User Manual

Oponal Formang and Paroning
LaCie 2big RAID is delivered formatted in exFAT for compatibility with both Windows and Mac computers. If
you use 2big RAID with only one type of computer, you can optimize file copy performance by formatting
the drive in the native file system for your operating system—NTFS for Windows or HFS+ for Macs. There
are two ways you can optimize performance:
Toolkit Optimize Format your drive for optimal performance with just a few simple clicks.
Manual formatting Use Disk Management (Windows) or Disk Utility (Mac) to format your drive in non-
native formats.
About file system formats
NTFS—The native file system for Windows. macOS can read NTFS volumes but cannot natively write to
them.
Mac OS Extended (HFS+)—The native hard drive file system for macOS. Windows cannot natively read or
write to HFS+ (journaled) volumes. This is the best format if you intend to use LaCie 2big RAID with Time
Machine.
APFS (Apple File System)—An Apple file system optimized for solid state drives (SSDs) and flash-based
storage systems. While you can format your hard disk drive (HDD) in APFS, performance may be degraded
when files on the drive are routinely subjected to extensive editing (for example, large-scale image, video,
audio, and music editing). Note the following restrictions:
You cannot use an APFS-formatted disk as your Time Machine backup drive. Format LaCie 2big RAID to
HFS+ if you intend to use it with Time Machine.
APFS is only supported on macOS 10.13 or later.
exFAT—Compatible with Mac and Windows. exFAT is not a journaled file system which means it can be
more susceptible to data corruption when errors occur or the drive is not disconnected properly from the
computer.
FAT32—Compatible with Mac and Windows. However, FAT32 is a legacy file system designed for low
capacity hard drives and it is not recommended for modern hard drives or operating systems. A FAT32
partition can reach up to 32GB when formatted on a Windows PC.
How to choose the file system format
322big RAID
3/22/19