# How to read a mac format drive from XP or vice versa. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012 "2006-02-04T19:26:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/1 "2006-02-04T19:26:34Z")
We’re talking OSX and XP. I have a friend who has some video I need to work with on a mac format external HD. Is there a utility for this? ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/2 "2006-02-04T19:49:51Z")
You need to either format the external hard drive with a file system both OS’s will understand (IIRC, FAT32 is supported natively by both) or get a HFS+ driver for the Windows computer [MacDrive](http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive6/) is the only one I could find, and it cost money, or a NTFS driver for the Mac. ---
**Author:** ![FyreFiend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@FyreFiend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FyreFiend)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/3 "2006-02-04T21:11:41Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#): > > You need to either format the external hard drive with a file system both OS’s will understand (IIRC, FAT32 is supported natively by both) or get a HFS+ driver for the Windows computer [MacDrive](http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive6/) is the only one I could find, and it cost money, or a NTFS driver for the Mac. You’re right that Mac OS X will quite happily read and write to a FAT 32 disk. It will also read NTFS, but not write to it. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/4 "2006-02-05T00:34:28Z")
Thanks. I was looking at MacDrive and it seems to fill the bill. Yeah, it’s money, but at $50 it isn’t highway robbery either. If it works right 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/5 "2006-02-05T05:11:31Z")
> [@Happy Wanderer](#): > > Thanks. I was looking at MacDrive and it seems to fill the bill. Yeah, it’s money, but at $50 it isn’t highway robbery either. If it works right 😉 Works extremely well, in my experience. Haven’t used the most recent version, as I’m rarely using Mac-formatted media these days, but I’ve used their products and known them (from seeing them at trade shows, etc.) for many years now. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-read-a-mac-format-drive-from-xp-or-vice-versa/343012/6 "2006-02-05T08:45:20Z")
> [@Happy Wanderer](#): > > Thanks. I was looking at MacDrive and it seems to fill the bill. Yeah, it’s money, but at $50 it isn’t highway robbery either. If it works right 😉 Works great for me. A very good product. I thought I was having some problems with it a few months ago, but it turned out to be a bad hard drive.