【Format USB Flash Drive in Windows 10】Step by Step Guide 2022

Also known as, a USB flash drive It is a data storage unit that connects to computers or other electronic devices. A) Yes, for saving files to a portable device for easy transfer.

Today, almost all have a USB flash drive to move files from one computer to another, share documents or play content. But sometimes, reveals certain issues and you need to format it.

Via a PC with Windows 10, it is very easy and fast to format a pendrive in order to be able to assign it any type of use. Indeed, here we will teach you how to do it correctly and we will even show you how to fix certain failures during this process.

When should I format a USB flash drive?

As its name indicates, the term “format” Refers to a set of operations that are performed to restore to its initial configuration a certain element that contains data. That is, to its factory state or original state, deleting all the information it contains. Consequently, the fact of formatting a USB flash drive allows you to clean the unit completely in order to install anything else on it.

Since, it takes care of that device memory is rewritten with new information. Thus, formatting a flash drive is an ideal method to format the drive in question and prepare the USB stick, with the aim that it can store new data. Taking into account that, in addition, this action helps to change the file system that is used. Therefore, there are several reasons why a USB flash drive should be formatted, since it depends on the requirements of each user specifically.

However, the main causes for carrying out a formatting process on a flash drive are the following:

• usb stick is infected by a virus.
• The device presents format errors.
• capacity limit it is saturated.
• The unit presents problems storing new data.
• The flash drive contains personal information that must be completely destroyed.

Learn how to format a USB flash drive in Windows 10

Fortunately, the W10 operating system provides the facility to format a pen drivea hard drive and even an external partition with great ease. Since, does not require the installation of additional tools to be able to run it. However, you can do this as long as the storage device use any of the file systems supported by Windows (ie: NTFS, FAT32 and ExFAT).

Next, we explain what you must do to format a USB flash drive from Windows 10 with the help of our step-by-step guide:

• Initially, you have to connect your flash drive through a USB port in the computer.
• Now go to the Windows Explorer Y search for “This computer” to see the connected drives. Over there, right click on the device to use and click on “Format” from the drop down menu.

• in the window of Format USB Drivego to the section “File System” and through the menu, click on “ExFAT”. We recommend you select shower option because it is the most modern, optimized and compatible file system for flash drives (or any external drive).

• Then in the field that says “Volume Label”, enter the name you prefer to identify it. If you don’t want to do it, the same Windows system takes care of adding a label for the volume.

• Later, in the Format Options section, you can Check the “Quick Format” box which deals with creating the file system structure without checking the integrity of each sector and is the most recommended method for any disk that you know does not have bad sectors. Otherwise, uncheck that box to opt for Full Format.

• Done all of the above It is time to go to the bottom of the pop-up window and click on the “Start” button. With this, the process of formatting your storage unit will begin and that’s it.

Problems and solutions when formatting a USB in Windows 10

Although, in most cases, the process of formatting an external drive in Windows 10 provides satisfactory results; the truth is, Sometimes, certain inconveniences arise to be able to do it. Consequently, we want to emphasize the two main failures that occur during this, which are: Cannot format USB and Windows does not recognize USB.

So, below, you will know how to solve it quickly, if this is your case:

Can’t format USB

Yes, after clicking on “Start” to start the process of formatting your USB, the system shows a message that says “Could not complete the format”; automatically, you will be able to intuit that the flash drive exhibits certain problems.

Typically this is due to:

• bad sectors in unity.
• Physical damage of the flash drive
• Infection because of viruses.
• Incompatible file system with Windows.
• Protection against writing.

Nevertheless, windows provides an alternative to modify this USB format error via CM. Which, is the command interpreter of the OS and allows to fix the error of “Cannot format USB flash drive” easily.

The steps to follow to carry it out are:

• Connect the USB flash drive to your PC and subsequently, press the shortcut “Win ​​+ R” to open the dialog “Run”.

• Next, enter the term “cmd” and press the Enter key.

• After opening the command prompt, select the option “Execute as an administrator”place “diskpart” and press Enter.
• followed by it, type “list disk” and press Enter to display all drives on the computer.
• Now, type “select disk X” (X is the drive letter of your USB) and press Enter again.
• In this point, type “Clean” and press Enter. For later, write “create partition primary” and hit Enter.
• Later, to reset the USB drive to FAT32 or NTFS, type “format fs=fat32” or “format fs=ntfs quick” respectively and press Enter.
• So then you have to type the term “assign” and provide a new drive letter for your USB flash drive.

• To end, type “exit” and this will conclude the process.

Windows does not recognize USB

Secondly, if Windows cannot recognize your USB stick and/or you have not managed to format it correctly, it is most likely that there is a problem in the operating system or some fault in the flash drive itself.

To solve this, first of all, you have to try to determine what the problem is. In case it is a problem with Windows itself, it must be solved reinstalling USB drivers. Whereas, if the problem exists in the external memory, must be completely formatted via the “diskpart” utility used in the previous part.

Indeed, start by deciphering the cause of the problem for which Windows does not recognize the pendrive, as follows:

• Connect the USB stick and open Disk Manager: Press the keys “Win+R”write “diskmgmt.msc” and look for your USB stick. If it appears in the list, it means that it is not formatted correctly and you will need to format it to fix the issue. On the contrary, if it does not appear, you must use other methods detailed below.
• Plug the USB stick into another USB port: Before doing so, check that the port is directly on the PC, without USB hubs or extensions. If it works perfectly on another port, means the first port has been damaged and therefore you should avoid using that port in the future. But if it doesn’t work, rule out the next option.
• Plug the USB stick into another computer: If, when connecting your flash drive to another PC, it still does not appear on the new computer, it means that the flash drive is damaged and must be replaced by another. Whereas, if the drive appears on this computer; means that the other is experiencing driver issues and they have to be reinstalled.

Here, we explain how to remove and reinstall the drivers in Windows 10 so that your computer can read the USB stick without problems:

• From the desktop, press the keyboard shortcut “Win+R” and enter “devmgmt.msc.” to open Device Manager.

• Locate the category “Disk Drives” and double click on it. When it expands, locate your USB.

• On the USB drive, right click and choose the option “Uninstall device”. Drivers for USB drives will be removed from the system automatically.

• Now, you must disconnect the flash drive and reconnect it to the PC; With this action, Windows takes care of installing the drivers automatically.
• Finally, if you see a yellow exclamation point next to any of the devices, it means that they are not working properly and you must update them. To do this, right-click on the item that doesn’t work and Click on “Update Driver Software”follow the instructions and reinstall the drivers.