Can Windows Format EXT4?
'I'm trying to format an NTFS drive to EXT4, to use it for Linux. The problem is, I find nowhere to format EXT4 in Windows 10 File Explorer and Windows 10 Disk Management. Can Windows format EXT4 or not?'
The answer depends on you willingness to invest in commercial software: If you don’t mind spending some money on a commercial product, Paragon’s extFS for Mac will give you read and write access to ext2 / ext3 / ext4 file systems. The current version supports all versions of OS X /. Ext4 is a linux file system, you would need third party software to use it with macOS so unless you specifically need to use that file system either exFAT or HFS+ (listed as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in disk utility) would be a better option.
No, Windows cannot read EX4 partition nor format a partition to EXT4 format. For Windows, NTFS is the most used file system, also the default one. Besides NTFS, Windows also supports REFS (Now it has been removed from Windows 10 Pro), exFAT and FAT32. For Mac, it doesn't recognize an EXT4 partition as well. Its default file system is APFS, and the other compatible file systems are HFS+, FAT32, and exFAT.
To be able to format EXT4 in Windows, you'll need to download the best free EXT4 format software called EaseUS Partition Master. Read on to learn more.
What's the EXT4 File System?
The EXT4, or fourth extended file system, is a widely-used journaling file system for the Linux operating system. EXT4 is a deeper improvement over EXT3 & EXT2, including better performance, reliability, security, and new features.
EXT4 is commonly adopted by large hard drives, but it can also be used on removable disks like USB flash drives, pen drives, and memory cards.
How to Format EXT4 in Windows 10/8/7
As aforementioned, both the Windows computer and Mac are unable to utilize a Linux EXT4 partition. You can find no 'EXT4' option during the course of formatting a disk there.
But many times, you'll need to format an EXT4 partition on Windows. For example, you decided to use a Windows hard drive on a Linux computer. And the other common case is that you're dual booting Windows and Linux, you need to access files on your Windows system from the Linux environment. How to format hard drive to EXT4 when the 'Format' option is not even available?
Take it easy. Third-party partition manager like EaseUS Partition Master can do you a favor. You can read, create, and format the hard drive partition with the EXT4 file system under its help.
Best EXT4 Format Freeware - EaseUS Partition Master
No matter it's about formatting a Windows supported NTFS/exFAT/FAT32 to EXT4, or format the Linux EXT4 hard drive to a Windows-compatible file system, EaseUS free partition manager software can easily get the job done. It's developed to manage Windows 10, 8,7, XP, Vista and Windows Server hard drives & partitions in every way, such as adjust a volume size, delete partition, format partition, wipe partition, merge partitions, etc.
What makes it stand out among rivals and native Windows programs is the 100% support for Linux EXT2, EXT3 as well as the default EXT4 file systems. With EaseUS EXT formatting software, you can manage an EXT2/3/4 drive on Windows in these ways:
- Convert EXT4 to NTFS without data loss
- Format EXT4 to EXT2/3, NTFS, FAT32
- Format NTFS, FAT32, EXT2/3 to EXT4
Yet powerful, using EaseUS EXT4 formatter to format the hard drive is straightforward, with only a few clicks. Only notice that the formatting itself will erase data on the current drive, so make sure that you've copied the important data files to the other drive for a backup. If the hard drive data is huge and the transfer is too slow, use the copy partition function in EaseUS Partition Master to accelerate the data transfer time.
Download EaseUS Partition Master and follow the simple steps to format EXT4 in Windows:
Step 1: Launch EaseUS Partition Master
Right-click on the target drive and choose 'Format'.
Step 2: Set the partition file system as EXT2, EXT3, or EXT4.
A mini window pops out, on which you can edit the partition label, and choose a file system. Here you should choose EXT2, EXT3, or EXT4. Click 'OK'.
Ext4 Support For Macbook Pro
Step 3: Confirm to format data
Then you will see a warning window, click 'OK' in it to continue.
Step 4: Execute format to EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 operation
Click 'Execute Operation' > 'Apply'. Now you've successfully formatted an EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 hard drive that can be used on a Linux computer.
Linux File Systems for Windows by Paragon Software is a unique tool which enables full access to Linux volumes under Windows OS.
Just plug your hard disk with ExtFS/Btrfs/XFS partitions into your PC and instantly access your media in a Windows environment.
How it works
Just as simple as that
Download and install Linux File Systems for Windows by Paragon Software
Your drive will show up in File Explorer
Use cases
Read and write Linux-formatted data
Ext4 Support Mac Os X
There is no easy way to read or write data from Linux-formatted storage devices under Windows. If you have Linux-based devices at home (NAS, smart TVs, multimedia boxes, routers) and would like to access data from Linux-formatted media on a Windows PC, your choice is Linux File Systems for Windows by Paragon Software.
Macos Read Ext4
- Supported file systems: Read/write: Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, read-only: Btrfs, XFS
- Fast read and write access to Linux-formatted HDD, SSD, or flash drives
- Set-and-run operation mode
- Managed through the Windows system tray or from Windows CMD
- Support for Linux LVM disks
- Includes ‘Runs at startup’ and ‘Automount’ features
- Safe eject available.
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