When I erase usb memory sticks I choose Mac OS extended journaled. After erasing the enhed is however, unusable. Although I'm running High Sierrra 10.13.6 the default option is Mac OS extended. The original format on the memory stick is MS-DOS fat 32. In general I want to erase external drives which then can be used on my iMac.
My iMac is from 2010.
FWIW, you can read & write to FAT32 flash drives without reformatting. However, if you are going to reformat them make sure to use a GUID partition map scheme instead of a Master Boot Record scheme.
You're welcome.
Thanks for the info. A flash drive gets full up with time, even though you erase the contents. Therefore, I want to reformat. I'm wondering why my Mac can't read the reformatted drive after choosing Mac OS extended journal. Not sure what you mean by GUID partition map scheme and Master Boot Record scheme.
Thanks for the info. I'm not using Windows computers so would never be a problem.
I would format them as fat32. Then you can read/write them also on other computers like windows computers.
I should add, if you haven't already, change "View" to "Show All Devices" in Disk Utility.
Scheme…
You only see the partition map scheme after you switch the "View".
Right, thanks very much. I've now reformatted my 2 drives, easy when you know how!
how to format external drives
