How to Format a USB Storage Device for Xbox 360 on PC/Mac/Xbox 360 [Updated Solutions]

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Cici 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

The Xbox 360 is a gaming console developed by Microsoft. It is more powerful than its predecessor, and if you want to increase the available space on your Xbox 360, you will need to add an external USB device. However, when you connect it to your Xbox 360, you may find that the USB device is not working.

This might be due to an incorrect file system on the USB, which requires formatting. So, do you know how to format USB for Xbox 360? This article will provide different methods to format it on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360 console.

What file format does Xbox 360 use?

When you want to perform an Xbox One SSD upgrade or upgrade the hard drive on an Xbox 360, you will need to format it first. While Microsoft manufactures both the Xbox One and Xbox 360, they don't support the same formats. The best format for an Xbox 360 is likely to be FAT32. Both NTFS and FAT32 can be set for formatting an Xbox One hard drive, but the Xbox 360 is not compatible with either of these. There have been reports that USB drives will not work properly on an Xbox 360.

So, if you want to use an external hard drive on your Xbox 360, make sure to format it as FAT32 on your computer first, and choose a USB device that's over 1 GB for better game performance.

Read more: Format a USB Drive that Does Not Show Up

How to Format a USB Device for an Xbox 360

Now that you know the best file system for your Xbox 360 is FAT32, you'll need to learn how to format your USB drive as FAT32 for the Xbox 360. Whether you're using Windows or macOS, or if you only have a console, formatting is easy. We'll go over all three methods below.

Format Xbox 360 USB with Partition Master on Windows

Format the Xbox 360 USB on a Mac with Disk Utility

Format a USB on an Xbox 360 with an Xbox 360 Controller

How to Format USB Drive for Xbox 360 on PC – Using Partition Master Tool

On Windows, you can use the free partition manager tool to format USB for Xbox 360 easily. It can format USB larger than 32GB to FAT32 free of charge. The software is easy to use. Even if you are a beginner, you can learn how to format USB for Xbox 360 with ease.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click on the partition of the external hard drive/USB/SD card you want to format and choose "Format Partition".

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

Step 3: Click Yes in the warning window to continue.

Step 4. Hit the “Run 1 Task” button on the top left to preview the changes and then click “Apply” to start formatting the external hard drive/USB/SD card.

Alternatively, you can directly use "Partition Master" to convert NTFS to FAT32. It is a good substitute for the built-in Windows tools – Disk Management and Diskpart, which do not support formatting a partition larger than 32 GB. Thus, if your USB storage for Xbox 360 is over 32 GB, you can count on Partition Master.

How to Format a USB Device for Xbox 360 on Mac – Using Disk Utility

FAT32 is a compatible format that can also be formatted on a Mac. There are two ways to format an external hard drive for the Xbox 360 on a Mac: using Disk Utility and terminal commands. Terminal commands are better suited for advanced users who are comfortable with entering commands. As such, I will only provide the steps to format for Xbox 360 using Disk Utility. Follow these steps.

Step 1: Plug the USB cable from your Xbox 360 into your Mac.

Step 2: Open Disk Utility.

Step 3: Select your USB drive and click “Erase.”

Step 4: Name the USB drive “Xbox 360,” select “FAT32” as the format, and click “Erase.”

Step 5: Finish formatting your USB storage device for the Xbox 360.

That's how you format an Xbox 360 USB on a Mac. If you're having issues with external hard drives on your Mac, check out the links below for help.

How to Format a USB Device for the Xbox 360 on an Xbox 360 with an Xbox 360 Controller

If you don't want to format the USB on your computer, you can do it directly on the console instead. It's just as easy – follow these steps to format a USB on an Xbox 360.

Plug the USB cable into a USB port on your Xbox 360.

Step 2: Select Settings, then Storage.

Step 3. In the Configure USB Device menu, select USB Storage Device. The USB should appear as unformatted.

Step 4: Choose the "Format" option to format your USB drive as FAT32, the file system required by the Xbox 360.

Conclusions

From this guide, we know that the best format for Xbox 360 is FAT32, and with the Partition Master tool, you can easily format it to FAT32 without losing data. Of course, you can also format USB on Mac or Xbox 360.

After reading this article, we hope that you can format USB for Xbox 360 easily and enjoy a better gaming experience on Xbox 360. Here are some frequently asked questions about Xbox 360.

Frequently Asked Questions on Formatting a USB for Xbox 360 - UTF-8

If you're interested in formatting a USB device for an Xbox 360, read on.

What USB format does the Xbox 360 support?

Even though the Xbox 360 was developed by Microsoft, it doesn't support NTFS. Remember, the only file system that the Xbox 360 USB supports is FAT32.

**2. Why can't my Xbox 360 read my USB device?**

It could be an issue with your USB file system or a problem with the USB cable connection. Try reinserting the USB device or test the USB on another device to see if there's an issue.

Does Xbox 360 support NTFS-formatted USB drives?

The Xbox 360 only supports FAT32. Additionally, the internal hard drive for the Xbox One can be formatted as NTFS.