
You could also use GUID Partition Map, but Apple warns that it is usable by "some newer" PCs, and therefore may not work for older PC setups. Once complete, click Done.įor the Scheme option, Apple recommends using Master Boot Record to ensure the drive is compatible with all Windows PCs.



What follows are instructions for formatting the drive on both platforms. You can use either macOS or Windows to format the drive into exFAT, as it's equally usable by both platforms, regardless of which formatted it in the first place. However, as we're seeing fewer sub-32GB thumb drives in regular use, it's not a bad thing to stick to using exFAT in such cases. Handily, both Windows and macOS play nice with exFAT, with each reading from and writing to partitions using the file system.Īs a general rule, if the flash drive you are using is 32GB in capacity or lower, you should set it to be MS-DOS(FAT), and save exFAT for drives above 32GB in capacity. Formatting a drive in macOS is easy, and is all done via Disk Utility.
