Best Format USB for Mac and PC

When it comes to choosing the best format USB drive for both Mac and PC, there are several factors to consider. First and foremost, transfer speed between USB 2, 3.0, and 3.1 is crucial. These drives can be used even with Apple Time Machine, which is known for its demands for read/write speed requirements.

Besides the actual flash drive performance, don't forget to check which USB type the device supports. However, I was able to find out several gadgets with almost SSD-like performance. We all know that flash drives are slow, sometimes painfully slow when we try to copy large files. The speed at which a USB drive reads and writes data is what makes people choose external hard drives over the convenience of thumb drives.

Read about the Mac file formats in the Apple Compatibility section below. However, you must know that not all file formats can support such huge volumes. Nowadays, the capacity of modern thumb drives can exceed 1TB (almost 8,000 times more storage than in the early days). I remember the days when the most you could get is a stick.

Other things to consider in thumb drives are their ability to be waterproof, shockproof, or dustproof. On the market for decades, here is a list (not complete) of companies which manufacture reliable USB drives. That brands matter when reliability is the most important factor in choosing a USB drive.

If you get anything from this article, I want to remind you that good drives get a couple of hundreds of reviews, and the average is around 4-5 stars. I've seen several thousands of 5-star reviews on non-name devices, and at the same time, there are some really bad ones too. If Amazon is your choice when it comes to purchasing anything online, be aware that not all user reviews are real.

In my opinion, devices produced by well-known established companies have lower failure rates compared to drives from unknown manufacturers. While nobody can guarantee that a particular device will be fail-free, there is a difference in failure rate between quality drives and cheap knockoffs. If the drive fails when you need it, then it's not worth even considering.

It doesn't matter how fast the drive is, how cool it looks, or how cheap you can get it - thumb drives are still helpful when there is a need to quickly extend available storage, which is a common problem for MacBooks Pro and Air. They are small, and people used them to share data long before we had cloud storage options.

Undeniably, flash drives are very popular types of storage for Macs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Full Disclosure Here.

Recommendations:

• Budget Pick: Patriot Supersonic Rage Elite

• Best USB-C Flash Drive for Mac: Samung Duo Plus

• Best Overall: Corsair Flash Voyager GTX

Thumb drives are still helpful when there is a need to quickly extend available storage, which is a common problem for MacBooks Pro and Air. They are small, and people used them to share data long before we had cloud storage options. Undeniably, flash drives are very popular types of storage for Macs.

Best format usb for mac and pc