#Format usb for windows and mac how to

If it is not in a Windows-readable format, you will be asked to reformat it now. It may even already be formatted FAT32 if you just brought it home from the store.Ĭonnect the drive to a USB port on your Windows machine.

You can do this in Disk Utility on your Mac, where it is called MS-DOS (FAT) format, but it is probably easier to just reformat the drive on your Windows machine. So, if it needs to be formatted at all, you need to format it as FAT32. Windows cannot read a Mac-formatted disk, but Macs can read a Windows-formatted one. When you have a flash drive, the first thing you may need to do is format it in such a way so it can be read by both Mac and Windows machines. And they will continue to be handy for bringing files to and from work, sharing between friends, and for bringing files along with you away from your Mac. They can be bought for $10 to $40, depending on the size. The easy method is to use a small and cheap USB flash drive to copy files from your PC to your Mac. If you plan on keeping your Windows computer around and transferring files between them often, you probably want to put the time in now to figure it out.

#Format usb for windows and mac how to

But networks vary so much and are so complex that it can be rather frustrating.Ĭhapter 13 describes how to network Macs and PCs. You'd think with both Mac and Windows being so mature and advanced that this would be easy. The hard way is to set both machines up on the same network, get both machines to recognize each other, and transfer files. There are two ways to move files from a Windows computer to a Mac: the hard way and the easy way. There are many methods for bringing files and information over from your old Windows machine.

You can take them with you to your new Mac. You may have old files on your Windows machine-your contact list, calendar events, even your browser bookmarks. If this is your first Mac, but not your first computer, chances are that your old machine runs Windows.