How to Format SD Card to FAT32 on Windows 11

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Linda 

Updated on April 26, 2024

Format SD Card to FAT32 Page Content

Why Can't You Format SD Card to FAT32 on Windows?
How to Format SD Card to FAT32 in Windows 11/10 (for 2GB to 256GB)
Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting SD Card to FAT32

Q: In Windows 11/10, when you want to format a partition specifically as FAT32 (for example, an SD card that will be used in your phone), and you right-click the disk and choose Format, only NTFS and exFAT are shown as available options. Why is this happening? Is there another method to format the SD card as FAT32 without having to boot into a different mode?

[FAT32 Memory Card]Why Can't I Format SD Card to FAT32 on Windows?

You might fail to format SD card to FAT32 in Windows 11/10 using Explorer or Disk Management since there's no FAT32 formatting option available, which is unusual. This issue can stem from various reasons. Firstly, ensure if your SD card's storage exceeds 32GB. Additionally, confirm that the card isn't currently showing as a write protected SD card. If your SD card has a larger capacity, like 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB, you'll inevitably fail to format it to FAT32 in Windows 11/10 due to the limitations of the file system mechanism.

File Allocation Table 32 (FAT32) is the oldest among the three file systems supported by Windows: FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS. Its main advantage lies in its market standardization and excellent compatibility with both Windows and macOS. This is evident when you notice that many USB flash drives you buy come pre-formatted with FAT32. However, it does have significant limitations.

Here are the translations for the given languages into English: 1. A FAT32 drive cannot store individual files larger than 4GB. 2. The maximum volume size limit for a FAT32 drive is 8 terabytes (TB). 3. Native Windows tools cannot create or format an SD card, USB flash drive, or any disk partition with a size greater than 32GB as FAT32.

For some reason, the option to format a removable disk larger than 32GB with the FAT32 file system is not available in the standard Windows formatting tool. However, there are often instances where you need to format an SD card to FAT32 for proper recognition and usage. Although built-in Windows utilities cannot assist in this situation, there is a clever workaround available.

How to Format SD Card to FAT32 in Windows 11/10 (2GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB...)

Due to the limited support of FAT32 in default Windows programs, users cannot fully utilize the SD card unless they find the most reliable solution to overcome the FAT32 limitations in Windows. Fortunately, tools like an SD card formatter can perfectly compensate for what Windows Explorer and Disk Management lack. Anyone with a similar need can confidently rely on an all-in-one partition manager without hesitation.

Having served the market for over a decade, Partition Master consistently delivers the best disk and partition management experience to customers dealing with various storage devices. This tool enables you to format SD memory cards, SDHC cards, and SDXC cards of any size to FAT32 on Windows 11/10. Moreover, it offers the ability to resize partitions, convert FAT32 to NTFS, migrate the operating system to HDD/SSD, convert MBR to GPT, or vice versa, along with numerous other practical features waiting for you to discover!

Trust tools Partition Master format SD card! Look at recommendation: Translation: Rely on the trusty tools Partition Master to format the SD card! Check the recommendations:

Here's the complete guide for formatting any-sized SD card to FAT32 in Windows 11/10:

Video Tutorial: How to Format SD Card to FAT32 in Windows 10

This video tutorial was created to demonstrate the common message regarding file system formats (FAT32, exFAT, ext4, and NTFS) and the 4 methods to format an SD card to FAT32.

Step 1. Launch tools Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card which you want to format and choose the "Format" option.

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

Step 3. In the Warning window, click “Yes” to continue.

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the upper-left corner to review the changes, and then click "Apply" to begin formatting your external hard drive, USB, or SD card.

Complete all the steps above, and you can easily format the SD card to FAT32 in Windows 11/10. This solution can also be applied to format a USB flash drive in Windows 11/10. Give it a try whenever you need it. Good luck!

You might want to learn more about the FAT32 memory card:

Format SD Card to FAT32 - Frequently Asked Questions

**1. What is the best FAT32 formatting tool?**

"Tools Format SD Card" is an all-in-one solution for formatting and reformatting internal drives and external USB, SD, and Memory Stick FAT32 in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista. It addresses the issues with FAT32 that cannot be resolved using Windows Disk Management. With this reliable free partition manager, you can easily overcome those problems. It is the best free FAT32 formatter tool that you can trust.

**2. How do I format a 128gb SD card to FAT32 for free?** To format a 128GB SD card to FAT32 for free, you can follow these steps using the built-in tools on Windows or macOS: **Windows:** 1. Insert the SD card into your computer's SD card reader. 2. Open "File Explorer" and locate the SD card (usually listed under "This PC" or "Devices with Removable Storage"). 3. Right-click on the SD card and select "Format." 4. In the Format window: - Ensure "FAT32" is selected as the "File system." - Check the "Quick Format" option. - Leave the "Allocation unit size" at its default (usually best). 5. Click "Start" and then "OK" when prompted to confirm the format. The process will begin and may take a few minutes. **macOS:** 1. Insert the SD card into your Mac's SD card reader or an external USB card reader. 2. Open "Finder" and locate the SD card (it should appear in the left sidebar under "Devices"). 3. Click on the SD card's icon to select it, then go to the "File" menu and choose "Format." 4. In the "Format" dropdown, select "MS-DOS (FAT)" as the format type. 5. Make sure "Erase" is selected under "Scheme." 6. Click "Erase" and confirm the action in the prompt. Formatting will start and may take a few minutes. Remember that formatting will erase all data on the SD card, so backup any important files beforehand.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the 128GB SD card you intend to format and choose Format.

Step 2. In the new window, enter the Partition label, choose the FAT32 file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs, then click OK...Read more>>

3. Should I format the SD card to FAT32 or NTFS?

When deciding which file system to use for formatting an SD card or USB drive, the two primary factors to consider are portability and limitations on file size. FAT32 is compatible with virtually all operating systems, but it has a restriction of not being able to transfer or store individual files larger than 4GB, and the maximum partition size should be below 2TB. On the other hand, NTFS does not seem to have any significant limitations when handling extremely large files and partition sizes... [Read more>>]

4. How to Format SD Card to FAT32 using Disk Management?

First, right-click the Windows Start icon and select "Disk Management." You'll then see the disk information. Right-click on the SD card and choose "Format." Next, select "FAT32" as the file system. Lastly, click "OK."