Native format refers to the default hard drive file system adopted by an operating system, such as NTFS for Windows and APFS and HFS+ for macOS. When a hard drive's file system is inconsistent with the operating system's native format, it may cause files to be unreadable or unwritable, or slow down file read/write speeds. Checking the hard drive format can help you determine if you're encountering compatibility issues related to the file system.
Check Hard Drive Format
Important Notes
- If you find that the hard drive format is not natively supported by the system, it may affect file read/write performance and compatibility
- Windows systems natively support NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT formats, but NTFS offers the best performance
- macOS systems natively support APFS, HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT formats, but APFS offers the best performance