NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Fuck ExFat. My minimally informed opinion is it's a bullshit stop-gap format and is mostly useless that never quite works right. You are much better off buying an NTFS driver for Mac if you really think you need to offload to a Windows system. Sincerely, Someone burned by ExFat P.S. it's also not a terrible idea that you wait for a situation to actually arise and address it then. You may never need to actually be cross compatible. Answer from lazyteeds on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/mac › exfat or macos extended (journaled) for external hdd
r/mac on Reddit: ExFat or MacOS Extended (Journaled) for External HDD
August 7, 2023 -
I have a MacBook Pro 2019 filled with 150 GB worth of family videos and I'm running out of space. I just got a Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB HDD so I can transfer some of the videos and make some space on my MacBook. However, I just realized I have to format the HDD and was wondering if I should choose ExFat or MacOS Extended (Journaled). Primarily, I just want to be able to watch the videos from the HDD on my MacBook from time to time so cross-compatibility with Windows or other devices isn't too much of a concern for me. My only concern would be corruption when transferring or viewing these files from the MacBook to the HDD since these are very big files. Any suggestions?
Top answer 1 of 5
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ExFat so you can use it with any machine. MacOS Journaled is only usable by Mac
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macOS Extended (Journaled) IMO since as you state you cross compatibility is not a requirement.
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.
MacOS Extended (Journaled) — This is the standard version of HFS+, and “journaled” refers to a method of tracking changes on the drive that prevents files from being corrupted if the drive loses power or gets unplugged mid-write.
External Drives and Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
I’m going to be formatting another drive and I'm considering just formatting it as ExFAT, even though I only plan to use this drive with just my Mac. It seems like a drive formatted as ExFAT is not as likely to go bad. Is there a reason to use Mac OS Extended (Journaled)? More on discussions.apple.com
exFAT vs Mac OS Extended | MacRumors Forums
I heard that exFAT is risky in that if you disconnect without ejecting first, there can be a loss of data. Does that mean Mac OS Extended (Journaled) would not have the same problem? More on forums.macrumors.com
Mac OSX Extended Journaled vs EXfat for editing drives?
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Fuck ExFat. My minimally informed opinion is it's a bullshit stop-gap format and is mostly useless that never quite works right. You are much better off buying an NTFS driver for Mac if you really think you need to offload to a Windows system.
Sincerely,
Someone burned by ExFat
P.S. it's also not a terrible idea that you wait for a situation to actually arise and address it then. You may never need to actually be cross compatible.
More on reddit.com 16
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December 28, 2016External SSD ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended - Apple Community
I am moving a folder of 508 GB ... (Journaled). When copied to the ExFAT SSD, the folder size is 890 GB. I was definitely not expecting that. Does it sound correct? Is ExFAT really that much less efficient than Mac OS Extended? MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra ... More on discussions.apple.com
Can you use Mac OS Extended Journaled for flash storage?
Yes, you can. But APFS may be a better choice for SSDs.
iboysoft.com
iboysoft.com › home › wiki tips › what is mac os extended journaled & how to format?
What is Mac OS Extended Journaled & How to Format?
Is exFAT slower than Mac OS Extended?
Yes. But it's more stable. It simply doesn't crash anywhere close to a Windows PC. In fact, in 2.5 years of having the MacBook, it has not once had a full system crash.
easeus.com
easeus.com › mac file recovery › file system format comparison: exfat vs mac os extended [all you want to know]
File System Format Comparison: ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended [All You ...
Is HFS+ the same as Mac OS Extended Journaled?
HFS+ is the same as Mac OS Extended. But people often use Mac OS Extended to refer to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
iboysoft.com
iboysoft.com › home › wiki tips › what is mac os extended journaled & how to format?
What is Mac OS Extended Journaled & How to Format?
Videos
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Dr.Buho
drbuho.com › how-to › exfat-vs-mac-os-extended
exFAT vs Mac OS Extended: Which Format Should You Choose
March 26, 2024 - Select Journaled unless a case-sensitive file system is needed. The main difference between exFAT and Mac OS Extended is compatibility: Mac OS Extended works only with macOS, while exFAT works with both macOS and Windows.
EaseUS
easeus.com › mac file recovery › file system format comparison: exfat vs mac os extended [all you want to know]
File System Format Comparison: ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended [All You Want to Know]
2 weeks ago - If you need to format a USB drive ... MS-DOS (FAT). When formatting an external hard drive, like HDD or SSD, the recommended format is Mac OS Extended, furthermore, you need to choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled)....
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255998024
External Drives and Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
March 8, 2025 - I tried to mount it from DiskUtility, it gives me the following error: "Could not mount "...EXFAT".(com.apple.DiskManagement.dis enter error 0.) I need to access the EXFAT Drive as it has a lot of important data that I cannot loose. Can someone help me. 537 6 ... Explains what it means. HFS GUID Extended Journalled is best for booting Macs from 2006 to September 24, 2017.
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 - For encryption, use the Journaled version, but remember that encryption may slightly impact performance. ExFAT (Extensible File Allocation Table) arrived in 2006 to solve FAT32’s 4 GB ceiling, and it runs flawlessly on both Windows and macOS.
iBoysoft
iboysoft.com › home › wiki tips › what is mac os extended journaled & how to format?
What is Mac OS Extended Journaled & How to Format?
4 weeks ago - It's compatible with both Windows and macOS but Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is only supported on Mac. ExFAT has a higher file size limit than Mac OS Extended (Journaled), however, it doesn't have features like file permissions and journaling.
MacRumors
forums.macrumors.com › macs › mac basics, help and buying advice
exFAT vs Mac OS Extended | MacRumors Forums
April 16, 2021 - FAT, FAT32 and ExFat aren’t journaled (easier to lose data via unplugging too early/get data corruption in existing files - less overhead) but HFS+ APFS, NTFS on Windows and ext2/3/4 on Linux are all journaled. (safer, but not bulletproof - more overhead). You never know with a removable disk if all of the data has been written to the disk before you unplug it.
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › apple › apfs vs. mac os extended: which should you pick?
APFS vs. Mac OS Extended: Which Should You Pick?
October 31, 2023 - Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted): This type uses the Mac format while being case-sensitive, requiring a password and encrypting the partition on the drive. ... There are two other file systems available in Disk Utility: ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/editors › mac osx extended journaled vs exfat for editing drives?
r/editors on Reddit: Mac OSX Extended Journaled vs EXfat for editing drives?
December 28, 2016 -
I edit alot on the road and am using portable SSD's to get all that done when i'm away from data servers but I was wondering, has anyone tested the speed differences of an SSD when formatted in EXfat vs Mac OSX...? One could argue that because I use mac I should use the mac partition types but would it not also be beneficial for a DIT to be able to drop footage straight from his PC onto my drive?
Top answer 1 of 6
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NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Fuck ExFat. My minimally informed opinion is it's a bullshit stop-gap format and is mostly useless that never quite works right. You are much better off buying an NTFS driver for Mac if you really think you need to offload to a Windows system.
Sincerely,
Someone burned by ExFat
P.S. it's also not a terrible idea that you wait for a situation to actually arise and address it then. You may never need to actually be cross compatible.
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Our IT guy always told us to format our hdd storage drives as Mac osx journaled (case sensitive) because the exfat read/write speeds much slower than osx. But I don't know if using SSD raises these speeds to the point where it's not an issue.
If the dit needs exfat I would recommend having an exfat shuttle drive which you would use to transfer the footage on to your Mac osx formatted ssd for editing.
iDiskHome
idiskhome.com › resource › datarecover › exfat-vs-mac-os-extended.shtml
File System Format Comparison: ExFAT vs Mac OS Extended
December 19, 2022 - For SD cards 64GB or larger, ExFAT is the preferred choice, while for SD cards 32GB or less, FAT32 (also known as MS-DOS FAT) is recommended. When formatting an external hard drive, use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the recommended format.
iBoysoft
iboysoft.com › home › wiki tips › ms-dos (fat) vs fat32 vs exfat vs mac os extended journaled
MS-DOS (FAT) vs FAT32 vs exFAT vs Mac OS Extended Journaled
January 13, 2026 - But exFAT is usually more recommended, as it supports larger file sizes and has better performance on flash memory. exFAT or MS-DOS (FAT) for Windows and Mac? Choose exFAT in most cases, especially if you need to save single files larger than ...
YouTube
youtube.com › quick tutorials
APFS vs. Mac OS Extended? ExFAT? Understanding Mac file systems. - YouTube
Do you know what format your hard drive is using? What's the difference between NTFS, APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled)? Which file system should you use o...
Published May 8, 2024 Views 2K
Quora
quora.com › When-formatting-a-Mac-hard-drive-should-you-use-the-Mac-OS-extended-journaled-the-MacOS-extended-case-sensitive-journaled-or-some-other-format
When formatting a Mac hard drive, should you use the Mac OS extended (journaled), the MacOS extended (case-sensitive, journaled), or some other format? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Internal, where you intend to install macOS? APFS. macOS Catalina and newer require APFS for installation, and will convert existing HFS+ drives to APFS on upgrades (but I don’t think on new installations). Note that MBR systems cannot support APFS for some reason.
MacSales.com
eshop.macsales.com › home › picking the right drive format: exfat is not your friend
Picking the Right Drive Format: ExFat is Not Your Friend
August 2, 2023 - The TL: DR? I’m going to suggest you only use ExFat for transferring between computers – not as an active access use. Use APFS or HFS+ (macOS Journaled) if you’re on Mac systems; use NTFS if you’re on Windows systems.
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 - If you need to use a drive with both Mac and Windows computers, you’ll want to choose a file system that’s supported in both environments. The best option for cross-compatible use is ExFAT. It’s the modern file system that’s supported ...
How-To Geek
howtogeek.com › home › features › what's the difference between apfs, mac os extended (hfs+), and exfat?
What's the Difference Between APFS, Mac OS Extended (HFS+), and ExFAT?
October 31, 2017 - It's not a particularly optimized file format---it's far more vulnerable to file fragmentation than APFS or Mac OS Extended, for one thing, and metadata and other features used by macOS aren't present. But formatting a drive with ExFAT offers one huge advantage: both Windows and macOS computers and both read and write to this format.
Ars OpenForum
arstechnica.com › forums › operating systems & software › macintoshian achaia
What's faster? Mac OS Journaled or exFat for external hard drives? | Ars OpenForum
November 7, 2016 - I assume exFAT isn't much better than regular FAT with regard to corruption after unexpected disconnection or power loss. Journaled HFS+ is much better in this regard. (Didn't Steve Jobs at some point demo ripping out a drive without any ill effects?
MacSales.com
eshop.macsales.com › home › what is the best drive format? apfs, hfs, ntfs & exfat explained.
What Is the Best Drive Format? APFS, HFS, NTFS & exFAT Explained.
December 20, 2022 - You may be familiar with this option as it is the default option that appears when you go to format a hard drive on your Mac. You may have commonly heard this referred to as HFS+ or Hierarchical File System, though the MacOS Extended (Journaled) option is actually an improved version of HFS+.