How to format a USB flash drive

Does flash drive USB, with which you usually keep their working papers, began to play? Does copying files slow down or transfer data sometimes interrupted due to strange error messages?

If your USB device is not damaged by hardware, you can try to fix all of these problems with a good format, a bit like a PC. As they say, you completely agree with me, but have no idea how to format a USB memory? Well, don’t worry … I can explain everything to you step by step.

Yes, I know, I said in such a way that it might seem like a difficult thing, almost impossible for those who are still poorly versed in computing.

But no! I can assure you that deleting all the contents of the USB memory and formatting it is very easy, regardless of the operating system installed on your PC windows o OS X. In any case, do not worry, I will explain everything in detail.

But now ring up the conversation and let’s get to work right away. Come on, take five minutes of free time and open with me how to format a USB flash drive.

I have no doubt that everything will be fine and that, if necessary, it will also be ready and available to explain to your friends that they need similar advice on how to do it.

But now ring up the conversation and let’s get to work right away. Come on, take five minutes of free time and open with me how to format a USB flash drive.I have no doubt that everything will be fine and that, if necessary, it will also be ready and available to explain to your friends that they need similar advice on how to do it.

Format the USB stick on Windows PC

If you are using a Windows PC and are interested in understanding how to format a USB flash drive , be aware that you do not have to resort to using the program to perform this operation, just use a special utility that is available on all PCs with one of the Operating systems installed by Microsoft.

To format the USB stick Therefore, in Windows, the first step you should take is to connect the device to the PC through one of the corresponding ports of the same one, after which you should access Windows Explorer o Explorer (the item changes depending on the version of Windows you are using). by clicking the icon representing the yellow folder on the taskbar.

Then select Computer, this PC (also in this case, the item changes according to the version of Windows you are using) in the left sidebar of the displayed window, and then identifies the icon of the key to be formatted. If you are using a Windows XP PC installed, click the start button and then go to My Computer to find the USB flash drive icon to format.

At this point, right-click on the disk to format icon and select Format from the menu that appears. In the window that opens, select the FAT32 , ExFAT y the NTFS file system to format the drive, select it in the appropriate drop-down menu under the item file system:

The choice of file system depends on your needs, more precisely on the type of file you want to save on the device and the devices on which you want to use it: PCs, media players, TVs, etc. Below are the file systems to choose from for key formatting and its characteristics.

Key formatting and its characteristics

• FAT32 is the default setting that allows you to create devices that are perfectly compatible with all devices. On the other hand, it does not allow you to archive individual files that are larger than 4 GB.
• NTFS is Microsoft’s startup file system, it can store even files larger than 4GB, but is less compatible than FAT. On a Mac, for example, it is usually read-only and cannot be read by various media players.
• ExFAT This is an evolution of the FAT file system that allows you to store files larger than 4 GB and is compatible with most devices.

Once you have selected the file system, enter the name that will be assigned to the device in the box under the Volume label entry and then choose whether you want to perform fast or full format by keeping or unchecking the checkbox next to the item. Fast format.

The difference between fast and full format is that the integrity of the formatted disk is also done in a second (hence it takes longer). If you had to choose a quick format procedure, also keep in mind that the free space on the device will not be recovered, so as long as the disk is not overwritten with other files, it will always be possible to recover the data that was last deleted.

After you have adjusted all the settings, press the button starts to start the operation, and then wait for it to start and complete the key formatting procedure.

When formatting is complete, to remove the key from the PC, right-click again on the device icon located in Windows Explorer o Explorer and click on the item from the pinned menu shown.

Bottom Line

If errors appear and you are unable to format the flash drive, make sure your device is not write protected. In this case, try moving the lever or try one of the illustrated “tricks” in my manual. how to format a secure USB memory?