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Dec 26, 2023 · Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Create and format hard disk partitions or search for Disk Management. Right click on the volume and choose Shrink Volume..., then shrink it to 4GB or less. After that, both FAT32 and Quick Format options will be available in the Format... dialog. Share.
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There are many reasons to format your drive in FAT32 format. The most common one is that your drive will work with many more devices than if it was formatted in another file format, say NTFS. Nearly all the devices support FAT32.
A good example here is that you can add data to your drive from your Mac machine if your drive was formatted in FAT32. You can't do that with an NTFS-formatted drive.
Related: FAT32 vs. exFAT vs. NTFS: What's the Difference?
While there are pros to using the FAT32 format, a few cons exist as well. You can't store an individual file larger than 4 GB on a FAT32-formatted drive. Also, the built-in graphical formatting options on Windows only let you format your drives in FAT32 if they're 32 GB or less in storage capacity. (However, there's a command-line method and a third-party app to format drives larger than 32 GB in FAT32 format.)
Using File Explorer
To format a drive in FAT32 format with File Explorer, first, plug your drive into your Windows PC. Then, open File Explorer by pressing Windows+E. In File Explorer, right-click your drive and choose "Format." A "Format" window opens. Here, click the "File System" drop-down menu and choose "FAT32." Optionally, configure other options. Then, click "Start." When your drive is formatted, it will be in FAT32 format. Related: How to Format a Hard Drive or SSD on Windows 11
With Disk Management
Disk Management is another graphical tool you can use to format your drives. To use it for your USB flash drive, right-click your "Start" menu icon and choose "Disk Management." On Disk Management's main window, right-click your USB drive and choose "Format." In the "Format" window, select the "File System" drop-down menu and choose "FAT32." Then, click "OK" to start formatting your drive. Disk Management will display a message when your drive is formatted. Related: How to Manage Partitions on Windows Without Downloading Any Other Software
Using Command Prompt
If you like running commands, you have a command you can use in Command Prompt to format your drive in FAT32 format. To do that, first, open the "Start" menu, find "Command Prompt", and select "Run as Administrator." In the "User Account Control" prompt, choose "Yes." On the Command Prompt window, type the following command replacing X with the letter of your USB flash drive. Then, press Enter. When your drive is formatted, close Command Prompt. Related: How to Format a USB Drive on Linux That Works With Windows
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Mar 11, 2023 · Select File Explorer (the folder icon) in the Windows 11 taskbar. Select This PC on the left side of File Explorer. Right-click the USB Drive and select Format . If the File system isn't listed as FAT32, click on the drop-down menu and choose it. Select Start . Wait for the drive to format then select OK to finish the process.
May 13, 2024 · Connect USB or external hard drive to Windows 10 PC. Step 2. Open File Explorer, locate and right-click on the USB drive, select "Format". Step 3. Set the FAT32 as the target file system, tick "Quick Format" and click "Start" to start the formatting. When the process completes, click "OK" to confirm.
1. First, plug in the USB drive—next, open File Explorer. In File Explorer, identify your USB drive and note down the drive letter. We are going to need it in the next step. 2. Once you have the drive letter, open Command Prompt from the Start menu. Alternatively, you can also use the run command cmd. 3.
Dec 26, 2021 · Type powershell and either click OK or press Enter. Once the Powershell window opens, type the following command, replacing the “F” with the letter of the drive you want to format in FAT32: format / FS:FAT32 F: Finally, hit the Enter key. You will see a prompt warning you that all of the data on the drive will be wiped.
Oct 27, 2023 · Step 1: On your Windows 10 computer, right-click on This PC and select the Manage option. Step 2: Under the Storage tab, choose Disk Management. Step 3: Locate your USB drive, right-click on it, and click Format. Step 4: Click on the File system option, and from the drop-down list, select FAT32. Now, tick on Perform a quick format option and ...