Troubleshooting: Why Can't I Format USB Drive to FAT32 [2024 Guide]?

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Tracy King 

Last updated on May 9, 2024

Large-capacity USB devices or external hard disk drives have become the preferred option for storing and backing up important data, precious files, and even games. One notable development is that these “large-capacity” storage devices have shrunk in size.

Some USB users may sometimes want to format their USB to FAT32. However, some people complain that they can't format USB to FAT32 on Windows, while others don't know why. On this page, we'll discuss the issue and show you the full process of switching the USB file system to FAT32 via formatting.

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Important: Note that formatting resets the file system on your device and deletes all data saved on it. If you have important content on your USB device, make sure to back up all essential files to a different secure location first.

Why Can't I Format USB Drive to FAT32?

There can be various reasons why you might be unable to format a USB drive to FAT32, and sometimes it could be multiple factors preventing you from formatting the USB to FAT32.

Below is a list of all possible factors and reasons why you can't format a USB flash drive or external USB disk:

• Your drive is too large for FAT32
• The USB drive format is not supported by Windows or Mac
• The USB is write protected, locked, or encrypted
• Virus or malware infection

Perhaps, some users may wonder or want to know how to determine the actual reason behind the inability to format the hard drive, right? Check out the guide below, and we'll show you how to pinpoint the cause of this error.

What stops you from formatting USB to FAT32?

This is a step-by-step guide that will help you find the right approach to solving this issue and uncover the reason why you can't change the file system of your USB drive. Let's get started:

Step 1: Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and open File Explorer.

Step 2: Check if your USB device shows any of the symptoms or errors listed here:

• USB drive not showing up - Proceed to Step 3. • USB drive showing but not accessible - Proceed to Method 1. • USB drive showing but is password protected - Proceed to Method 2. • USB drive showing with abnormal or strange file extensions - Proceed to Method 3. • USB drive showing with normal files, but larger than 32GB in size - Proceed to Method 1.

Step 3: Press Windows + R, type “Create and format hard disk partitions” and open Disk Management.

Step 4: Check if your USB drive exhibits any of the symptoms listed here:

• USB drive is showing up as * or Unknown Device – go to Method 1.

So, what causes the “Failed to format USB to FAT32” error? Here are the possible reasons:

- USB not accessible: This could be due to an internal drive error or a file system issue. - USB is locked/password protected: You have set a password to prevent modifications to the USB content. - Abnormal file extensions: The drive might be infected with an unknown virus or malware. - USB is fine but larger than 32GB: Microsoft limits the size of FAT32 partitions to 32GB, encouraging the use of larger capacity formats like NTFS, exFAT, etc. - USB format not recognized: The file system of the USB is not supported by Windows, such as ext2/3/4, hfs, xfs, and others.

Can't format USB drive to FAT32? Try these solutions!

How to fix the "Unable to format USB drive to FAT32" error? Try these troubleshooting methods:

• Method 1: Format USB to FAT32 Using a Third-Party USB Formatting Tool
• Method 2: Unlock a Password Protected USB via CMD and Format it to FAT32
• Method 3: Remove Viruses/Malware from the USB in File Explorer and Format it to FAT32

Method 1: Format the USB to FAT32 with Free Third-party USB Formatting Software [Back to Table of Contents](#1)

A third-party USB formatting software - tools Partition Master Free is a powerful and feature-rich disk management tool. You can solve the USB not accessible or unrecognized issue by formatting it and changing the file system to one that Windows supports.

Step 1: Format the USB as FAT32

Here are the steps to format your USB drive as FAT32:

Step 1: Select the USB drive you want to format.

Plug in your USB drive or flash drive to your computer. Download and launch a partitioning tool. Right-click the USB drive you want to format, then click “Format.”

Step 2: Assign a drive letter and file system to the USB drive.

Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT) and cluster size to the selected partition and click “OK”.

Step 3: Check the “Yes” box to confirm the formatting of the USB.

If you see any warning windows, click Yes. Back up your data beforehand if it contains anything important.

Step 4: Apply the changes.

First, click on “Execute 1 Task(s)” and then click “Format USB drive” to format the USB.

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Method 2: Convert NTFS USB to FAT32 Without Formatting

If your USB is formatted as NTFS and is too large to be reformatted to FAT32, the software also allows you to convert NTFS to FAT32 without formatting, thus safely preserving all your data on the drive.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Right-click the target device partition and select Advanced > Convert to FAT.

Step 2: Once the scanning process is over, click on the “Start” button to begin the conversion from NTFS to FAT32.

Step 3: Click “Apply” to save all changes.

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Method 2: Unlock and Format a Password Protected USB via CMD in FAT32

If the drive is password protected, you will need to remove the protection before you can change its file system. You can do this and format the USB as FAT32 from the Windows command line.

Here are the steps to format a write-protected USB drive to FAT32:

Method 1: Unlocking a Password Protected USB Drive through CMD

Step 1: Press Windows + R, type "cmd," then right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2. Type each of the following commands one at a time and press Enter after each:

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk # (Replace # with the disk number of your USB drive)
• attributes disk clear readonly

Step 3: Wait for the process to complete, and you'll see a message that says "Disk attributes cleared successfully."

When done, proceed to the next guide to format the USB as FAT32.

## Method 2: Format the USB as FAT32 with CMD

Step 1: Press Windows + R, type "cmd," then right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2: Type each of the following commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each line:

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk # (replace # with the number of your USB drive)
• list volume
• select volume # (replace # with the volume number of your USB flash drive)
• format fs=fat32 quick

Step 3: Type exit to close the Command Prompt.

After that, you can check if your USB drive is formatted to FAT32.

For a more detailed look at using CMD to format your USB, watch this video.

Method 3: Clean the Virus/Malware from Explorer and Format USB as FAT32

If your USB drive or any other storage device is infected with unknown viruses or malware, it might also prevent you from formatting them. When your USB drive or its contents behave abnormally, follow these comprehensive steps:

**#1. Remove Viruses or Malware from Your USB and Computer**

Step 1: Connect the USB cable to your computer.

Step 2: Launch an antivirus program, such as Avira, Avast, AVG, or any other of your preference.

Step Three: Scan your USB drive and computer for any potential virus or malware infections.

Your drive should appear normal, with all of its contents intact. However, to ensure that the drive is safe to store data on, we recommend formatting the file system as outlined in the following section.

Method 2: Format the USB as FAT32 Using File Explorer

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer and press Windows + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Right-click on the USB drive and select "Format."

Step 3: Set the file system to “FAT32,” and check “Quick format.”

Step 4: Click “Start” and wait for the process to finish.

When it's done, your USB drive can now safely save new files.

Additional Tip: How to Recover Lost Data after Formatting USB to FAT32

Perhaps some of you have also encountered such problems: There are some errors on the USB flash drive, and they successfully formatted the USB flash drive to FAT32 by the above method.

But, how can we recover lost data from a formatted USB drive if it contains some valuable data? Don't worry. Powerful data recovery tools like Data Recovery Wizard can effectively retrieve lost data after formatting.

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan

Run the Data Recovery Wizard, select the USB drive where you lost your important files, and click “Scan” to start.

Step 2: Check and Preview USB Drive Data

Once the scan is complete, you can use the filtering options and search function to locate specific types of files quickly.

Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and lost USB drive files are found, click “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of the USB drive.

Easily Format USB to FAT32 with the Right Method

On this page, we discuss why sometimes people can't format a USB drive, external hard drive, or even an SD card to FAT32 directly.

There could be many reasons behind this issue. To solve this complicated problem, we have gathered three reliable methods to help you out. Note that if your NTFS USB drive is not problematic but is too large to format to FAT32, you can convert it to FAT32 with a free partition tool – MiniTool Partition Wizard.

If the drive is write-protected, you can format it to FAT32 through CMD. Also, if a virus is causing the issue, you can remove the virus through File Explorer and change its file system to FAT32.

Formatting it to FAT32, even through some complex errors, is simple, and you can do it with the correct solutions shown here.

Frequently Asked Questions on "Unable to Format USB as FAT32"

If you have more questions about resolving the "Can't format USB to FAT32" error, check the issues listed here, and you'll find your answers below:

1. How to Force Format to FAT32?

Plug in your USB to your computer, right-click the Windows icon, and select "Disk Management." In Windows Disk Management, right-click on the USB drive, and choose "Format." Set the File system to FAT32 and check the "Quick Format" box. Click "OK" to confirm the format.

< strong > 2. Why Can't I Format 64GB USB to FAT32?

There is a maximum partition size for the FAT32 file system in Windows, which allows creation of FAT32 volumes only up to 32 GB or less.

When your USB drive has a storage capacity of 64GB or larger, you can't simply format it to FAT32 using File Explorer or Disk Management. In this case, you can turn to a reliable USB FAT32 formatter, like Partition Master. Its advanced formatting algorithm breaks the limitation of FAT32 volumes on Windows PCs and allows you to successfully format a USB drive larger than 64GB to FAT32 with just a few clicks.

3. How to fix a USB drive that won't format?

When a USB drive fails to format, it can be due to various reasons. To resolve this issue, you can try the methods listed below:

• Eject and reconnect the USB drive to a different port.
• Change the USB drive letter if it's not showing up or recognized due to a conflict.
• Run CHKDSK or check disk to fix file system errors on the USB drive.
• Clean viruses or malware with antivirus software.
• Use the diskpart command to remove the read-only status from the USB drive.
• Format the USB using a tool like Partition Master.