Xbox One, for instance, usually runs into issues with exFAT USB drives formatted on a Mac. exFAT, in contrast, will work fine on 99 percent of devices, but may encounter an issue on certain media players. Devices supported – FAT32 is the most widely compatible file system, working on any OS as well as media players, devices, and video game consoles.Here are some points of comparison to help you decide on which one to go with: Your operating system’s primary hard drive should be the best match for that OS, while USB drives and external hard drives should use either FAT32 or exFAT. Personal computers have seen its evolution from FAT12 to FAT16 to the current FAT32, and then the arrival of exFAT, created with USB drives and external drives in mind. File Allocation Table (FAT) is the oldest of the file systems, hence it can be recognized by every OS out there. Meanwhile, FAT32 and exFAT work with all operating systems just fine. NTFS works flawlessly with Windows, but leaves much to be desired with everything else.
macOS is able to recognize as well as read NTFS drives, but it cannot write to them. If you’ve ever tried to format a hard drive as NTFS, you have probably come across a handful of trouble in getting it to work with your Mac or Linux. Mac users are likely to find FAT32 and exFAT as their best options, and for a good reason. About Outbyte, uninstall instructions, EULA, Privacy Policy.