Common problems of formatting USB drive to FAT32 One can also use this method to format a bootable USB flash drive that was used as a boot device before FAT32. Make a backup image for important files on the USB, if any. Note: Formatting the USB storage device will delete all contents on the device. select volume X ( X is the partition on the USB drive).Input the following commands in order and each command is followed by Then type “diskpart” in the box and press to open Command Prompt.Ģ. Following are detailed steps on formatting USB to FAT32 using CMD. USB made by manufacturers like HP, Kingston, Samsung, etc. It is also a good program to format, for example, SONY Bravia USB or a pen drive, to FAT32 or NTFS. During this process, you have the choice to choose a file system.ĭiskpart.exe is frequently used for advanced users because it offers unattended service as well.

Right-click the partition you want to format and select “Format…” and done. Go to Computer/This PC > Manage to open this utility. Disk Management has a graphical user interface which makes it easy to use for most users. Windows actually provides snap-in partition format tools, Disk Management and Command Prompt. Just pay attention to these limitations when dealing with them. FAT32 fails to read single files larger than 4GB and single partitions greater than 2TB. So compatibility is quite an important property for the USB drive.įAT32 takes up less space on a USB drive and has less disk writing operations, which provides faster speed and less memory usage.Īlthough FAT32 is the better file system used on a USB key, there are several limits to using this file system. As a removable device, being moved around between different operating systems, XBOX, PS3/PS4, Android, etc. Since it was created early, FAT32 is compatible with virtually all operating systems. Old as it is, FAT32 is still a better file system for the USB drive.

USB flash drive is organized in clusters and the allocation unit size describes the size of a single cluster like other hard drives. One can change the file system without formatting between FAT32 and NTFS. FAT32 vs. NTFS: Which is better for USB Stick?įAT32 and NTFS are different partition file systems that are widely used in Windows operating systems.

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