Need to read Mac drives in Windows?

Unfortunately, it'due south not a straightforward process; you can't just connect the Mac drive and wait it to piece of work. Here's everything you need to know to get it working.

Why Tin can't Windows Read Mac Drives?

Windows and macOS utilise different file systems. Windows uses the NTFS file arrangement for its internal drives, whereas Apple tree replaced HFS+ with its successor—Apple File System (APFS)—in early 2017. Today, APFS is used on Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs.

External difficult disks and USB drives are by and large formatted with the Windows FAT32 file system for maximum compatibility. Most devices, including Macs, can read and write from FAT32 devices.

All new Macs will exist formatted with APFS. Older Mac drives are probable yet formatted with the HFS+ file system. Windows can't read either file system by default.

We'll testify you how to access your Mac-formatted APFS or HFS+ bulldoze on Windows.

How to Read APFS on Windows

Firstly, let's look at how to read the newer Apple File System format on Windows. All these apps will allow you lot to read drives from any updated Apple device, non just Macs.

one. MacDrive

macdrive home screen

MacDrive has been ane of the go-to apps for a long fourth dimension. The get-go version was released fashion back in 1996. If you're prepared to spend some money, you don't need to look elsewhere.

The app works with APFS drives and HFS+ drives.

Dissimilar some options, MacDrive lets y'all read and write data to your Mac-formatted drive straight from Windows.

The app is focused on the freshly redesigned Deejay Management Window. It acts as a hub for all the Mac drives connected to Windows.

You will besides exist able to see your APFS or HFS+ bulldoze direct within File Explorer, allowing piece of cake integration with the rest of the Windows operating system.

Other useful features include the ability to create and sectionalisation Mac disks direct from your PC, a powerful deejay repair feature, and robust security tools.

The standard version costs $49.99. There'southward too a Pro version. It adds several actress features, including automatic file defragmentation, support for RAID setups, and a style to create Mac ISO files.

A five-day free trial is available.

Download: MacDrive for Windows ten ($49.99)

ii. Paragon APFS for Windows

paragon

Paragon APFS for Windows is another paid app. Information technology is the main competitor of MacDrive.

The app provides read and write access to APFS-formatted partitions, read and write admission to compressed and cloned files, and read-only support for encrypted volumes.

Information technology supports deejay auto-mounting at first-upwardly but doesn't have MacDrive'south partition tools.

Cheque Out Paragon's Wide Range of Solutions, Here

MacDrive has one big advantage over Paragon's app: HFS+ support. Paragon APFS for Windows simply supports APFS-formatted drives. If you have some older Mac drives lying effectually that are nonetheless running HFS+, you would need to purchase Paragon HFS+ for Windows separately. MacDrive, therefore, is a more economical option.

One license—which costs $49.95—works on three Windows PCs.

Download: Paragon APFS for Windows 10 ($49.95)

three. UFS Explorer Standard Access

UFS Explorer Standard Access exploring mac drive windows

Our third and concluding recommendation for reading APFS drives on Windows is UFS Explorer Standard Recovery. Once again, it's a paid choice. The app will toll yous €59.95.

UFS Explorer Standard Recovery is the about versatile app on this list. It can read the two formats we care about—APFS and HFS+—as well as NTFS, FAT, FAT32, exFAT, SGI XFS, Linux JFS, Unix/BSD, UFS/UFS2, and VMware VMFS.

As such, this is the app you should choose if you find yourself hopping between lots of different operating systems during your day.

UFS Explorer Standard Recovery also comes with RAID support as standard. The app has a built-in RAID builder, so yous can customize it for your assortment.

There is a gratis version of the app with no fourth dimension limits, but information technology will only let you copy files smaller than 256KB in size.

Download: UFS Explorer Standard Access for Windows 10 (€59.95)

How to Read HFS+ on Windows

If your Mac-formatted drive is yet running HFS+, use one of these three methods instead.

1. Install Apple HFS+ Drivers

If you only need read admission, you can install the Apple tree HFS+ drivers for Windows. Be sure to remove Paragon or MacDrive before proceeding.

Download the correct Windows driver package, then follow these steps:

  1. Re-create the ApplsHFS.sys and AppleMNT.sys files to C:\Windows\System32\drivers
  2. Merge the Add_AppleHFS.reg file with your Windows registry.
  3. Restart your system.

The video higher up also demonstrates the procedure.

Subsequently restarting, your Mac-formatted drive should bear witness upwardly nether This PC. This method only gives you read admission to the drive. If you lot would like to edit or delete files, try 1 of the alternative methods beneath.

2. HFSExplorer

HFSExplorer

HFSExplorer is completely free. You tin use it to admission Mac file systems from Windows without paying a dime. The programmer hasn't updated information technology since October 2015 due to the arrival of APFS, only information technology all the same works on older systems.

HFSExplorer requires Java. Nosotros generally recommend confronting having Java installed, but information technology's necessary here unless you want to spend money. You also need to run the app equally an Admin.

This tool is simple to utilise. Connect your Mac-formatted drive to your Windows system, open up HFSExplorer, and click File > Load File System From Device. HFSExplorer tin automatically locate whatever connected devices with HFS+ file systems and open them. You can then excerpt files from the HFSExplorer window to your Windows drive.

Note that HFSExplorer is read-only, so yous can't alter or delete files on your Mac drive. It as well doesn't integrate with Windows File Explorer—files are bachelor in the HFSExplorer application, and you must copy them elsewhere.

Download: HFSExplorer for Windows 10 (Free)

3. Paragon HFS+ for Windows

paragon hfs

Paragon HFS+ for Windows is a paid application, just it distinguishes itself with additional features.

Unlike HFSExplorer, Paragon HFS+ for Windows provides full read/write access to Mac drives and promises high performance. It even integrates HFS+ file systems with Windows Explorer or File Explorer on Windows. Any Windows plan tin can read from or write to the Mac bulldoze.

The app costs $19.95, simply it also offers a ten-day gratuitous trial. If you need to recover files from a drive, 10 days is plenty of fourth dimension to install this file system driver, copy your files over, and uninstall it.

Paragon HFS+ doesn't need Java to work.

Download: Paragon HFS+ for Windows 10 ($19.95)

Format the Mac Drive for Windows

If yous take a Mac drive lying around and yous no longer have a Mac, you're non stuck with the Mac file organization forever. After recovering the files from your drive with one of the tools in a higher place, y'all can then format the drive and convert information technology to a standard FAT32 partition that will work with almost devices.

Formatting will erase all the files on your drive, and so brand sure y'all have backed upwardly your files. To format the drive, use the dialog that appears when yous connect the bulldoze to your figurer.

We hope you lot similar the items we recommend and talk over! MUO has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This won't affect the price yous pay and helps us offer the best production recommendations.

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