Is the exFAT format option not showing up in Disk Utility on your Mac? Seeing APFS options only? Don’t panic, we have an actual fix for this.

Disk Utility only showing APFS (Apple File System) and now exFAT? You can fix this issue in a few 'simple' steps on your Mac

Formatting a drive and changing its file system is a task many of us have been carrying out for a long, long time. Whether it’s Windows or Mac, formatting a drive has been made simple over time, too. It doesn't take more than four to five clicks at best.

However, in the Mac camp, you will eventually come across an issue that will not just leave you baffled but completely speechless. If you’re reading this, you’ve come across such an issue, too. The issue? You plugged in your USB drive in the hope of formatting it to exFAT using Disk Utility, and the only options you see are related to APFS (Apple File System) - all four of them. Basically, your drive is stuck on the APFS file system, and all other file system options have disappeared.

You’ve erased your disk several times, and nothing has happened so far. You’ve even tried a different Mac, and you’re facing the same problem. It’s so frustrating, you’re led to believe Apple is not supporting other file systems at all other than APFS. The problem takes an even wilder turn when you think it might be an issue with the latest macOS release. You find an old Mac running Big Sur or earlier and still don't see the exFAT option.

But let me assure you, that is not the case at all.

The solution to this problem is actually rather simple, and your drive isn’t at fault either. It’s something that Apple can fix from its end, but for some reason, it hasn’t to this day. You have to take the complicated route in order to make things right, and that route is outlined below.

Backup your drive - not necessary if you’ve already lost your data

Plug the drive you want to format into your Mac's USB port and make sure you copy all of its contents to a safe location unless the drive is already empty and you’ve formatted it several times already. In that case, just move on to the next step.

Launch Disk Utility

Disk Utility is the place where all the magic happens. Launch it by pressing Command+Spacebar on the keyboard, type in Disk Utility, and hit the Return key.

Assuming that the disk you want to format is connected to your Mac and showing up on the left-hand side under the External section, click on it to reveal its options. In my case, the disk has been named UNTITLED because I'm super vanilla and boring.

Delete the Volume

At this point, clicking on Erase won't do you any good at all, and you'll see the four dreaded APFS options, as shown in the screenshot below:

Instead, you're going to click on the "- Volume" button right at the top, next to First Aid. Click on Delete when you see a pop-up window.

Once the volume is deleted successfully, click on Done, as shown in the screenshot below:

Now that the hard part is over let's jump to the part that involves converting your drive to the exFAT format.

Convert to exFAT file system using Disk Utility

On the left, under the External section, you'll see your device listed. Click on it to reveal more information on the right.

Click on Erase at the top once you have selected your drive. Click on the Format drop-down, and you'll see every single file system back, including exFAT. Isn't that a sight you've been waiting to see for a long, long time?

Anyway, at this point, give your drive a name, select the exFAT format or any other which you want to convert to, leave the Scheme as default which is GUID Partition Map, and then click on Erase.

You'll get a confirmation that your drive has been formatted. Click on Done.

Running into issues? Don't panic!

There is a chance that the drive might fail and won't show up as connected to your Mac. At this point, just unplug the drive from your Mac's USB port and plug it back in. It will simply show up as a grayed-out drive under the External section in Disk Utility. If that's the case, then simply right-click on the drive and then click on Mount. Once the drive has been mounted, click on Erase and start the format process over and select exFAT while doing so. If the drive disappears again after formatting, unplug the drive and plug it back in; it will show right up.

In the end, you'll be left with a fully working exFAT external drive, something which you've wanted for quite some time now.

Why exFAT?

exFAT is the format you want to use if you plan on using your USB drive on multiple platforms. While Apple's very own formats are great, but if you plug the drive into a Windows PC, it won't show up. It gets worse when you realize that you can't even read anything from an APFS or Mac OS Extended formatted drive. It just works on a Mac or an iPad.

Therefore, it is a great idea to use exFAT instead. There are no limitations to how you use it either. Any other FAT format will have limitations to how much data you can copy in one go. For example, you can easily copy 50 gigabytes or more using exFAT - other file systems won't allow you to do that. Also, if you plan on using the drive with a smart TV, then exFAT is the way to go once again.

Personally, I would recommend using the APFS or Mac OS Journaled file system if you plan on using your USB drive within the Apple ecosystem. It's fast, it's secure and works best with solid-state drives. Then again, if you have a friend over with a Windows laptop, there's no way he's getting anything off that Apple ecosystem-centric drive and that's where exFAT simply wins.

Did you find this tutorial useful? Did it help you finally break away from APFS and convert to exFAT? Let us know in the comments section below.