how to transfer files from windows 10 to macbook pro

Regardless of whether the drive was formatted with a Windows PC or a Mac you’ll now be able to use it with both types of machines with no worries about switching back and forth between the two.Īnd now, a couple of important things to keep in mind:ġ – Depending on which model of MacBook Pro you have, there’s a good chance that it won’t have the same type of USB port that’s available on your sisters’ Windows PCs. To format a drive using ExFat with your sister’s Windows PC:Ģ – Press the Windows+ E key combination to open a “File Explorer” window.ģ – Right-click on the drive you wish to format.ĥ – Select ExFat from the drop-down menu in the “File System” field.Ħ – Click Start and wait for the formatting process to complete. To format a drive using ExFat with your Mac:Ħ – Select the drive you wish to format in the left-hand sidebar.Ĩ – From the “Format” menu, select ExFAT.ĩ – From the “Scheme” menu, select Master Boot Record.ġ0 – Click Erase and then follow the prompts to confirm. Important: Make sure you copy any important files that are currently on the thumb drive onto other media before you format it because those files will no longer be available after the formatting procedure is complete. Luckily, this formatting process is fast and easy using either machine (Mac or PC). However, if you format the drive with a file system called ExFat, both PCs and Macs will be able to read files placed on it by either machine. That means if you save files onto a USB flash drive with a Mac, your PC might have trouble reading those files, and vice versa.

However, in order to do that you’ll need to format the drive in a special way.īy default, Macs and Windows PCs format their drives using different file systems, and the file systems they use aren’t completely compatible with one another. The answer to your question is yes, you can use a USB flash drive (aka thumb drive) to transfer files between your MacBook Pro and your sisters’ Windows PCs. Rick’s answer: I have great news for you, Kerrie. Is this going to be a problem or can we all write files onto the same thumb drive and have the other computers be able to read them? This is the only option that’s available to us right now because I don’t have a Windows PC and neither of my sisters has a Mac.

If I copy files from my MacBook Pro onto a thumb drive will my sisters be able to copy those files from that same thumb drive onto their Windows PCs? Question from Kerrie: I have a MacBook Pro and don’t own a Windows computer. Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

How to transfer files from windows 10 to macbook pro