How Do I Format a Drive for Network Shared Drive on Mac and Windows? Help

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Cici· Answered on Jan 05, 2024

Before formatting, we need to understand the common formats for Mac and Windows should be exFAT and FAT32. And FAT332 is not suitable for files larger than 4GB. exFAT, the best universal file system, has no limit on file size.

So, exFAT is the best choice if you want to format your network shared drive.

Related Reading: What Format Works on Both Mac and PC

You can easily format the drive to exFAT on both Mac and Windows. If you are curious about the operations, follow these steps to complete the formatting.

Format Network Shared Drive to exFAT on Mac

On a Mac, you can format the drive using Disk Utility or Terminal. The Disk Utility process is more obvious and easier. The following is a simple guide to follow:

Step 1. Connect the drive to your Mac and open Disk Utility.

Step 2. Select the target drive and click "Erase" at the top.

Step 3. Name the drive and select an exFAT format. Then, click on "Erase."

If you have a Windows system, please follow the steps below.

Format Network Shared Drive to exFAT on Windows

Windows provides Disk Management and command line tools. If you are unfamiliar with these two methods, choose the reliable tool: EaseUS Partition Master Free, which is highly compatible and can break the limitations of Windows built-in tools.

EaseUS Partition Master offers an easy-to-use interface. Even if you are new to computers, you can fully master the formatting method.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click on the target drive, and click "Format."

Step 2. Set the Partition label, File system, and Cluster size, and click "OK."

Step 3. Click "Yes" and then click "Execute 1 Task(s)" and "Apply."

If you want to try other methods to format network shared drives on Windows, please click the link below to learn more.

Further Reading: How Do I Format a Disk in Windows 10?