Beginner's Guide: How to Format an SD Card for Android in 2024

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Tracy King 

Last updated on April 19, 2024

The key points to format the SD card on your Android device are:

Here's a quick guide to formatting an Android device's SD card: 1. **Open Settings**: First, unlock your Android device and open the "Settings" app. 2. **Storage Settings**: In the settings menu, find and tap on "Storage" or "Storage & USB." 3. **Select SD Card**: On the storage screen, you'll see options for internal storage and the SD card. Tap on the SD card you wish to format. 4. **Format Option**: On the SD card details page, look for the "Format," "Erase," or "Manage SD Card" option. Tap on it. 5. **Warning Prompt**: A warning dialog will appear, confirming if you want to format the SD card. Note that this will delete all data, so make sure important files are backed up. 6. **Choose File System**: On some devices, you may need to select a file system type (like FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT). Choose the format best suited to your needs. 7. **Start Formatting**: Tap "OK" or "Format" to begin the formatting process. Wait for the progress bar to complete. 8. **Completion**: Once formatting is done, the system will return to the storage screen. Now, the SD card is formatted and ready for safe use. Please note that operations might vary slightly across different Android devices, but the basic steps are similar. If the above steps don't work, you could also try using an SD card formatting tool on a computer.

Insert the SD card into the SD card slot, and then insert it into your Android phone. Open "Settings" on your phone and tap "Device management." Select "Storage," tap "Advanced," then choose the SD card under "Portable storage." Tap "Format," read the pop-up message, then select "Format SD card."

This page offers a comprehensive and detailed tutorial designed to help beginners with Android and Windows learn how to format a new or second-hand SD card for Android. By following the instructions on this page, you will also discover the best way to format an SD card for Android and how to handle specific errors that may prevent you from formatting the SD card.

Are you ready? Let's start from here.

What happens when you format an SD card on an Android device?

The process of formatting an SD card is similar to formatting a disk in Windows, which also involves the following two steps:

1. Erase all existing data from the SD card

If your SD card has been used before and contains some important personal data, it would be wise to back up the SD card before formatting and save the backup in a secure location.

2. **Repartition the file system to the SD card**

If your SD card's current file system isn't supported by Android, you'll need to reformat it. But what's the best file system to use for an SD card on Android – NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT? Read on to find out!

What is the best format for an SD card for Android?

There are numerous file system formats in use on storage devices, including Windows formats like NTFS, FAT32, ExFAT, and EXT2/3/4, as well as Mac formats like APFS, HFS+, and Mac OS Extended.

What is the best format for an SD card? Android phones accept FAT32 and ExFAT as file system formats by default. Format your SD card as FAT32 when its storage capacity is less than 32 GB. You can format it to ExFAT when your SD card has more than 64 GB of storage space or higher.

How do I format my SD card on Android? Follow the respective guide below to easily format your SD card and prepare it for use on your Android phone:

• #1. Format SD Card on Android Phone
• #2. Format Android SD Card on PC

If your SD card is brand new, skip to Method 1 for detailed instructions on formatting it for use with your Android. If you have an older SD card that needs to be reformatted for use with your Android, proceed to Method 2.

Guide 1: How to Format a New SD Card on Android Phone

• Tools: An SD card slot on your Android phone, a new SD card, and Android settings.
• Scope: Formatting SD cards on mobile devices like Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony, Huawei, and doing so on Android 13/12/11, and other versions.

For the question "Do I need to format new SD card for Android," the answer is **yes**. You need to format the new SD card on your phone to make it recognizable, readable, and usable as internal or portable storage for Android.

Here are the steps to format a new SD card and prepare it for use with Android:

#1. Formatting the SD Card on an Android Device for Portable Storage

If you want to use the SD card only for storing files, follow the instructions in this article to set up the SD card on your Android:

Step 1: Eject the SD card slot and insert the new SD card.

Step 2: Put the SD card back into your Android device.

Step 3: On your Android device, open the Settings menu and tap Storage > SD card.

Step 4: Select Menu, then Storage settings > Format > Format card.

This will allow your new SD card to successfully store photos, videos, music files, and more on your Android device.

#2. Formatting SD Card for Storage on Android

To move apps to the SD card and store files on it, format the SD card as internal storage and adoptable storage by following the steps here:

First, remove the SD card slot and insert the new SD card into it.

Step 2: Reinsert the SD card into your Android device.

Step 3. On your Android, open Settings and tap Storage > SD card.

Step 4: Select “Menu,” then click “Storage Settings” > “Format” > “Other Format” > “Format.”

Once it's done, you'll be able to use your SD card to store files and apps on your Android.

Guide 2: How to Format SD Card on Android from Windows PC

• Tools: Android phone's SD card slot, an SD card reader, and a file explorer or an SD card formatting tool for formatting.
• Suitability: Formatting the SD card on a PC, reformatted to ExFAT or FAT32.

If your SD card is used for other purposes, or if it's formatted with a file system other than ExFAT or FAT32, you'll need to format the card on your computer instead of your phone. Here's how to format an SD card for Android using a Windows PC:

#1. Connect the SD card to your computer

Remove the SD card from your media player or camera. Insert the SD card into the reader and connect it to your computer. Open File Explorer and back up any important files beforehand.

Connect the SD card to your computer

#2. Format an SD Card on a Windows Computer

Here are two simple solutions to help you format the SD card on your computer:

1. Format with a Free SD Card Formatting Tool

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free is a reliable free partition manager that allows you to format SD card, USB, external hard drive, or HDD/SSD with just a few simple clicks.

One of its highlights is that it breaks through the limitations of FAT32, meaning you can successfully format a large SD card to FAT32. For instance, you can format a 128GB SD card to FAT32 via the following steps:

Step 1: Right-click on the SD card and select “Format” from the partition you wish to format.

Step 2: Set a new label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT) and cluster size for the selected partition, then click "OK".

Step 3: Click "Yes" in the dialog box that appears to continue.

4. Click “Run 1 Task” from the toolbar, then click “Apply” to begin formatting your SD card.

2. Format SD card using File Explorer

You can also format the SD card using the file explorer on your computer:

Step 1. Connect your SD card to your computer using an SD card reader.

Step 2. Press Windows + E to open File Explorer, find your SD card, right-click on it, and select "Format."

Step 3. Choose a new file system for your SD card, check the "Quick Format" box, and click "Start".

4. When finished, click “OK.”

#3. Insert the SD card into your Android device

Step 1: Eject and remove the SD card reader from your computer correctly.

Step 2: Remove the SD card from the reader, and insert it into the SD card slot.

Step 3. Insert the SD card into your Android phone.

Now you can use the SD card in your phone as flexible storage for your files.

Additional Tip: Why Can't I Format SD Card on Android and How to Fix It?

We have gathered 2 main solutions to help you format SD card on Android, and most users have successfully formatted both new and old SD cards on their Android phones with the above guides.

However, you might encounter the following error:

• SD Card Won't Format
• Can't Format SD Card on Android
• SD Card is Write Protected and Can't Format

So, why can't you format your SD card on both Android and Windows? Here are some reasons that might cause the Android SD card not formatting issue:

• The Android system does not support the file system format on the SD card.
• The SD card is unformatted or has no partitions.
• The SD card is locked due to write protection or encryption.
• The PC or phone fails to recognize or detect the SD card.
• Virus or malware infection.

When your SD card encounters such issues and becomes unformatable, stay calm. Here's a quick guide you can follow to resolve it:

Step 1: Reconnect your SD card to the computer.

Try using a different SD card reader, or plug it into a different USB port on your computer.

Step two: run an antivirus scan to clean viruses and malware off your phone, computer, and SD cards.

Step 3: If your SD card is locked or set to read-only, follow the link here to unlock your SD card:

Step 4. Format the SD card on your PC using File Explorer or a third-party SD card formatting tool, as shown in Tutorials 1 and 2.

Formatting an Android SD card is simple, and you can do it yourself.

There are two ways to prepare an SD card for Android, and both methods work for Windows:

1. Format SD Card on an Android Phone

2. Format the SD card using the built-in formatting tool in Windows or a dedicated SD card formatting software on your computer.

Both of these methods will prepare your SD card for use in an Android phone. If you have a new SD card, we recommend using the first method. If you have a used SD card, you can use the second method to format it.

To simplify the SD card formatting process, you can use a third-party formatting tool – AOMEI Partition Assistant Free. It allows you to perform the operation as an expert would, managing the SD card formatting process with ease.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting SD Card for Android in UTF-8

In this part, we list the top 3 most frequently asked questions about formatting SD card on Android. Scroll down and check the answers below if you are interested.

**1. Can I format Android SD card online?**

No, you cannot format an Android SD card online. Currently, there is no online solution or online formatting tool that can help you format the SD card online.

You'll still need to have a formatting tool installed on your Windows computer or phone beforehand to format the SD card.

2. What type of SD card does Android use?

When using an SD card on an Android phone, you can format a 32GB or smaller SD card as FAT32, and a 64GB or larger SD card as ExFAT.

How do I move apps to the SD card?

First, make sure your SD card is set as internal storage. If not, format it as adoptable storage:

Touch Apps > Storage > SD card > Storage settings > Format > Other format options > Format.

Then, follow the instructions from there to move the app to the SD card.

• Go to “Settings” > “Applications” > tap on “SD card” > select an app, and then tap “Move to SD card.”