Formatting External Drives for macOS and Windows

Instructions on how to format flash drives and external drives for use on OS X and Windows.

Issue/Question

How do I format my flash drive to work in both macOS and Windows?

Environment

• macOS

Cause

This can be done if you need to transfer and edit files on both a PC and a Mac.

Resolution

1. Plug the Flash Drive into a Mac.
2. Click Finder.
3. Click Applications.
4. Click Utilities.
5. Click Disk Utility.
6. Select the drive you want to format.
    Note: Before you proceed to the next step back up any files that already exist on this drive that you would like to keep.
7. Click Erase.
8. Name the drive.
9. Format as ExFAT.
10. Click Erase.