Moving folders · Safety and verification
Does the external drive's format affect what's kept when I move folders?
Short answer: Yes. A Mac-formatted drive (APFS or Mac OS Extended) keeps permissions, Finder tags and other Mac details; exFAT doesn't store Mac permissions, and an NTFS drive is read-only on a Mac so moves fail. APFS suits a Mac-only fast drive.
Yes. A Mac-formatted drive (APFS, or Mac OS Extended) can hold everything Mac files carry — permissions, Finder tags and other extended details — so moves keep them. Cross-platform formats like exFAT don't store Mac permissions and handle some details awkwardly, and a Windows (NTFS) drive is read-only on a Mac, so moves to it fail.
If you only use the drive with Macs, APFS is the natural choice for a fast drive. Reformatting erases a drive, so copy anything you need off it first.
See external drives.