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FC0-U71 Practice Question: Which file system is commonly used on external…
Which file system is commonly used on external USB drives for compatibility between Windows and macOS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume NTFS is fully compatible with macOS because macOS can read NTFS drives, but they overlook the lack of native write support, making FAT32 the safer choice for true cross-platform read/write compatibility despite its age and limitations.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
FAT32
FAT32 is the correct answer because it is natively supported by both Windows and macOS for read and write operations, making it the most compatible file system for external USB drives that need to be used across both platforms. Unlike NTFS (which macOS can only read by default) and APFS (which Windows does not natively support), FAT32 has been a universal standard for cross-platform storage since the 1990s, though it has a 4 GB maximum file size limit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
APFS
Why it's wrong here
APFS is Apple's file system, not natively supported on Windows.
- ✗
ext4
Why it's wrong here
ext4 is a Linux file system, not commonly supported on Windows or macOS.
- ✓
FAT32
Why this is correct
FAT32 is compatible with both Windows and macOS.
- ✗
NTFS
Why it's wrong here
NTFS is native to Windows and read-only on macOS.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the FC0-U71 exam.