How To Format Flash Drive For Mac And Windows

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Erase the USB disk using exFAT. ExFAT is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.5 or newer, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. To erase the disk, open Disk Utility (Applications Utilities folder), select the USB drive in the sidebar, go to Erase tab and select exFAT on Format. Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products. Click a format option (FAT32 or NTFS). If you’ve formatted your drive before and you’re positive that it isn’t broken, you can also check the Quick Format box. Click Start, and then click OK. Here's how to format a drive using a Mac - including how to format a drive for Windows and Mac so the contents can be read on both platforms, and what format to use for Time Machine.

Note: Formatting your flash drive will remove all files or folders onthe drive, so make sure you back up your files before formatting yourdrive.

Windows:

  1. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer.

  1. Click “This PC”.

  1. Right-click the flash drive’s icon. It’s beneath the “Devices and drives” heading in the middle of the page.

  1. Click Format. This option is near the middle of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Format window.

  1. Click the “File System” box. It’s below the “File System” heading near the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear with the following options:

NTFS - The default Windows operating system format. If you’re using your drive as a secondary Windows drive, you’ll need to choose this option.

FAT32 - The most widely compatible format. Works with most computers and gaming consoles.

Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products.

How-to-format-usb-flash-drives-to-work-with-both-mac-and-windows-7

  1. Click a format option (FAT32 or NTFS). If you’ve formatted your drive before and you’re positive that it isn’t broken, you can also check the Quick Format box.

  1. Click Start, and then click OK. Doing this will cause Windows to begin formatting your flash drive for you.

  1. Click “OK” when prompted. Your flash drive has successfully been formatted.

Mac:

  1. Connect the USB flash drive to your Mac.

Note: Some Macs don’t have USB ports, so you’ll need to purchase an adapter.

  1. Click “Go”. It’s a menu item in the top-left side of the menu bar.

How To Format Pen Drive For Mac And Windows

If you don’t see Go, first click the Finder icon, which resembles a blue face in your Mac’s dock.

  1. Click “Utilities”. This option is in the Go drop-down menu.

  1. Double-click “Disk Utility”. You’ll likely find this option in the middle of the Utilities page.

  1. Click your flash drive’s name. It’s on the far-left side of the Disk Utility window.

  1. Click the “Erase” tab. This option is at the top of the Disk Utility window.

  1. Click a format option.

Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products.

  1. Click Erase, then click Erase when prompted. This will begin the formatting process. Once the formatting is complete, you’ll see an icon for your flash drive appear on your Mac’s desktop.

How can I format USB drive in CMD? How to format USB using CMD to NTFS? Can I format a USB using CMD in Windows 10? Don't worry if you have the same questions in your mind.

On this page, you'll learn how to format USB using CMD or CMD alternative tool in Windows 10/8/7 successfully. Pick up the suitable USB format tool for help now:

USB Format ToolPros
1. Format USB Using CMD
  • Format to NTFS/FAT32
  • For professional users
2. Format USB Via CMD Alternative
  • Format to NTFS/FAT32/exFAT/EXT4/3/2
  • Convert FAT32 to NTFS without formatting
  • For all levels of users, beginners' best choice
Notice:
As formatting will remove all saved data on the USB drive, if your USB is accessible, make sure to back up valuable USB data to another secure location in advance.

If you prefer an easy and quick way to format USB or you need to format to Ext 4/3/2, pick up CMD alternative format tool for help.

Let's start to format your USB using CMD or its alternative tool and make the RAW, inaccessible, unreadable, and even corrupted USB flash drive, pen drive, memory stick work normally again.

Part 1. How to Format USB Flash Drive Using CMD (Command Prompt)

Applies to: Format USB to FAT32/NTFS, format RAW USB, repair corrupted USB, etc.

USB flash drive is worldwide used for storing data and transferring files. However, sometimes, USB may corrupt or become inaccessible due to RAW or invalid file system, bad sector, or other errors. Formatting USB using CMD is a quick way to resolve these problems.

The following are two detailed guides, illustrating how to format a USB flash drive using Windows Command Prompt that you should strictly follow.

Steps to Format USB (to NTFS or FAT32) Using CMD

#1. Format USB using CMD in Windows 10:

Step 1. Connect USB to your PC and press Windows + R keys.

Step 2. Type cmd in the Search box and hit Enter to bring up Command Prompt.

Step 3. Type the following command lines one by one and hit Enter each time:

  • diskpart
  • list disk
  • select disk + number (Replace 2 with the number of your USB drive.)
  • list volume
  • select volume + number (Replace 10 with the volume number of your USB flash drive.)
  • format fs=ntfs quick (You can also replace NTFS with FAT32 or exFAT.)
  • exit

CMD also works to fix Windows was unable to complete the format error in your computer hard drive, USB, or other storage devices.

#2. Format USB Flash Drive using Command Prompt in Windows 8/7:

Step 1. Plug USB in your computer and click the Windows icon and select 'Search'.

Step 2. Type command prompt in the Search box.

Right-click on Command Prompt and choose 'Run as administrator'.

Format

Step 3. On the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press 'Enter'.

Step 4 Type list disk and press 'Enter'. Check the disk number of your USB flash drive. For example, disk 2.

Step 5. Now type select disk 2 and press 'Enter'. (If the USB number is not 2, replace it with the right one.)

Step 6. Type format fs=ntfs and press 'Enter'.

If you prefer other file system formats, change the command NTFS to the desired one, such as format fs=fat32.

Step 7. Type exit and hit Enter to close the window.

How To Format Flash Drive For Mac And Windows

After this, exit DiskPart and you save data to your USB flash drive again. However, as Linux file system Ext2/3 is not compatible with Windows OS, you can refer to a UBS format tool in Part 2 for help.

Part 2. Format USB Using CMD Alternative in Windows 10/8/7

Applies to: Format corrupted USB, format USB to Ext2, Ext3, format FAT32 USB to NTFS, format USB to FAT32, etc. on all Windows OS.

Although CMD is capable of formatting USB flash drive, it's not user-friendly for most Windows beginners. Also, it requires users to remember all command lines while executing operations in Command Prompt.

Also, any importer operation may cause data loss on other storage devices. Here, we would like to recommend you try third-party CMD alternative software - EaseUS free partition manager.

EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition is a perfect CMD alternative tool for USB formatting. With an easy-to-use interface and precise operation, you can use it to format USB easily in only a few clicks.

Tutorial - 4 Steps to Format USB via CMD Alternative in Windows 10/8/7

All levels of users can apply this tool and format USB to usable again in Windows 10/8/7:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card which you want to format and choose the 'Format' option.

Step 2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click 'OK'.

Step 3. In the Warning window, click 'OK' to continue.

Step 4. Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting your external hard drive/USB/SD card.

Part 3. Bonus Tips to Fix Errors While Formatting USB Using CMD

According to some USB users, they reported that they encountered some errors while formatting USB in CMD.

Here, we've collected two common errors in formatting USB using CMD, if you get the same errors, don't worry. You can follow the provided solutions to resolve them:

Error 1: Diskpart format fs=ntfs stuck at 0, 10, 11, 12...

If the formatting process gets stuck in DiskPart, as the shown message, don't worry. You have two ways to go:

  1. #1. Just wait for the formatting process to complete.
  2. #2. Close CMD, turn to EaseUS Partition Master in Part 2 to format your drive.

Error 2: Diskpart has encountered an error: Access is denied. See the System Event Log for more information.

If you come across this issue, click the link below to get rid of the problem:

Data Recovery is not a challenge anymore. EaseUS serves as a dependable data recovery application to retrieve lost data within simple clicks.

The End Line

Due to its portability, flexibility, large storage size, and reasonable price, USB flash drive is still the No.1 external storage device around the world.

While using USB for data transferring or storage, problems with USB flash drives also increase. Formatting USB flash drive is one of the top issues.

On this page, we included two USB formatting tools to help you format USB using CMD or CMD alternative - EaseUS Partition Master. You may pick up a suitable tool and follow the respective tutorial guide to make your USB flash drive work normally.

For an easy and free formatting resolution, take EaseUS Partition Master as your first choice. It's a perfect CMD alternative tool that can help you anytime.

People Also Ask About Format USB Using CMD

Usb Format Mac And Windows

Some of you may have more questions about formatting USB. Here we collected some top concerned questions and listed answers below. If you have the same doubts, check out the answers now.

1. Why do you need to format USB flash drive?

Usually, HDDs and SSDs are widely used for OS installation and data storage and removable storage devices like USB flash drives are more used for data transferring and storage. But the USB flash drive may become inaccessible, and you'll need to format it so as to make it work again.

Here is a list of reasons why do you and other USB users need to format the flash drive:

  1. 1. RAW, invalid, or unrecognized USB file system
  2. 2. USB flash drive corruption
  3. 3. Virus infection
  4. 3. USB is write-protected
  5. 3. Change USB file system to NTFS, FAT32, or Ext 2/3/4 by formatting

2. How to format bootable USB using cmd？

The process of formatting a bootable USB flash drive is almost the same as the process shown on this page. You can apply CMD to format it with the listed steps here:

Format Flash Drive Windows 10

  1. Step 1. Connect the bootable USB drive to your PC.
  2. Step 2. Open Command Prompt.
  3. Step 3. Type diskpart and hit Enter.
  4. Step 4. Type list disk and hit Enter.
  5. Step 5.Type select disk + number and hit Enter. (Replace 2 with the number of your USB drive.)
  6. Step 6. Type list volume and hit Enter.
  7. Step 7. select volume + number and hit Enter. (Replace 10 with the volume number of your USB flash drive.)
  8. Step 8. Type format fs=ntfs quick and hit Enter. (You can also replace NTFS with FAT32 or exFAT.)
  9. Step 9. Type exit and hit Enter.

3. How to format write-protected USB using cmd?

Formatting A Flash Drive Mac

Here are the steps that you can follow to format a write-protected (read-only) USB using the command lines below:

  1. Step 1. Press 'Win + R', type cmd to open 'Command Prompt'.
  2. Step 2. Type diskpart and hit Enter.
  3. Step 3. Type list disk and hit Enter.
  4. Step 4. Type select disk 2 and hit Enter. (Replace 2 with the write-protected device number) and hit Enter.
  5. Step 5. Type attributes disk clear readonly and hit Enter.
  6. Step 6. Type exit to close the diskpart window.

Once the write protection removing process completes, you can format the USB drive again. You can either apply EaseUS Partition Master, Windows File Explorer, or even the CMD command as shown in Part 2 to format the USB drive.

4. Windows was unable to complete the format, how to fix it?

When you use File Explorer to format the USB flash drive, it warns you that 'Windows was unable to complete the format', don't worry. Here are 7 ways that you can try to fix this error:

  1. #1. Use EaseUS Partition Master
  2. #2. Use Diskpart Command
  3. #3. Use Disk Management
  4. #4. Clear Virus and Complete the Format
  5. #5. Remove Write Protection and Complete the Format
  6. #6. Fix Disk Errors and Complete the Format
  7. #7. Repair Bad Sectors and Complete the Format

Note that you can try the above two tutorials to format your USB flash drive and resolve this issue. You can also follow this link to get rid of the Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format error immediately.