Thankfully, reformatting an external drive on a Mac is a relatively straightforward process – Apple even ships Macs with a built-in utility to do so. While it’s not as efficient as Apple’s APFS, the universal support makes this the go-to for most external hard drive users. Like its older sibling, ExFAT is compatible with Mac, PC and Linux, but doesn’t have the same 4GB file limit. ExFATĮxFAT is an upgraded version of FAT32. However, the ageing file system has a big flaw: it’s limited to a maximum of 4GB, and it’s prone to disk errors too. FAT32įAT32 is the go-to for some, offering cross-platform compatibility between Mac, PC and Linux, ideal for those that hop across different platforms on a day-to-day basis. You can also opt for Mac OS Extended (Encrypted) to password-protect the data on the drive – a great security feature for those dealing with sensitive data and/or travelling with an external drive. It’ll play nicely with your Mac, but like the above APFS, Mac OS Extended isn’t compatible with Windows or Linux PCs.

If you’re running macOS Sierra or an earlier version of macOS/Mac OS X, Mac OS Extended is the default file format.

Reformatting external drive for mac