BestCrypt is fully compatible across all supported platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac) on the container file level. This means that your containers will work just the same on any other supported platform no matter where or when it was created. However, the platforms themselves are still different and it is useful to be aware of those differences to avoid common pitfalls. For purposes of this guide, let us concentrate on a particular case of transitioning your BestCrypt containers from Windows to Mac.
Although BestCrypt will open and mount your Windows containers on a Mac, there may be an issue with the file system your container is formatted with. The default file system on Windows is NTFS, but Mac OS X does not support writing to NTFS volumes. This means that you will be able to mount your NTFS container on Mac but OS X will only provide access for reading it. This is essentially the same situation you could have had with an ordinary flash drive formatted on Windows in NTFS and mounted on a Mac. To avoid this problem, use either the FAT32 or the ExFAT file system for any containers you anticipate using on both Windows and Mac platforms, or install a third-party support for writing to NTFS volumes on Mac*. A couple of third-party solutions include:
This principle works both ways: Mac OS X will allow you to format a new container in the HFS file system, which is not supported on Windows at all. On Windows you will not be able to access those containers, even for reading, without installing a third-party HFS implementation.
* Please note that Jetico Inc. Oy does not take any responsibility for using third-party software and any damage it may cause to your system.