most reliable external hard drives for mac

Most Reliable External Hard Drives Install Appropriate Software

Unfortunately, exFAT didnt inherit all of FAT32s legacy in compatibility because it may not work with older devices, such as the PS3 and Xbox 360.

However, it is frustrating that you have to sacrifice storage space because you spent the extra money to get a solid-state drive instead of the cheaper hard disk drive.

Ill store my media files on it while keeping the internal hard drive clear for apps and the OS.

While browsing the Internet for your external hard drive, you come across weird terms like NTFS, HFS, FAT32, and exFAT.

While your instinct may be to find out if its some weird slang acronym defined only on scandalous websites, you may fare better by reading below.

While the New is originally referring to the year 1993, it has since been improved and updated over the years.

It also has a lot of additional features, such as security permissions to files and folders, hard links, a change journal, and more.

Some versions of Linux can write to NTFS while others may not.

Even Microsofts own Xbox 360 failed to support NTFS, but Microsoft finally included NTFS support with the Xbox One.

It is recommended to use NTFS if youre working strictly with Windows computers.

If you want to write to NTFS formatted hard drives in Mac OS X, youre going to need the help of a third-party driver.

However, if youre working primarily with Mac computers, youre probably better off using HFS, which stands for Hierarchical File System, for native support.

Also known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Extended, HFS is an improvement on the HFS file system, by supporting larger files and using Unicode for naming files.

HFS also has optional journaled features for improved data reliability.

Windows computers wont even recognize the drive if you plug it in and good luck trying to use them for other devices, such as gaming consoles.

You should use HFS if youre planning on using only Mac computers.

Optimized for all-flash storage, APFS features strong encryption, space sharing, fast directory sizing, and improved file system fundamentals.

If you intend to use your external drive to move files between Macs running different OS versions, it is recommended that you format your drive in HFS instead.

Originally created to replace FAT16 (File Allocation Table), it has since been used because it is compatible with modern and older systems.

While its compatibility is a result of its long history, its file size and partition limitations really show its age.

Even the filenames in FAT32 are limited, only allowing up to 8 characters.

FAT32 is mostly used for moving files to older systems, as well as other devices, such as the Sony PS3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and more.

Instead, it has very large file and partition size limits, like NTFS, but none of its extra features to maintain its svelte file system.

Transferring files between the two operating systems is less of a hassle, since you dont have to constantly back up and reformat each time.

Most Reliable External Hard Drives Install Appropriate Software

Linux is also supported, but you will need to install appropriate software to take full advantage of it.

Most Reliable External Hard Drives For Mac