The short answer is yes, exFAT works on both Mac and PC. exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a file system that was introduced in 2006 and was designed to be compatible with both Windows and macOS systems. It can be used to format USB flash drives to transfer files between Windows computers and Macs.
What is exFAT?
exFAT stands for Extended File Allocation Table. It is a file system optimized for flash memory such as USB flash drives and SD cards. exFAT was introduced in 2006 by Microsoft to bridge the gap between the NTFS file system used by Windows and HFS+ used by macOS.
Here are some key characteristics of exFAT:
- Compatible with both Windows and macOS
- No file size limit – can support files larger than 4GB
- More robust than FAT32 against corruption
- Uses less overhead than NTFS, so it’s faster at writing and deleting files
Because of its compatibility and lack of file size limits, exFAT is ideal for use on external storage devices like USB drives when you want to transfer files between Windows and Mac computers.
Is exFAT supported on Mac and PC?
exFAT is supported on both Windows and macOS platforms. Here is the compatibility for exFAT support:
Windows
- Windows XP – Requires update KB955704 to be installed
- Windows Vista – Built-in support
- Windows 7 – Built-in support
- Windows 8/8.1 – Built-in support
- Windows 10 – Built-in support
Mac
- Mac OS X 10.6.5 and later – Built-in support
- macOS Sierra – Built-in support
- macOS High Sierra – Built-in support
- macOS Mojave – Built-in support
- macOS Catalina – Built-in support
So exFAT is supported on all modern Windows and Mac versions without any additional software required.
Advantages of exFAT
Here are some of the advantages of using exFAT:
- Cross-platform compatibility – Works seamlessly between Mac and Windows
- No file size limit – Supports files larger than 4GB, unlike FAT32
- Faster than NTFS – Less overhead than NTFS, so faster at writing and deleting files
- More robust than FAT32 – More resilient against corruption than FAT32
- Simpler than NTFS – Doesn’t require drivers to be installed on different OSes
The main advantage of exFAT is the seamless cross-platform compatibility. You don’t need to install drivers or reformat when transferring files between Windows and Mac like you would with NTFS. This makes exFAT the ideal file system for external drives used for cross-platform file transfers.
Limitations of exFAT
Despite the advantages, exFAT does have some limitations:
- No built-in encryption support – Unlike NTFS, exFAT does not support encryption natively. You’ll need to use encryption software.
- Lack of journaling – exFAT does not have journaling, which is used to prevent data corruption from crashes. However, it is still more robust than FAT32.
- Max volume size of 128 Pi. – exFAT max partition size is limited to 128 Pebibytes, which is unlikely to impact most uses. But NTFS has no max volume size.
- Lack of permissions and compression – exFAT lacks advanced NTFS features like file/folder permissions, compression, and quotas.
The lack of built-in encryption and journaling makes exFAT unsuitable for boot drives. But for external drives for transferring files, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages for most users.
Formatting a Drive with exFAT
To use exFAT on an external drive on Windows and Mac, you first need to format it with the exFAT file system. Here is how to format in exFAT on both operating systems:
On Windows
- Connect the external drive to your Windows PC.
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive.
- Select “Format…”
- Under “File system” choose “exFAT”
- Give the drive a name under “Volume label”
- Check “Quick Format”
- Click “Start” to format the drive as exFAT.
On Mac
- Connect the external drive to your Mac.
- Open Disk Utility.
- Select the external drive on the left sidebar.
- Click “Erase” at the top.
- Choose “exFAT” as the format.
- Give the drive a name.
- Click “Erase” to format as exFAT.
The drive is now formatted with the exFAT file system and ready for cross-platform usage between Windows and Mac OS.
Using exFAT Drives on Windows and Mac
Here is how to use an exFAT formatted drive on both operating systems:
On Windows
An exFAT drive will work just like any other drive on Windows. Once formatted, you can:
- Directly copy files to and from the exFAT drive like normal.
- Open, edit, and save files stored on the exFAT drive.
- Use File Explorer to manage files and folders on the exFAT drive.
- Eject/safely remove the drive when done in the system tray.
No special software or drivers are required since Windows has built-in exFAT support.
On Mac
On macOS, an exFAT drive also works similarly to any other drive. You can:
- Directly drag and drop files to the exFAT drive.
- Open and edit files stored on the exFAT drive.
- Manage files and folders using Finder.
- Eject the drive by dragging it to Trash.
MacOS treats the exFAT drive like any other drive. Just remember to safely eject before disconnecting.
Conclusion
In summary, exFAT is fully compatible with both Windows and Mac. It combines the cross-platform versatility of FAT32 without the file size limits. exFAT is ideal for external drives for transferring files between Mac and Windows. Just format the drive to exFAT and you can directly read/write files on both OSes seamlessly.
The main benefits of exFAT are:
- Cross-platform – works on Windows and Mac without reformatting
- No file size limit
- Faster than NTFS
- More robust against corruption than FAT32
- No extra drivers or software needed
The only downsides are lack of encryption and lack of journaling. But for external storage, exFAT is the best file system for sharing data between Mac and PC.