AOMEI Partition Assistant
Solved: exFAT Drive Not Recognized in Windows 10 or 11
Why exFAT drive not recognized in Windows 10/11 and what’s the best solution to it? Read the following post to get the answers.
By Hedy / Updated on April 17, 2025
Scenario: exFAT drive not recognized Windows 10
“Hey, I might have some issues with the exFAT file system in Windows 10. My version of the operating system is Windows 10 Pro, 64-bit. I have a USB flash drive with a ton of music and a copy of Windows 7 Pro 32-bit meant for Oracle’s VirtualBox. The USB drive is about 32GB and I formatted it on my MacBook running OSX Mavericks into exFAT, because this seems to be the only available file system that is compatible with both Mac and Windows. However, when I plug in the USB drive to my Windows 10 computer, the exFAT USB drive created on Mac OS not working in Windows 10 and remind with Windows is not able to detect the file system. So, how do I get Windows to recognize exFAT drive and allow me to read and write with this exFAT formatted drive?”
- Question from Microsoft Community
What are the differences between exFAT, NTFS, and FAT32?
To help users manage data more effectively, Windows offers support for 3 main file systems: FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT. Each file system is designed to meet different requirements based on the type of storage device and usage scenario.
🔶FAT32 is the oldest and most compatible, working across nearly all platforms, but it has strict file size limits.
🔶NTFS is the default for modern Windows systems, offering advanced features like permissions and journaling, but it lacks full support on non-Windows platforms.
🔶exFAT is a lightweight system that balances large file support with wide compatibility, especially useful for external drives and cross-platform use.
Choosing the right file system depends on the device, operating system, and type of data being stored. To help you better understand the differences, here is a detailed yet clear table — still concise, but with enough depth table:
| Feature | exFAT | NTFS | FAT32 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Extended File Allocation Table | New Technology File System | File Allocation Table 32 |
| Introduced | 2006 | 1993 | 1977 (FAT), FAT32 in 1996 |
| Max File Size | ~16 EB (practically unlimited) | ~16 EB (theoretical) | 4 GB |
| Max Volume Size | ~128 PB | Up to 256 TB – 8 PB (varies by version) | 2 TB (Windows limit) |
| OS Compatibility | Windows, macOS, Linux (needs drivers) | Windows (macOS/Linux: read-only or needs drivers) | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Security Features | No | Yes (permissions, encryption, file access control) | No |
| Journaling | No | Yes (protects data integrity) | No |
| Performance | Good for external flash storage | Excellent for internal/system drives | Poor on large modern drives |
| Use Case | USB drives, SD cards, external storage (cross-platform) | Windows system drives, SSDs, large file support | Small drives, basic devices, max platform compatibility |
| Limitations | Not compatible with Apple HFS+ formatting by default | Limited support on non-Windows systems | 4 GB file size limit, no security or modern features |
If you want to format your device to any needed file system, you can use the best free tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant to perform the task.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
How to solve the exFAT drive not recognized in Windows 10/11?
If you have to solve the problem “exFAT drive not recognized in Windows 10 or Windows 11”, you can follow the methods below.
Fix 1. Access a Mac-formatted drive with HFSExplorer
HFSExplorer is a free software that can help you access a Mac-formatted drive. But first, you need to install Java, then, install HFSEexplorer on your Windows 10. It allows you to read a Mac-formatted drive, and copy the files to your Windows PC freely. If you are going to use its write support, you need to pay for it.
To use HFSExplorer to access the Mac-formatted drive, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Connect the drive to your Windows computer. Launch HFSExplorer.
Step 2. Click the “File” menu, select “Load File System From Device.” It will automatically locate the connected drive, and you can load it.
Step 3. When you see the contents of the HFS+ drive in the graphical window, just select the files or folders you want, click “Extract”, and choose a folder. They’ll be copied to the folder you choose on your Windows computer.
However, HFSExplorer isn’t the best choice. It doesn’t have a lot of features, and it is read-only. If you want to read and write the Mac-formatted drive on both Windows and Mac, reformat it into exFAT should be the best way.
Fix 2. Reformat drive to exFAT to be compatible with both Windows and Mac
Pay attention:
Reformat drive will delete all data on the drive. Please confirm that you have backed up the important data on the drive before formatting.
Actually, when you connect a Mac-formatted drive to Windows computer, it will pop up a window reminding you that “You need to format the disk in drive N: before you can use it.” If you have important data on the drive, you should cancel that operation, because it will erase all data on the drive.
Once you’ve backed up all data on the Mac-formatted drive, you can format it with the exFAT file system on your Windows computer.
You can format drive to exFAT with Windows File Explorer：
Right click the drive, select Format. Choose the exFAT file system in the list. You can also set up Allocation unit size and Volume label here. Tick the option of Quick Format, click Start.
However, you can not successfully format the drive into exFAT in Windows File Explorer every time. You may meet some problems caused not possible to format drive to exFAT. Thus, you need to turn to third-party software to get it done with ease.
🔥The best method to format the drive as exFAT
AOMEI Partition Assistant is a free exFAT formatter that can help you format drive to exFAT with a few simple steps. It is a better disk manager that can make up the shortage of Windows tools and fix the “exFAT not recognized on Windows 10” problem. Here are the detailed steps of how to reformat drive to exFAT with AOMEI Partition Assistant.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Connect a Mac-formatted drive to your Windows computer. Free download, install AOMEI Partition Assistant to Windows, and launch it.
Step 2. It will display all disks on the Windows. Right-click the Mac-formatted drive, and select Format Partition.
Step 3. It will pop up a window for formatting. AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to format drive to FAT32, NTFS, Ext2, Ext3, exFAT. Here we choose exFAT. Click OK.
Step 4. When you back to the main interface, click Apply at the toolbar, and click Proceed to initiate the progress.
Conclusion
When you have the problem of exFAT external hard drive not recognized on Windows, you can turn to AOMEI Partition Assistant for help. It is a great tool for you to manage your internal/external hard drive. It supports you in formatting and creating exFAT partition, and it also works on other file systems. It is widely used by Windows PC users.
If you need more advanced features, you can upgrade to AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to unlock features such as Allocate Free Space, Convert boot Drive between MBR and GPT, etc.
FAQs on exFAT drive not recognized on Windows 10
Q: Why is my ExFAT drive not showing up on Windows 10?
A: There could be several reasons for this, including outdated drivers, file system errors, conflicts with other devices, physical connection problems, or compatibility issues.
Q: How do I update Windows 10 and drivers?
A: To update Windows 10, go to "Settings" > "Update & Security" > "Windows Update." To update drivers, open Device Manager, right-click on the respective device, and choose "Update driver."
Q: Should I consider using alternative file systems instead of ExFAT?
A: If compatibility issues persist, consider using other file systems like NTFS or FAT32 for better support on Windows 10.
Q: Why are regular backups important for ExFAT drives?
A: Regular backups are crucial to protect your data from potential losses due to drive failures or other unforeseen issues.
