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How do I format a USB flash drive to FAT32?
How to convert USB to FAT32 in Windows 10?
How do I format a USB drive in Windows 10?
Can a 32GB USB drive be formatted into FAT32?
Nov 10, 2023 · This command will tell your USB drive to format with ntfs format. You can also use fat32 or exfat instead by replacing "ntfs" in the command. You'll see "DiskPart successfully formatted the volume" when it's finished.
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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 · Format a USB Drive in FAT32 Using Powershell Command Line Tools. If you want to format a drive larger than 32GB, then your only option is to use Windows 10's Powershell Command Line Tools to do so. It's a much slower process than through File Explorer, but it works.
Apr 12, 2024 · Then type the command format fs=ntfs or format fs=fat32, and press Enter to format the USB flash drive to NTFS or FAT32 format. Optionally you can add a “quick” flag after the command for a faster format.
May 12, 2023 · Below are steps about how to format USB to FAT32 with Command Prompt. You will need local administrator access on the computer to follow these steps. Warning: The formatting process means data loss, so back up everything important before proceeding.
May 13, 2024 · When you fail to format a USB flash drive, external hard drive, pen drive, SD memory card to FAT 32 in Windows 10, you can refer to provided solutions on this page. It will help you effectively format FAT32 in Windows 10 by using CMD/DiskPart/PowerShell command line or professional FAT32 formatter. Free Download.
Oct 16, 2020 · If you need to format a USB flash drive, HDD, SDD, or some other form of storage to FAT32, you've come to the right place. In this article we'll go over what a file system is, the FAT32 standard, and several ways to format a storage device to FAT32 on Windows 10.
