FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32) is an older file system that both Windows machines and Macs still support. Like NTFS, the HFS+ file system has file and partition size limits that are much bigger and more suitable for modern use than those of FAT32. A drive formatted this way will not mount on a Windows computer without additional software. If you plan to use your drive for Time Machine backups on a Mac, and you use only macOS, use HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus, or macOS Extended). Many backup archives and video files are larger than 4 GB. NTFS has huge file and partition size limits that you won’t hit that makes it a better choice than FAT32, which has a 4 GB size limit per file. macOS and Linux, however, can only read files stored on such a drive they cannot write to an NTFS-formatted drive. NTFS is native to Windows, and most hard drives are preformatted for this file system. If you plan to use your drive for File History backups on a Windows computer, and you use only Windows, stick to NTFS (New Technology File System). 
So what do those four file systems mean, and which one is right for you? Non-Linux computers can use four main file systems: NTFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT.
If you use a Mac, the likelihood that you’ll have to reformat the drive is higher. If you use Windows, chances are good that you won’t need to reformat your external hard drive-unless you buy it secondhand, or you plan on switching between operating systems, your drive should come ready to use.
If you buy an external drive-such as one of our recommended desktop hard drives, portable hard drives, or USB 3.0 flash drives-you may need to reformat it to work with your operating system of choice, since different operating systems use different file systems to process data.Īlthough it’s true that any drive is compatible with both Windows and macOS, most drives come preformatted for Windows out of the box.
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