Dec 16, 2020 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions
USB drives are something of daily use for a modern-day person. From listening to music to transferring important files from pc to pc, we use flash drives for a variety of reasons. These flash drives are plugged into several different devices and hence are at risk of corruption or malfunctioning and might require to be formatted at times. The USB flash drive can be formatted in a variety of ways like depending upon the operating system and other features.
There are various free third-party Windows applications that can be used to format SanDisk USB flash drives in the FAT32 file system for use in devices that do not support the exFAT file system. We recommend the following applications available for download at Softpedia: FAT32format (GUIFormat) HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. Shrink NTFS disk with Windows Disk Management. Another way to convert NTFS to FAT32 without losing data is to use the Windows Disk Management tool. However, instead of directly formatting the drive to FAT32, you'll first have to shrink the volume to half of its size if you want to keep your data safe. FAT32 Format is a free program that enables people to configure any hard drive, micro SD card, SD card, and USB drive that is more than 32 GB to the FAT32 file system. Microsoft Windows operating systems are notorious for not being able to structure a drive that is higher than 32 GB.
- Do you have a corrupted external HDD or USB flash drive.Download Smartdisk Fat32 Format utility and convert your hard disk to FAT32 file system.Format your Corrupted HDD and USB flash disk for free now.
- Once you follow the instructions, you can double-check in Disk Utility. I suggest you quit Disk Utility, then start it again. Click on the newly formatted drive in the left list of the available drives. The FAT32 format should appear in the descriptions below the window in bottom margin.
Sometimes, certain devices may only read specific USB file systems. So learning how to format your USB to a new file system is something that will come in handy.
Part 1: What is FAT32 Format?
FAT32 is an improved version of the FAT system which was introduced in 1996 by Microsoft with its Window95 OSR2 system. The purpose of its development was to be a better version of the FAT16 in terms of speed, performance, robustness, flexibility, and to support larger volumes.
Part 2: What Should You Do before Formatting a USB Drive?
A USB drive may contain songs, videos, documents, important files, etc. depending on the person who uses it. So most people don't prefer formatting unless they want to get rid of those files. Formatting can also be done on faulty USB drives in which case, the user should move all the data in it before deletion.
If a device is not being detected or faulty, formatting is the last step. The user should try all the options to make it visible whether it is a Windows or Mac. Even then if it doesn't work trying to repair and recover the files is the next option.
Part 3: How to Format USB to FAT32 on Windows 10?
In some cases, the USB flash drives need to be formatted to FAT32 as it is one of the most preferred and compatible file systems for both mac and windows. But, while trying to format a flash drive in the usual manner, problems may arise or the FAT32 option might not be available. In such cases, we can resort to alternative as well as simple methods to achieve the goal.
Let us have a look at how a USB flash drive can be formatted to FAT32 via file explorer as well as via disk management.
Method 1: Format USB to FAT32 via File Explorer
A common and easy way to format a USB drive to FAT32 is to make use of the File Explorer.
Step 1: Connect the USB drive or the desired external hard drive to the Windows 10 computer
Acrobat professional descargar. Step 2: Launch the File Explorer and from it find the USB drive. Right-click on the drive and select Format
Step 3: Select the FAT32 type as the target file system and select the box beside Quick Format. Tap on Start to start the formatting process.
When you are notified about the completion of the process tap OK. Your USB is now is FAT32.
Method 2: Format USB to FAT32 via Disk Management
Disk management is a built-in utility of Windows which is made to help users with the disk partition related problems or works. It is also one of the most preferred choices when it comes to formatting USB to FAT32.
Step 1: Right-click on My Computer and select the Manage option
Step 2: Under Storage tap the Disk Management option Pdf converter for macbook air.
Step 3: from the volume list select the thumb drive
Step 4: Right-click on it and then tap Format
Step 5: Select FAT32 format from the file system: list box
Step 6: tap OK
Part 4: Format USB to FAT32 on Mac - macOS 10.15 Catalina
Formatting a USB flash drive to FAT32 on Mac is easy as windows. To do so you can either use the disk utility or the terminal command line.
Method 1: Use Disk Utility
Follow the steps to format FAT32 with Disk Utility:
Step 1: Plug the USB drive that needs to be formatted to the Mac computer.
Step 2: Navigate to Applications and then to Utilities. Does playstation have a support email. Tap it twice to open.
Step 3: Choose the drive that needs to be formatted and tap on Erase.
Step 4: You can rename the USB drive if needed. Choose the MS-DOS(FAT) to format.
Disk Utility Mac Fat32 Missing
Step 5: Select the Master Boot Record for the scheme and then tap Erase.
Step 6: When the process is complete the USB drive is converted to the FAT32 file system.
Method 2: Use Terminal Command Line
The command line also works in the same way as the disk utility to format the USB drive.
Follow the steps to format FAT32 with the Terminal command line:
Step 1: Plug the USB flash drive that needs to be formatted to a Mac computer.
Step 2: To run Spotlight press cmd + space and type: terminal and press Enter
Step 3: Type diskutil list and then find the drive that is acting as your USB
Step 4: Type sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2
- Sudo - grants you the user right.
- Diskutil – calls the disk utility program.
- erase disk – to command to format the drive
- FAT32 - selects the file system
- MBRFormat – pass information to disk utility commanding to format with a Master Boot Record
- /dev/disk2 - it is the USB drive location
The process may take some time to complete. Wait patiently. On completion type diskutil list in command box if you want to check whether the formatting had been successful
Part 5: How to Recover Lost Data after Formatting a USB Drive to FAT32?
The formatting USB drive is an easy task. But before formatting, some might be worried about the files or data in the USB drive. There may be irrelevant as well as very important files that can't be replaced in a USB drive. But what to do if the drive is a corrupt one or malfunctioning in some ways?
You need not worry as there are varieties of applications available in the market for recovering such files. An application like Recoverit helps you to recover almost all data, ranging from documents to big size videos from a USB drive even after formatting to FAT32.
Recoverit Data Recovery is one of the best and preferred applications in the market and the steps for data recovery are pretty simple and the same whether it be a Windows or a Mac. the recovery of data from an external drive can be done in these three simple steps
- Select a location
- Scan the location
- Preview and recover data
Recoverit Data Recovery - The Best File Recovery Software
Recoverit allows the user to recover any lost data regardless of the model and type of the external device. There is a high success rate in the recovery of files using Recoverit whether it be memory cards, external hard disks, cameras, USB flash drives, music players, etc.
Step 1: Select the external device/drive
To recover deleted or lost files from an external device, it needs to be selected as the target location for data searching and scanning
Step 2: Scan the removable media
A complete scanning will be initiated once you select Start. The scanning usually takes some time depending on the size of the USB drive In between the process, the desired files can be located and filtered.
Step 3: Preview of files and recovery
After the whole scanning process, Recoverit allows the user to preview the located files. All the files including photos, videos, documents, videos, audios, etc. can be previewed.
Then, select the files that you need to recover and tap the Recover bar. http://zxmudd.xtgem.com/Blog/__xtblog_entry/19462408-strategy-games-for-mac#xt_blog.
All the files will be recovered and saved for your use.
Conclusion
The loss of files from a USB drive or the drive itself malfunctioning is a common issue in today's world. The loss of important files and data can have a huge impact on our domestic life as well as work. But, applications like Recoverit helps us to tackle these issues and move forward.
USB Topic
- Recover USB Drive
- Format USB Drive
- Fix/Repair USB Drive
- Know USB Drive
Download Free FAT32 Formatter Tool
When I inserted a Toshiba USB flash drive into Windows 10 computer and chose 'Format', I got the dialogue box as shown below. I learned that my Toshiba USB drive was allowed to format to NTFS, FAT32 (Default) and exFAT. Many people would have the question about how to choose the proper file system, and next, I'll give the explanation.
- NTFS
NTFS works with all versions of Windows, but read-only with Mac OS X by default. It's mostly used for Windows system drive and other internal drives that will just be used with Windows.
- FAT32
FAT32 works with all versions of Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Practically, most USB drives are pre-formatted with FAT32. And most game consoles, such as PlayStation, require external USB drive with the FAT32 format.
FAT32 has a limit that files larger than 4GB can't be stored on a FAT32 drive. It supports file size no larger than 4GB and a maximum partition size 8TB.
- exFAT
exFAT is an ideal file system for USB flash drives and other external drives. It's more compatible with Windows and Mac OS X than NTFS and has no file size limit as FAT32. However, exFAT is a newer file system that was introduced in 2006, some older devices may not support this file system.
Understand the difference between NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT now? Whenever you need to format USB flash drive to FAT32, even reformat a drive to FAT32, you can download the free FAT32 formatter tool to perform the task. Besides, the FAT32 formatter can also help to convert NTFS to FAT32.
Effectively Apply FAT32 Formatter in Three Ways
1. Free FAT32 Format Tool - EaseUS Partition Master
EaseUS Partition Master is an all-in-one internal drive and external USB, SD, memory stick FAT32 formatting/reformatting solution in Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista. The problem about FAT32 that you cannot solve in Windows Disk Management shall be easily overcome by EaseUS free partition manager. People seeking for a powerful, easy-to-use and Windows 10-compatible disk and partition management tool have chosen it as the best free FAT32 formatter. Use the software to format new drive as FAT32. In addition, you can also convert NTFS to FAT32 without losing data.
- Warning
- Before downloading the FAT32 formatter for Windows 10, you'd better back up all data on the disk because the FAT32 formatter will wipe all data. Read this article for details on how to backup your pc.
Step 1: Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition you intend to format and choose 'Format'. https://torrenthydro.mystrikingly.com/blog/behringer-bcd2000-driver-windows-10.
Step 2: In the new window, enter the Partition label, choose the FAT32 file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs, then click 'OK'.
Step 3: Then you will see a warning window, click 'OK' in it to continue.
Step 4: Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting the partition to FAT32.
2. Built-in FAT32 Formatter - Windows Disk Management
As I've said, when you plug in a USB drive in a Windows computer, you can directly format the drive to the FAT32 file system by using the built-in Windows Disk Management. However, once your drive's default file system is not preformatted as FAT32, You can only be allowed to format it to NTFS, the default file system in Windows. So, the first attempt sometimes may fail. In this case, move on to the second option of FAT32 formatter tool.
1. Press Windows + X to open Disk Management.
2. Choose the target partition of your disk that you want to format to FAT32 and click Format from the right-click menu.
- Notice:
- You may ask: can a 64gb USB be formatted to fat32? The Disk Management does not allow you to format disk larger than 32GB as fat32. As the same, you can not format it to fat32 in Windows File Explorer and Diskpart.
3. Appilable FAT32 Formatter - Diskpart
Disk Utility Fat32
Now we are going to show you the last fat32 format tool in Windows 10. This method is more complicated than the other ways, do as following:
Step 1. Open search box and input diskpart.
Step 2. Copy the following commands.
Disk Utility Fat32
Step 3. Then type exit. (You can not format disk larger than 32GB to fat32, go back to the method one.)