How To Format Your USB Drives In Windows - Make Tech Easier

If your USB drive is corrupted or not working properly, formatting it can restore it to its original working state. Even if the drive is fine, formatting is a fast and easy way to clear its data. It also lets you switch the file system for better device compatibility or to handle bigger files, removes malware, and boosts performance by refreshing the file setup. This guide explains how to format a USB drive in Windows.

Table of Contents

• 1. Format USB Drive From File Explorer
• 2. Format USB Drive From Disk Management (Healthy Partition)
• 3. Format USB Drive From Disk Management (Unallocated)
• 4. Use the Direct Format Command in Command Prompt
• 5. Format USB Drive Using Diskpart Command
• 6. Format USB Drive With PowerShell Commands
• 7. Format USB Drive With Local Group Policy Editor
• Frequently Asked Questions

1. Format USB Drive From File Explorer

The most popular way to format a storage device, and arguably one of the easiest, is directly through Windows’ built-in File Explorer utility.

Right-click on the drive in a File Explorer window and choose Format from the pop-up menu.

Choose the file system you’ve decided to use on the device. If the default is NTFS for you, you might want to change it to FAT 32 for better compatibility with other systems (if you plan to store files that are bigger than 4GB, then NTFS is a better choice.)

If you are confused over the file system, check the table below to make the right decision:

Pros	Cons	Best Used For
FAT32	* Compatible with all major operating systems* Less memory usage	* Cannot handle single files larger than 4GB, so you can’t copy a 5GB file in a FAT32 system*Limited partition size (up to 32GB)	* Removable storage devices such as USB flash drives* Devices that need to be plugged into a variety of operating systems
NTFS	* Can create partitions larger than 32GB* Can read/write files larger than 4GB* Supports on-the-fly file encryption	* Limited cross-platform compatibility	* Internal hard drives* Windows system drives
exFAT	* Provides an unlimited file and partition size	* May need additional drivers to get exFAT compatibility on Linux	* External hard drives* Flash drives if you want to work with files larger than 4GB

If you want, you can edit the Volume label. Ensure Quick Format is enabled. Click Start after you make your selection.

You will get a Warning pop-up that says formatting will erase all data on the disk. Click OK to proceed.

Optional step: In the preceding steps, you have a choice to select the allocation unit size. Most USB devices have an optimal allocation unit size, so we suggest choosing the default value. Most storage media today are tuned for 4096 bytes.

Also read: here’s how to find whether a USB drive is bootable in Windows.

2. Format USB Drive From Disk Management (Healthy Partition)

Press Win + X. Choose Disk Management. It will present you with a list of all storage devices and their partitions.

Go to the Disk (Number) containing the USB drive. Right-click to select Format.

A pop-up opens with various format options. Again, you can choose your own Volume label. Keep the File system as whatever is the default for your USB drive.

Ensure Perform a quick format option was enabled. Keep Allocation unit size as Default. Click OK once done.

Again, you will get a warning pop-up window. Click OK to confirm the formatting.

Tip: learn how to create a USB image to back up your data.

3. Format USB Drive From Disk Management (Unallocated)

If, for some reason, Windows didn’t assign a letter to your USB drive, or its file system was corrupted, it may not show up in File Explorer. Again, Disk Management can help format such drives that are invisible.

In this scenario, your USB drive’s space would show Unallocated. Right-click on it and create a New Simple Volume.

Follow the New Simple Volume Wizard to create a partition and then format it. Click Next to begin.

Next, you have to Specify Volume Size. Keep it at its default values, and click Next.

Optional: If you want to create more than one partition on your USB drive, you can input a smaller volume size. This will leave space on your drive, allowing you to create more partitions later.

Assign a drive letter to the partition you are creating directly from this wizard, and click Next.

You’ll be able to choose a File system and Allocation unit size. Enter a Volume label and go for the default Perform a quick format. Click Next.

The wizard will present a summary of your choices. Click on Finish to accept them and format your USB drive.

Also read: find out everything there is to know about the differences between a USB, an SSD, and an HDD.

4. Use the Direct Format Command in Command Prompt

If you prefer using the Command Prompt, there is a direct method to format your USB drive. Note down its drive letter from This PC, which is E: in this example.

Open Command Prompt in administrator mode. Enter the following:

format /Drive letter name/: /FS:NTFS /Q

It will show a message, that says: Insert new disk for drive letter. Press Enter. The file system, volume label, and quick formatting options are displayed below it. Click Enter to finish the formatting process.

Also read: check out our detailed guide to format USB drive for Mac as well as PC.

5. Format USB Drive Using Diskpart Command

Open Command Prompt in administrator mode. Enter the diskpart command.

The Command Prompt window will display a “diskpart” status on the title bar. Next, enter list disk.

It will demonstrate all available disk drives on your system listed as disk numbers, including the USB drive. Enter select disk #. Once it becomes the selected disk, enter clean disk #.

The USB drive space will show Unallocated. Go back to one of the previous Disk Management sections to assign a letter to this section.

Also read: learn how to access the WindowsApps folder in Windows.

6. Format USB Drive With PowerShell Commands

Open PowerShell in administrator mode.

Fire up PowerShell with administrative privileges. Type the following to see a list of your connected storage devices:

Get-Disk

In our case, it displayed the USB Flash Drive as the Number 1 drive. Now, clear the disk as shown here.

Clear-Disk -Number 1 -RemoveData

Answer positively (by typing Y and pressing Enter) when asked if you’re sure you want to perform this action.

The formatting will take a few seconds. After that, you can again go to Disk Management and create a proper volume.

Also read; here is how to choose between SATA vs. NVME for your SSD.

7. Format USB Drive With Local Group Policy Editor

Sometimes, while trying to format a USB, you will notice the formatting is being prevented accidentally or there are some write protections that you cannot fix with the above methods. It’s usually an accidental policy on removable drives that you need to rectify.

Open the Local Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc in Run command.

Go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates ->System -> Removable Storage Access -> Removable Disks: Deny Write Access. Double-click on it to open a new window.

If the policy is Enabled, you will not be able to format the USB drive. To enable formatting, click Disabled. After that, click Apply -> OK. Once it’s disabled, you can again format the USB drive through regular means.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will formatting a USB drive damage it?

While overwriting a flash drive does shorten its lifespan if done frequently, these drives are meant to withstand at least 10,000 write cycles or more. Therefore, occasional formatting cannot damage it.

What format should a USB drive be in to hold music?

If you intend to use a USB drive to manage a playlist of songs, you need to store the playlist in a format that the receiver understands. Generally, FAT32 and NTFS in USB are fine to use with any external playback devices.

How can I fix an unformattable USB drive?

If your USB drive just won’t format itself, the reasons can be many, from bad sectors to no volume showing. To fix such a USB drive, go to Disk Management and right-click to delete the volume, then reallocate a simple volume using the above methods. For more ways to deal with unformattable and unusable USB drives, check this handy guide.