Try to save a layered PSD or TIF file larger than 4 GB and the drive simply won’t accommodate it, instead delivering an error message. Worse, on Windows, those partitions top out at just 32 GB.īut, perhaps the biggest drawback to FAT32 for photographers and videographers is its file size restriction. FAT32 partitions are limited to 2 TB maximum on a Mac. Even more troubling are partition size restrictions and file size limitations.

The system offers zero security and creates large data clusters that wasted disk space. The bad news with FAT32 is related to security and size. The good news is a FAT32 drive can be used on any Mac or Windows operating system. The very definition of an oldie but a goodie, FAT32 may be approaching its 25 th birthday but it has still got some useful life left for a very specific application. Or for a photographer who needs to shuttle files between a Windows workstation and a Mac. This makes it an ideal format when platform agnosticism is important-such as file delivery for client uses and in work environments where multiple users on multiple machines need read/write access to the data on the drive. With third-party programs such as Paragon’s APFS for Windows and MacDrive APFS, APFS-formatted drives can be read and written via Windows PCs.Ī very versatile format, exFAT hard drives can be used interchangeably on many Mac and Windows operating systems without the limitations to partition size and file size. One additional APFS benefit is for those who may need their drive to interact with Windows machines. Designed with flash media in mind, APFS is the new default drive format and a great option for security and speed-particularly with increasingly popular solid state drives (SSDs). With the 2017 advent of the High Sierra version of Mac OSX, Apple introduced a new file system. There’s a fourth Mac OS Extended formatting option that combines all three of the aforementioned quirks for those who want it all: “Mac OS Extended – Case-sensitive, Journaled and Encrypted.” APFS That means a file named “john_smith_portrait.jpg” and the file “John_Smith_Portrait.jpg” could exist separately side by side.

Unlike the standard in the Mac universe, “Mac OS Extended-Case-sensitive” adds another layer of specificity to file and folder names based on capitalization. “Mac OS Extended-Encrypted” uses password-protected encryption to secure the data on individual disk partitions.

For several years, the Mac formatting standard has been “Mac OS Extended-Journaled,” which helps prevent corrupted data in case of power outage, improper ejection or drive failures. There are actually a few subcategories in the Mac OS Extended family, which can be selected when formatting a drive in Mac’s Disk Utility.

Best format for external hard drive mac