Benefits and steps to make a common HD for multiple OS

In which way, you can make single drive compatible in both Mac and window. In other words, you can say how can you make possible to access your window files on your Mac machine and vice versa.
So, in order to get it in detail you must have basic knowledge of file system/formats.

You can share an external drive between Mac and windows by formating your drive by using any of the following file formats given below:-

a)FAT or FAT32(windows old format)
b)NTFS(windows new format)
c)HFS (OS X Extended journaled) (Mac format)
Criteria/issue one can decide to format their drive in order to achieve compatibility between Mac and windows.

1.File size limitation issue:

Firstly taken Fat32 known as win old format, which has 4GB max file size limitation while NTFS and HFS have no file size limitation.

2.Read/write Access issue:

• FAT32 is read and writable on both Win/Mac.
• NTFS readable on both mac/win, but writable on Win only.
• While HFS is read/writeable on macs only.
  
  Now from the above mentioned points we got that FAT32 is the only choice to format drive. Beside its limitationn of file size of 4gb maximum,so for small size files one can format their drive in FAT32 .
  
  Means if you don't have bulky videos you can choose FAT32 format. But often our system having large sized files and for that you should select HFS format. As HFS have no file size limitation but it read/writeable on macs only. Inorder to make it accessible on windows too go for HFS Explorer.
  
  I want to suggest you something that there is no need to go for third party tool even if you want to format your drive using HFS . Using HFS Explorer to read/write on windows.
  
  And if you want to format your external drive using NTFS , then use NTFS-3G to read/write on Mac.
  
  If one want to use common external drive then it is suggested to format your external hard drive either in FAT or FAT32 file or in exFATformat, it will allow your data to read and write in both OS.
  
  In multi-operating systems ex-FAT(Extended File Allocation Table) is best, but it doesn't mean that this don't have any disadvantage. ExFAT have no issue regarding file size but with when we compare speed it somehow slow while transferring files. Most of the times it irritates by consuming much time. Although we can select between these two according to our prior on file size or speed.
  
  But in short it is appropriate to use these formats in respective conditions:-
  

  • If transfering files from Win to Mac , choose NTFS.

  • If transfering files from Mac to Windows, choose HFS .

  • If transfering two ways use either.

  
  Otherwise you can create partitions on your hard drive to have multi operating system to use separately.
  
  NOTE: Before going to do formating your drive it is important to make clone of your hard drive with some suitable software which having support on different formats(like NTFS, Ex- FAT, MBR etc.) I found Stellar Drive Clone 2.5 version capable for the above mentioned constraints.