External HD Formatting Question

[Robert4]

Hello,

Regarding the formatting that external hard drives comes with,
some say for Windows, and some say for Mac.

Is there a format that works on both ?

Would be great to have to use on both my Windows and my Mac, to easily transfer files, etc.
Possible ?

If so, does WD or Seagate offer any formatted this way ?

Thanks,
Bob

 

[Fishrrman]

There are formats that "work on both".

But my advice is... DON'T use them. Too many opportunities for things to go wrong, particularly when the drive is connected to a PC.

If you're going to be using the drive to store "Mac things", use a Mac format -- I recommend HFS+.

If you need a "cross-platform" drive, use a drive that is dedicated for that purpose only -- i.e., moving files back-and-forth. For this purpose, a USB flashdrive often works well.