How to format and create a USB drive or pen drive that is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7 or Mac or Linux.
To erase and format any drive connected to a Mac computer running OS X Yosemite, use Disk Utility. Simply erasing a USB drive in Disk Utility will automatically format it too. Because there are different types of formats for different purposes, it's good to know the differences before accepting the default settings. Wiping a USB device ought to be simple, but by choosing the right settings you can maximise compatibility and space. Here's how to format a USB drive on a Mac or Windows.
A file system is a method and structure of data used by an operating system, called Windows, Linux or Mac OS, for reading media files such as disks, removable drives, etc.
Types of File Systems
It is vital that we are aware that each developer implements a series of file systems for their operating system, for example, we have the following:
Windows:
- FAT
- FAT32
- NTFS
- exFAT
![Usb Usb](https://www.disk-partition.com/articles/images/format-usb-for-mac-and-pc-on-windows/format-usb.jpg)
Linux:
- ext2
- ext3
- ext4
- ReiserFS
- Swap
Mac OS:
- HFS +
- MS-DOS (FAT)
- exFAT
- APFS (Present in the new edition of macOS High Sierra)
Each system manages its file system and in this way, USB drive with NTFS can only be recognized in Windows environments but not in Linux or macOS environments, even if it is accepted in macOS we can not make changes to it.
At this point, another question arises, what type of file system to use that is compatible with these three operating systems?
In technical terms, it has been recommended that the file system of the USB drives be FAT32 thanks to the fact that it is an old file system and that it has evolved to FAT32 at present, but there is a format that is much better regarding security, reliability, and compatibility: exFAT.
Let’s see in detail what is and what covers each of these file systems.
FAT32:
This format is one of the most compatible, but due to its useful life, it has been in force since the 90s, it has a series of limitations that can affect the pace of updates we are experiencing today.
Being a format with so much active time is compatible with virtually any operating system.
Being a format with so much active time is compatible with virtually any operating system.
As mentioned, it has its limitations such as the inability to host files larger than 4 GB or that partitions with this file system cannot have more than 8 TB capacity.
exFAT:
exFAT is in a way a more modern and dynamic FAT32 which was developed in 2006 and is present in most modern operating systems.
https://ysqjtz.weebly.com/fosters-home-for-imaginary-friends-mac.html. By default, all traditional operating systems, Windows, Linux or Mac OS are compatible with exFAT, and its use is highly recommended for external drives, such as USB devices or external drives, thanks to its simplicity and multiple features.
Now we will analyze a little more in detail the fields of action where these two file systems are compatible to know which is the best option to choose.
Device Support
This is the first fundamental field since if the USB device formatted with FAT23 or exFAT is not compatible with the device where it has to be connected it will be impossible for it to be recognized and to access its contents.
In this field, we can say that FAT32 has an advantage over exFAT because, being an old file system, it is compatible with all operating systems and devices such as game consoles, Smart TV, multimedia players and others.
ExFAT, although it is currently compatible with more than 95% of the devices on the market, can still find individual limitations in some Linux distros or Android devices.
In some Linux distros the exFAT file system will not be recognized immediately, so we must install the several utilities by executing the following line:
Then update the packages running the line:
Reading & Writing Speed
Another of the pillars in a file system is the ability with which this can access the content and read or write it since this depends on optimal performance which is a highly required value today. Undoubtedly in this regard exFAT outperforms FAT32 to be a much more recent technology which is compatible with USB 3.0 which can have a transfer rate up to 5 Gbps.
In the previous graphic of flexense we can see the performance of exFAT on FAT32, and in the following link we will be able to look in detail multiple operations carried out by this software developer called Flexsense
Size of Supported Files
Undoubtedly on this field wins exFAT because, as we mentioned above, FAT32 only allows files with a maximum capacity of 4 GB in partitions that do not exceed 8 TB of storage while exFAT is virtually unlimited in this aspect to support 16ZB files. Snipit for mac.
How To Format a USB drive with exFAT
Starting from the detail that exFAT is the most practical and functional file system, unless we are not going to use files of more than 4 GB, this is the process of formatting the USB drives with exFAT.
It will first be necessary to install the exFAT tools by executing the following command, as we have mentioned before:
Later we run the fdisk -l line to list the active disks in the system.
There we will locate the USB drive which has the extension /dev/sd** (Replace the ** with the indicated number)
Once the USB disk is identified, we will execute the following syntax:
Once the USB disk is identified, we will execute the following syntax:
As we understand, we have the freedom to select the best file system for our USB drives to have the best capacity and performance.
Format Usb Drive For Use On Mac And Windows
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DVD’s are out of the game now. Today flash storages are ruling the world. SSDs USB and M.2 these are the kind of storage that is broadly being used today, and the growth of these are unimaginable in our modern world. The Operating Systems, without an operating system the computer is just a piece of machine. There are more operating systems available; the top 3 are Windows, Mac OS, and Ubuntu. To install these on our computer, we were using DVD in past couple of years and Damm it is too slow. Here, the flash storage takes the lead because they can transfer files faster than DVDs and Mechanical Hardrive. Now we are using USB to install operating systems. We can also carry the operating systems on our Pendrive and use it on every computer. To install OS, we had to make Bootable USB that is why this article is here.
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Installing Windows and Ubuntu is easy. The benefit of using USB for installing an operating system is that it is faster and error free. There are various types of USB is available such as USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 and USB-C. USB 2.0 is very slower device whereas USB 3.0 and above is very faster so here I recommend you to use USB 3.0 and above to install the Operating System. To install an OS, we need to create a bootable pen drive else it will not detect on the computer BIOS. So here we walk through the steps to make bootable USB on both Mac and Windows operating systems.
What We Need To Create Bootable USB
- A computer that has Windows or Ubuntu or Mac installed in it.
- 8GB or above Pendrive
- Operating System Files(That can download from their official websites)
- Two applications(Rufus and UNetbootin)
Precautions
- Backup all your files from the pen drive.
- Make sure that The OS files are verified (Damage, file missing, Unknown format)
- Download Rufus and UNetbootin only from the given links or from their official sites.
On Windows OS
To make bootable USB drive we need an application called Rufus. It can create bootable USB for both BIOS and UEFI systems also it can create bootable USB of several operating systems such as Windows, Ubuntu, Linux, etc. Creating bootable USB using Rufus is a natural process because it is a portable application so that we don’t have to install it on our computer. UNetbootin is also supporting in Windows, but I found that Rufus is far better than UNetbootin on Windows but in Mac, UNetbootin shows off. Let’s begin.
![Drive Drive](/uploads/1/3/4/3/134340639/656657099.jpg)
- Download Rufus and ISO file on your computer.
- Connect USB Drive on the computer.(Make sure to copy all the files from your pen drive else Rufus will delete the files.)
- Open Rufus. Here you can see your pen drive that is selected
- Select Your ISO file from the app. Click on the little Disk icon to select your ISO.
- Choose the BIOS mode to install. To install in UEFI mode with GPT partition scheme then select GPT partition Scheme for UEFI. If you don’t need UEFI, then choose the first option.
- Click on start button; it begins the process.
- After the progress bar reached at the end, You can remove your pen drive, and it is ready to Go.
Note – When using UEFI partition the whole HDD must be formatted in the targeted system so make sure to backup your HDD before installing Windows.
On Mac OS
You can install Windows on your Mac without creating anything, for that Mac has an application called Bootcamp. If you want to install windows on another system so here we have to use UNetbootin application. UNetbootin can make your pen drive bootable for any operating systems also it provides a download option for downloading open source operating systems such as Ubuntu, FreeDOS, etc. UNetbootin won’t support for making bootable USB for macOS. To install Mac OS on Intel-based PC’s we should use the Hacintosh version of Mac OS. Let’s begin the process.
- Connect USB to the computer
- Open UNetbootin and Select an operating system (You can download it or manually choose an OS image.)
- If you are downloading, then it will take a while to complete.
- When the process is completed, you can remove the pen drive and install it on your system.
Note – In UNetbootin you can’t select boot option. It already has both UEFI GPT and BIOS MBR mode built into it, so you have to manually turn on UEFI in your BIOS settings to boot USB into UEFI mode
Conclusion
Format Usb Drive For Mac Os And Windows
These are the best way to make bootable USB for media installation. There are more apps available for creating bootable USB drive, but the easiest and fastest way is to use these apps. If you have any suggestions or doubts mention me in the comment box below, Have a nice day.