Reddit
reddit.com › r/macos › exfat vs apfs
r/MacOS on Reddit: ExFAT vs APFS
April 28, 2025 -
Hello,
I’ve just bought an external SSD (Sandisk Extreme 1TB) for my M1 base Macbook Air and after some research I’m still confused about what format I should use.
I want to keep my projects (Game Development, Unity) I’m working on on the SSD, since the 256GB base MacBook storage is a limitation for my case.
And even though it’s rare, I want to use it to store some photos etc. from my Windows computer.
I know the differences of ExFAT and APFS, but will I see a significant decrease in speed if I use ExFAT? Since I need to use it on Windows as well.
Thanks in advance!
Top answer 1 of 5
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So one other option is to format the APFS, leave it attached to your Mac, and network your Mac and PC together. That way you can write and access files on it from both computers.
2 of 5
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Exfat works with most operating systems. The big drawback is that it is not resilient to data corruption like writing when usb is unplugged. Ntfs and apfs are designed to prevent that happening. Also exfat is not encrypted. Data is accessible. Apfs requires login credentials. If you’re just saving nonconfidential data exfat is pretty useful.
Medium
darkghosthunter.medium.com › apfs-or-hfs-or-ntfs-or-exfat-on-my-external-drive-595d98d30e3c
APFS or HFS or NTFS or exFAT on my external drive | by Italo Baeza Cabrera | Medium
June 12, 2023 - The ext4 format is much like NTFS for Windows and APFS for macOS, at least on Debian and Ubuntu. There is a nice thread on StackOverflow that deals with both. Same thing we could say about XFS, BTRFS, F2FS and ZFS. If you’re under Linux, you probably know which file system to pick already. For small roaming devices (SD Cards, eMMC, similar), you will stick with F2FS or exFAT.
APFS vs. exfat vs HFS+ space consumption … - Apple Community
Has anyone an explanation where the space is gone, how dose APFS fills up that disk? Thanks for suggestions and related posts/doc. Regards . Götz ... Can not empty trash from EXFAT or FAT external drive I have been using an EXFAT 1TB external ssd without any problem beetween my mac and windows ... More on discussions.apple.com
exFat or APFS for SSDs Used with macOS/Pro Tools - Avid Pro Audio Community
For topics related to Pro Tools software on Apple's OS. (Was "Pro Tools Software Mac") More on duc.avid.com
ExFAT vs APFS
So one other option is to format the APFS, leave it attached to your Mac, and network your Mac and PC together. That way you can write and access files on it from both computers. More on reddit.com
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April 28, 2025ExFat vs APFS - Just Bought this as my Secondary SSD, i am gonna use it for editing( i have 3 backups of my project and footage), my question is Should i format it to ExFat or APFS
If you value what’s stored on a drive, never use ExFAT More on reddit.com
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November 2, 2025Should I use APFS or exFAT for an iPhone backup drive?
Use exFAT if you want the drive to also work with Windows or older systems. Use APFS if you stay inside the Apple ecosystem and want better consistency for very large drives. Both are fine for iPhone backup. AmberTime supports both.
ambertime.app
ambertime.app › home › guides › apfs vs exfat vs fat32 for iphone backup
APFS vs exFAT vs FAT32 for iPhone Backup | AmberTime Guide
Is exFAT reliable for long-term storage?
Not really. exFAT has no journaling and minimal error protection, which makes it more vulnerable to corruption from unexpected disconnections or power failures. It's great for moving files between devices, but for long-term storage, use NTFS (Windows) or APFS (Mac). Think of exFAT like a paper bag. It'll hold your groceries from the store to your kitchen, but you wouldn't use it to store food for months. Can I use NTFS on a Mac without third-party software? You can read NTFS drives on a Mac natively, but you can't write to them. macOS mounts NTFS volumes in read-only mode by default. To get fu
mdrepairs.com
mdrepairs.com › home › blog › mac & macbook recovery › exfat vs ntfs vs apfs: which file system protects your data best?
exFAT vs NTFS vs APFS: Which File System Protects Your Data Best?
Why was my 4 GB+ video skipped or split during backup?
FAT32 has a hard 4 GB limit on a single file. Long ProRes, 4K, or DJI clips routinely exceed this. AmberTime cannot split a single video into smaller chunks for the user, because that would no longer be the original file. Reformat the drive as exFAT or APFS, or use a different drive for large videos.
ambertime.app
ambertime.app › home › guides › apfs vs exfat vs fat32 for iphone backup
APFS vs exFAT vs FAT32 for iPhone Backup | AmberTime Guide
Videos
06:09
Is APFS faster than ExFAT for a Macbook external hard drive? - YouTube
06:16
ExFAT VS APFS - Which is the fastest Mac disk format using Apple ...
05:38
Which Format to use for an External SSD For your Mac? APFS vs MacOS ...
APFS vs. Mac OS Extended? ExFAT? Understanding Mac file ...
Blackmagic Design
forum.blackmagicdesign.com › viewtopic.php
Blackmagic Forum • View topic - ExFAT VS APFS speed test on MacBook Pro M1 Max
January 6, 2023 - Which is why ExFAT is an excellent choice and it also doesn’t have the file size limitations that other potential “universal” formats have. Cheers, Dave. ... Mark Foster wrote:well, apple is so convinced of itself that they don't think of mistakes +g* the problem with APFS is that it's not finished yet and changes with every system version.
Facebook
facebook.com › groups › FCPXUsers › posts › 7642035792574525
What are the advantages of using APFS over ExFat for ...
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 253787662
APFS vs. exfat vs HFS+ space consumption … - Apple Community
April 25, 2022 - The difference is: The full HDD is APFS forrmatted, the with +-20% free space is exfat formatted.
OWC
owc.com › home › blog › what is the best drive format? apfs, hfs, ntfs & exfat explained.
What Is the Best Drive Format? APFS, HFS, NTFS & exFAT Explained.
It's also worth noting that exFAT doesn't preserve Mac-specific metadata, resource forks, or permissions when files move back and forth between platforms, which can cause quiet, hard-to-diagnose problems in professional workflows like corrupted volumes that suddenly won't mount, dropped file attributes, that sort of thing. Because of these risks, our recommendation for cross-platform sharing is the following: format the drive as APFS and use OWC MacDrive on the Windows side instead of formatting as exFAT.
Quick Tutorials
quicktutorials.blog › 2024 › 07 › 02 › apfs-vs-mac-os-extended-exfat-mac-file-systems-explained
APFS vs. Mac OS Extended? ExFAT? Mac File Systems Explained. – Quick Tutorials
July 3, 2024 - APFS can be used as a boot drive ... you only work on a Mac, but it does not work on Windows computers. For cross-compatible drives, look into ExFAT instead....
Setapp
setapp.com › how-to › apfs-mac-os-extended-exfat-whats-the-difference
APFS, Mac OS extended (HFS+), ExFAT: Differences explained simply
September 2, 2025 - Pick ExFAT for cross-platform external drives ExFAT is the best format when sharing large files between macOS and Windows systems. It supports files over 4 GB and works across both platforms without extra drivers — but lacks advanced features ...
MDrepairs
mdrepairs.com › home › blog › mac & macbook recovery › exfat vs ntfs vs apfs: which file system protects your data best?
exFAT vs NTFS vs APFS: Which File System Protects Your Data Best?
April 19, 2026 - APFS is best for Macs but its full-disk encryption makes recovery harder. exFAT is the universal pick for SD cards and Mac/PC sharing, but with no journaling it corrupts the easiest.
Ambertime
ambertime.app › home › guides › apfs vs exfat vs fat32 for iphone backup
APFS vs exFAT vs FAT32 for iPhone Backup | AmberTime Guide
May 6, 2026 - For an iPhone backup drive, prefer exFAT if the drive should also work with Windows or older systems. Choose APFS if you stay inside the Apple ecosystem.
Facebook
facebook.com › groups › FCPXUsers › posts › 6982662488511862
Should I use APFS or ExFAT for my external video editing ...
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
Avid
duc.avid.com › home › forum › pro tools software › macos › exfat or apfs for ssds used with macos/pro tools
exFat or APFS for SSDs Used with macOS/Pro Tools - Avid Pro Audio Community
March 23, 2024 - Anyway, to answer your question, if you are going to exchange files with PCs, exFAT is the option of choice. Otherwise, APFS is a much better option. The Avid advice on this is out of date - you have to go way back to find an OS that can write HFS and Catalina is the last MacOS that can read it.
Apple Support
support.apple.com › guide › disk-utility › file-system-formats-dsku19ed921c › mac
File system formats available in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
Each volume within an APFS container ... a disk to use with Windows. MS-DOS (FAT): Use for Windows volumes that are 32 GB or less. ExFAT: Use for Windows volumes that are over 32 GB....
Search
sevyml.life › q1np3mkn4fedehnc9lyfjxc92496.jspf
ExFAT vs HFS+ speed - sevyml.life
April 6, 2026 - International Rock Day, observed on July 13, celeb
MiniTool
minitool.com › home › data recovery › apfs vs mac os extended – which is better & how to format
APFS vs Mac OS Extended – Which Is Better & How To Format - MiniTool
August 5, 2025 - APFS (Apple File System): the default file system used in macOS 10.13 and later versions. Mac OS Extended: the file system used in macOS 10.12 and earlier versions. FAT (MS-DOS) and exFAT: the system systems that are supported by both Mac & Windows.
Dr.Buho
drbuho.com › how-to › ntfs-vs-exfat-vs-fat32-vs-apfs
NTFS vs exFAT vs FAT32 vs APFS: Differences Explanation
April 16, 2025 - FAT32: Windows, Mac, Linux. The predecessor of exFAT. APFS: Default file system for macOS Sierra and later. Not supported by Windows.
Magoshare
magoshare.com › how-to › apfs-vs-macos-extended-file-system.html
Check Details: APFS VS Mac SO Extended and Select The Right File System for Your Disk
ExFAT removes the FAT32 drive's 3GB file size restriction and 2TB partition standards that apply, that can be too limiting for some. As a result, it's seen to be a superior cross-platform flash storage option. If you want to make a bootable clone of your Mac to an external hard drive, you’d ...
Secure Data Recovery
securedatarecovery.com › home › blog › apfs vs. mac os extended: choosing the best file system
APFS vs. Mac OS Extended: Choosing the Best File System
March 26, 2026 - Choose APFS if you use an external SSD with a recent Mac. Choose Mac OS Extended if you frequently use an external hard drive on both newer and older Macs. Choose exFAT if you frequently use an external drive on both Mac and Windows.
iBeesoft
ibeesoft.com › computer troubleshooting › apfs vs. hfs+ vs. exfat on an external hard drive
APFS vs. HFS+ vs. exFAT on an External Hard Drive
January 14, 2026 - Copying no longer takes up space. In simple terms, if you copy a 500MB file in an HFS+ and exFAT file system's disk, you need an additional 500MB of storage space to save the second file. However, in APFS, this only creates a new marker and does not take up storage space.
Quora
quora.com › What-s-the-difference-between-APFS-Mac-OS-Extended-HFS-and-ExFAT
What’s the difference between APFS, Mac OS Extended (HFS+), and ExFAT? - Quora
Answer: ExFAT is an evolution of the FAT32 filesystem. Its implementation is relatively simple, simple enough to be included easily into devices which have limited storage for internal firmware, and limited CPU and RAM resources. Microsoft owns the standard, implemented during the Windows XP days...