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How to format a USB flash drive with High Sierra?

I probably have a very simple question. I have a USB flash drive that I have some data on that I don't need. It's currently formatted for Windows. I no longer have a Windows PC, just my iMac running High Sierra. I want to format the flash drive to work fully on my iMac. Can someone point me to an article which just explains how to do this? My main question is, when I erase the drive using Disk Utility, what do I choose to format it as? Thanks.



iMac 21.5", macOS 10.13

Posted on Jun 5, 2019 12:21 AM

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Posted on Jun 5, 2019 3:55 AM

There really isn't much difference with respect to a usb drive.

Only High Sierra and Mojave can use an APFS formatted drive.


I only use usb flash memory for SneakerNet transfers, so the portability of the file system would be important to me.

If you are not transporting files with the device, either format is sufficient.

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Jun 5, 2019 3:55 AM in response to jetjim

There really isn't much difference with respect to a usb drive.

Only High Sierra and Mojave can use an APFS formatted drive.


I only use usb flash memory for SneakerNet transfers, so the portability of the file system would be important to me.

If you are not transporting files with the device, either format is sufficient.

Jun 5, 2019 3:34 AM in response to jetjim

Choose the format that is most suitable.

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) is most compatible with older Mac OS's.

APFS is the "new" file system which should be optimized for SSDs and I assume flash memory.


If you need it encrypted, you can format either format with encryption.


You can also use ExFAT which will work on both Windows and Mac OS.


You may need to select the Device to erase as opposed to the volume (partition).

In Disk Utility, above the drive list, click the View button and choose Show all devices.

Then, select the usb device as opposed to the volume.

Jun 5, 2019 3:42 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thank you for the response. I guess that is my question. Should I format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or as APFS, which I know is the new file system? I don't need it encrypted. I also don't need it to work on Windows, just on my iMac. I may in the future purchase a Chromebook also so it be nice if it worked with that also.

How to format a USB flash drive with High Sierra?

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