoried by usages, like USB flash drive, portable USB hard drive, potable USB SSD, etc. In general, the USB drive can be categorized by physical ports, like USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or USB 3.1. You can complete the backup process via simple copy-and-paste or use third-party tool to automate the task. It will clear all the data on target USB drive. The format operating will re-image the entire physical disk with blank space. Part 4: How to Format USB Drive on Mac Part 1: Take a Backup of USB Drive Please check out the details on how to format USB drive on Mac for usage on Windows PC. This post will share all necessary information about USB formatting so you can use the USB drive on both platforms without any issue.



If you formatted the USB drive in a format not being accessible on PC, then you are not going to find the device. Why? Because Windows and macOS supports different file systems. However, you may find out USB drive is not showing up in Windows Explorer after being used on a Mac. And transferring files between Windows and macOS by using a USB drive is quite common. Many people use a Windows PC along with Mac at the same time. Windows and macOS are the two most popular desktop operating systems.
