- iPhone Message Tips
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- iPhone Contact Tips
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- iPhone Location Tips
- iPhone App Tips
- Other Useful Tips
by Jenefey AaronUpdated on 2020-09-07 / Update for Top
Two file systems compatible with Mac and Windows NTFS is the default file system for Windows operating system and HFS for Mac operating system. If you want to make your drive compatible with Mac and Windows, you need to format it with a common file system for Mac and Windows.
- However, if you're working primarily with Mac computers, you're probably better off using HFS+, which stands for Hierarchical File System, for native support. Also known as Mac OS Extended or HFS Extended, HFS+ is an improvement on the HFS file system, by supporting larger files and using Unicode for naming files.
- There are many operating systems (like Windows, Mac OS X and Linux) using various ‘file systems' that organise programs and the storage of data. Each operating system has limits to what it can read and write to, in terms of compatibility. This guide intends to show cross-compatibility between these file systems.
Although iPhone provides Files app since iOS 11, it still cannot meet all your file management requirements such as deleting, adding, exporting files, transfering them to your other devices etc. In order to deal with customers' trouble, many third-party companies provide iOS device file managers to perform various operations on the files and folders which are stored in your iPhone devices. However, not all the iOS file manager applications are cut to the task. 10 best iOS file manager tools, Tenorshare iCareFone included, have been filtered and listed out in this article especially for you.
Top 1: Tenorshare iCareFone - Easy-to-Use File Manager for iOS
Tenorshare iCareFone is the best file manager for iOS recommended here. it is easy-to-use with simple UI and helps fix all your file management woes with Photos, Music, Videos, Contacts, Messages, Apps, Books and Bookmarks importing, exporting, and deleting. Furthermore, One-click Exporting Photos to PC/Mac function saves your a lot of time to export photos to computer and it will not be a problem any more to backup and restore your data including whatsApp and LINE to PC, transfer WhatsApp and LINE between devices using this iPhone file manager.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone 4/5/6/7/8/X/XR/XS/XS MAX/11/11 PRO/SE 2rd Generation, iPad Pro/iPad Air/iPad mini/iPad, iPod touch 5/4
Price: Win: $39.95/year Mac: $59.95/year
Pros:
- Easily import/export/delete your iOS files including Photos, Music, Videos, Contacts, Messages, Apps, Books and Bookmarks and remove duplicates and those you do not want.
- This iOS file manager on Windows/Mac allows you to view your files directly on your computer before managing it.
- Flexibly transfer music, videos, contacts and other files between iOS devices and PC/Mac.
- Backup and restore your iOS device at ease.
- Unlike iCloud, this application doesn't have any cloud storage limit.
- With its iOS system repair function, it can solve the problem of iPhone update stuck, Apple logo stuck, Black/white/blue screen, frozen screen, recovery mode stuck etc.
Cons:
- Can only use backup service in free version.
Using Tenorshare iCarefone is very easy, just download and launch the software, connect your iPhone to the computer, and choose the required mode and it will do the work for you. If you want to manage certain files, just go to the 'Manage' feature, choose the file types and start importing and exporting as you desire. Want to know more about how to use this complete file manager for iPhone? Click here.
Top 2: AnyTrans - Best iPhone File Transferer
This iOS file manager on Mac/Win - AnyTrans is specialized in transfering your iOS files between iDevices, computers, iTunes and iCloud. It also can backup your data in case to get data lose for unexpected event.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone 3/4/5/6/7/8/X/XR/XS/XS MAX/11/11 PRO/11 PRO MAX/SE 2rd Generation, iPad series, iPod series
Price: $49.99/year
Pros:
- Can copy and transfer any type of files between devices and from Device to iTunes/computer.
- Efficiently creates and manages device backup.
- Can easily integrate with the device's iCloud and manage online storage.
Cons:
- AnyTrans cannot replace iTunes completely.
- Cannot add files into iTunes library.
- Users will be restricted to working with only those files which are existing in the library.
- Library files can be modified only by iTunes and not by this app.
- Very costly when compared to the other third-party file manager applications available online.
- With 6309 KB, it takes long time to be downloaded and installed successfully.
- Upload error always comes out.
Top 3: Wondershare TunesGo - Powerful iPhone File Manager(Media and Photos)
Wondershare TunesGo as one of the best iPhone file managers can transfer and backup media files between iTunes and iPhone, iPhone and computer, iPhone and iPhone. With the feature to add, delete, preview photos and add photos to album, it is easy to manage your photos.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone 5/6/7/8/X, iPad series, iPod series
Price: $39.95/year
Pros:
- Files can be transferred without the help of iTunes.
- Create GIFs with existing photos .
Compatible File System For Mac And Windows 7
Cons:
- Mainly designed to transfer music between devices.
- Cannot clean up junk files.
- Unable to repair corrupted iOS system.
- Functions like restoration of data and device back up cannot be performed by this application.
- Cannot transfer playlists from iTunes.
Top 4: Macgo iPhone Explorer- Free Best File Manager for iPhone (iPhone 6/5/4)
Mac apps 2014. The Macgo iPhone Explorer - free iOS file manager that lets you manage the files and folders on your device by allowing transfer of data, addition, and deletion of information and organizes your iOS device's files efficiently.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone 6/5/4
Price: Free
Pros:
- It offers a safe and trustworthy way to transfer your device data between iPhone and Win/Mac.
- Manages and modifies app files.
- It is a free software
Cons:
- This program only supports iPhone 6/5/4 and can only work on Mac OS X 10.12 and earlier version. Latest iDevices and Mac are not compatible.
- It is very difficult to manage files using this application.
- Application fails to function sometimes.
Top 5: PhoneView for Mac - Professional iOS File Manager for Mac
PhoneView for Mac provides instant access to all your personal data on iOS device. It is easy to view SMS, iMessages, WhatsApp messages and export them to PDF files. What's more, you can access to voicemails and call history and send them to iTunes.
System Supported: Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone or iPod Touch running iPhone iOS 2.0 or later
Price: $29.95
Pros:
- Great software to access messages, call history and save them to computers.
Cons:
- The trial version of this application limits the number of items displayed.
- This application is not compatible with Windows PC.
- Without iTunes, it does not work. So it cannot work on MacOS Catalina 10.15.
Top 6: Dropbox - Robust iOS iPhone Management Software
Dropbox is one of the most popular iOS file manager for Windows/Mac. It has been proved to efficiently replace iCloud storage services. You can backup and upload your data from your IOS to Dropbox.
System Supported: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and online
Devices Supported: All iDevices
Price: $150/year
Pros:
- Very reliable and fast.
- Hardly has any issues related to file synchronization.
- Files can be shared easily.
Cons:
- Basic plan offers up to 2GB to transfer files.
- Only has storage and transfer functions.
- Dropbox sync doesn't work reliably when you are using it in a remote area with limited internet connectivity.
- Really expensive.
Top 7: Wondershare Dr.Fone- The Complete iPhone File Manager for PC
This complete iOS Data Manager application - Wondershare Dr.Fone is developed by Wondershare, which is capable of performing almost iPhone transfer, data backup and restore, and data erase. The recovery feature of this software is one of the best in the market.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone with iOS 13, iOS 12/12.3, iOS 11, iOS 10.3, iOS 10, iOS 9 and former
Price: $139.95/year
Pros:
- Its full toolkit includes a lot functions.
- The backup file can be accessed and read any time.
Cons:
- Very expensive.
- It has problems identifying and detecting iPhone initially.
- The trial version has very few usable features.
- Works very slowly.
Top 8: iFunbox Software - iOS File and App Management Tool
iFunbox Software helps the users in managing applications and multmedias, and photos. You can download, install and uninstall applications with this iOS file manager for PC.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: iPhone 5/6/7
Price: Free
Pros:
- File transfer speed is very good.
- There is no requirement to connect to iTunes while using this software to manage iPhone data.
Cons:
- Sometimes, this software fails to connect to iTunes library.
- Issues related to permission of this software have been reported several times.
- It has a pretty complex user interface, making it suitable only for jailbroken iDevice.
- Ad is really annoying.
Top 9: iMazing - Smart iPhone Transfer and Backup Software
iMazing lives up to its name of being amazing. To use this software, you won't need to connect to iCloud or iTunes to be able to work on Mac and Windows. It has been updated recently to be compatible with iOS 13 devices. As iOS 8/ 8.3/11/12/13 file manager, it can move iOS files between iPhone and computer or backup important data.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: All iPhone, iPad and iPod
Price: $25.77
Pros:
Format For Mac And Windows
- It has comprehensive file management controls.
- Free to backup data.
Cons:
- It does not transfer podcasts, audiobooks, and voice memos.
- The '1-click transfer' feature is absent in this software and hence, fast transfer cannot be aided by this software.
Top 10: iExplorer - Lightweight iPhone manager for PC/Mac
iExplorer is an iPhone file manager developed by Macroplant which can transfer your iPhone files from iPhone or iTunes backup to your PC. It's easy-to-use features are very popular among iOS device users. More than 20 types of files can be managed by this software.
System Supported: Windows and Mac
Devices Supported: All iPhone, iPad and iPod
Price: $39.99
Pros:
- Has a simpler and more visual user interface when compared to many other iOS file manager app available online.
Cons:
- To use this, latest version of iTunes has to be installed in your device.
- The application crashes sometimes while performing certain functions.
Conclusion
Although there are many applications available for the file and data management of iOS device, they do come with limitations. Considering all the above points, it can be concluded that, Tenorshare iCareFone is the perfect tool to migrate any kind of information and data from any iOS device to PC/Mac and manage it effortlessly with importing, exporting and deleting data without any hassle. Additionally, its WhatsApp transfer between devices (iOS/Android) and LINE transfer from iOS to iOS are functions liked most by customers.
- Free backup everything you need on iPhone/iPad/iPod
- Transfer music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS without limitation
- Selectively restore files without erasing current data
FAQs About iOS Files App
1,Does iOS have file manager?
Yes. Apple provides a Files app for iOS 11 and later. You can acess the file from iCloud Drive, Box, DropBox, OneDrive and manage your files on your iPhone.
2,Where is the file manager on my iPhone?
Files App is a built-in app for iOS 11 and later. You can find it once you unlock your iPhone.
3,What happens if I delete the Files app on iPhone?
Once you delete Files app,you cannot manage your files on your iPhone. But you still can access your data from iCloud. If you want to get your Files app back,you can download it from App Store.
You can format the external hard drive or USB drive to make it compatible with both Mac and Windows machines. This thing is still unknown for many users but doesn't worry it's not complex.
If you are techy and use Windows and Mac computers frequently, then you might need to transfer data between Mac and PC. Windows and macOS filesystems are different and you might need to format the drive every time to use on both platforms. You don't need to format the hard drive every time you can choose a filesystem while formating the drive so the hard drive or USB drive work on both Mac and PC
So to get rid of these situations we bring here a guide that will help you to format your drive which works on both platforms and you don't need to format and backup data every time. After cross-compatible formatting, simply unplug the drive from one machine and then plug it to another. Sounds good to you right? So let's started, how this works.
Understand file systems for Mac and PC
There are three common file system types to format an external USB or hard drive, SSD drive, SD card and etc. FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT, let's have a look what's the difference between these formats.
FAT 32 Format
This format is pretty old but supported and it's not efficient as compared to NTFS. It doesn't support big features but offers great compatibility which means it's compatible with all versions of Windows. It can only support 4GB file size and up to 8TB hard drivers. It's not capable to store files larger than 4GB.
NTFS Format
NTFS is a modern format system and Windows also uses this format for itself and for other non-removable drives by default. This format is also compatible with all versions of Windows but limited to none Windows OS as FAT32.
exFAT Format
Mac File System Format
exFAT drives are faster at reading and writing as compared to FAT32. This format can store large files and it's also lightweight. It's compatible with all versions of Windows and the best thing it's along with Windows it's also compatible with macOS, Linux, and Android, etc.
- If your drive is formatted as Windows default format NTFS then its only readable to macOS. You can't do more than that or you have to install a separate app on Mac to read write the drive.
- Drive with macOS format HFS+ cant readable to Windows.
- FAT32 format works on both Windows and Mac but the problem is you can only work with the files with Maximum size 4GB.
Learn more: Copy data on NTFS drive in macOS
FAT32 is much better than NTFS and HFS+ coz it works on both operating systems. You can also install drivers on each OS to make work your drive. So exFAT is much better than all of these formats and a simple option but this will not work on Leopard.
Format and external hard drive on Mac
First, let's see how to format an external hard drive or USB drive in macOS which works with both Mac and PC platforms, first plug-in your drive in macOS machine.
- Open Disk Utility on your macOS, press cmd + spacebar keys and type Disk Utility in the spotlight search. Open Disk Utility from the search results.
- On the Disk Utility interface, select an external drive click on the Erase button from top of the window (make sure and bcakup your drive before erasing it).
- Now enter the name for the external drive which will be used after formatting and also select exFAT for Format option and click on the Erase. This will format the drive as ExFAT format and your drive is now compatible with both platforms.
Format hard drive in Windows
The below steps for formatting external drive is for Windows 10 and also works the same with an old version of Windows. To format your external drive hard drive in Windows which works with both platforms, first plug-in your drive with Windows machine.
Open Disk Management tool by right-clicking on start menu icon and then select Disk Management. Now right click on the external drive and click on format option (double-check the drive name and capacity to make sure you are going to format the right drive.)
Now enter the Volume label as you need and change the File system for exFat and click Ok. Now you are done.
Share your experience, how do you use an external hard drive on both Mac and PC. Did you format the drive as exFAT ? or use any utility that helps the system to read another type of file system. Please leave a comment below.