2 Simple Ways to Erase and Format a USB Flash Drive

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A complete guide to preparing and formatting removable USB drives on a PC or Mac

Co-authored by Scott St Gelais and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: November 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using Windows

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Using Mac

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

When you format a pendrive, all files and folders on the drive are removed and replaced with a new file system. This can help repair any issues with the flash drive itself or make it compatible with new files you want to transfer. Be sure to back up your files before formatting your drive. This wikiHow will teach you how to format a USB flash drive using your Windows or Mac computer.

How to Format a USB Pen or Drive

Connect the USB drive to a USB port on your computer.
Open the File Explorer and select "This PC" from the menu.
Right click on the USN drive and choose "Format".
Click on "File System" and choose the NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT format.
Select "Start" and click "OK" to finish formatting your flash drive.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Windows

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1
Connect the USB flash drive to your computer. Plug the USB into one of your PC's USB ports, which resemble thin, rectangular slots on your computer's housing.
- If you have any files stored on your flash drive, transfer the data to a computer. Formatting a flash drive will delete all its contents and give it a new file system.
2
Open the File Explorer and click This PC. You can find this option in the left panel, next to a monitor icon.
- On Windows 7, click Computer on the right side of the Start window.
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It's beneath the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page. This will bring up a drop-down menu.
This option is near the middle of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the Format window.
5
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.
- exFAT - Similar to FAT32, but designed for external hard drives (e.g., flash drives) and quicker use. It's a universal format that is most common across Windows, Linux, and Mac.
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Click a format option. The option you pick will depend on what you plan on using the drive for. For example, choose FAT32 if you're formatting the flash drive for use with a gaming console, or choose NTFS if you're creating a Windows-only backup drive.
- If you've formatted your drive before and you're positive that it isn't broken, you can also check the Quick Format box.
Windows will begin formatting the flash drive.
Your flash drive has successfully been formatted.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Mac

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1
Connect the USB flash drive to your computer. To do so, plug it into one of your Mac's USB ports, which resemble thin, rectangular slots on your computer's housing.
- Formatting a flash drive will delete all its contents and give it a new file system. Be sure to transfer any files to your computer or a new USB if you want to keep them.
- Some Macs don't have USB ports, so you'll need to purchase an adapter.
2
Click Go. It's a menu item in the top-left side of the menu bar.
- If you don't see Go, you can use the Finder, which resembles a blue face in your Mac's dock.
This option is in the Go drop-down menu.
You'll likely find this option in the middle of the Utilities page.^{[1]
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It's on the far-left side of the Disk Utility window.
This option is at the top of the Disk Utility window.
7
Click the "Format" box. It's in the middle of the page. This will bring up a drop-down menu with the following options:
- Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
- Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)
- Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
- Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted)
- MS-DOS (FAT)
- ExFAT
You'll generally use one of the Mac OS options for a Mac-only flash drive (e.g., a backup drive), though you'd choose MS-DOS (FAT) or ExFat for greater compatibility.
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.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I do this in Windows 10? There is no Format option when I right click on my flash drive. I've tried clicking almost everything and can't find anything that changes the format. I can't make an system image until I can change my format to NTFS.

Community Answer

Search for "My PC" in the bottom LHS search window. W10 responded with "This PC" and displayed a schematic which will be familiar to you. Right click on the USB drive icon and select format from the tabulation.

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Question

Where is the delete or format option located?

Community Answer

A format option should appear on your screen once you plug in your flash drive and it needs to be formatted. To delete a file on your flash drive, look at My Computer and you will see it listed in the list of Drives. Then delete it as you would any other file.

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Question

I know that a "Quick Format" takes just a minute or two, but how long does a "Regular Format" usually take?

Community Answer

It might take up to half hour, but it depends on your USB and PC.

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The formatting process will likely take some time if your flash drive has a lot of information on it.

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Warnings

You should not re-format your computer's internal hard drive.

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Formatting a flash drive will remove all of its contents and give it a new file system.

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