{"id":7763,"date":"2019-08-27T12:54:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T12:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/?p=7763"},"modified":"2025-04-02T04:58:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T04:58:46","slug":"format-external-usb-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Format External USB Drive and Recover Data From Formatted Flash Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"block_sum\"><strong>Summary:-<\/strong> Is your external USB drive faulty? Then, you might be having trouble using it. So, the best solution is to format an External USB drive. However, this process requires proper guidance and a bit of technical knowledge. This blog will guide you through the manual methods for formatting drives. In addition, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/recovery\/windows-data-recovery.php\"><strong>Windows Data Recovery Tool<\/strong><\/a> is suggested to secure your files before formatting them. Let&rsquo;s understand more about it below.<p class=\"blog-btn\"><a class=\"sum-d-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/demo-version\/SysInfoTools-Windows-Data-Recovery.exe\"><i class=\"icon-windows\"><\/i>  Download<\/a>   <a class=\"sum-b-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/buynow\/windows-data-recovery.php\"><i class=\"icon icon-basket\"><\/i>  Buy Now<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/div>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#External_Drive_Needs_to_be_Formatted-_Why\" >External Drive Needs to be Formatted- Why?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Methods_to_Format_USB_External_Hard_Drive\" >Methods to Format USB External Hard Drive<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Method_1_Using_Windows_Explorer_to_Format_Drive\" >Method 1: Using Windows Explorer to Format Drive<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Method_2_Format_External_USB_Drive_with_the_Command_Prompt\" >Method 2: Format External USB Drive with the Command Prompt<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Method_3_Using_Windows_Tool_to_Format_Drive\" >Method 3: Using Windows Tool to Format Drive<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Method_4_Automated_Tool_to_Recover_Data_from_External_Drive\" >Method 4: Automated Tool to Recover Data from External Drive<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"External_Drive_Needs_to_be_Formatted-_Why\"><\/span>External Drive Needs to be Formatted- Why?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are various reasons for the need to format the USB drive. One of the most common reasons is when drives get corrupt or encounter errors. For example: To <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/fix-0x0000004e-error\/\"><strong>Fix 0x0000004E Error<\/strong><\/a>, sometimes formatting is required. The other causes are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enhance the compatibility of the drive by resolving drive issues.<\/li>\n<li>To get maximum storage space in the drive by clearing it.<\/li>\n<li>For transferring large files across devices in an optimal manner.<\/li>\n<li>Moreover, it is required to keep files secure and improve performance.<\/li>\n<li>Additionally, a reason may be to use it on a different operating system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Methods_to_Format_USB_External_Hard_Drive\"><\/span>Methods to Format USB External Hard Drive<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The different ways to format external USB drives are the manual method and a professional tool. The manual method is cost-free, but it doesn&rsquo;t ensure safe recovery of data. Whereas, the tool is a comprehensive solution to recover files and store them as a backup before formatting. Furthermore, the detailed step-by-step procedure is discussed below.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_Using_Windows_Explorer_to_Format_Drive\"><\/span>Method 1: Using Windows Explorer to Format Drive<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Follow the steps given below:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Connect<\/strong> the USB drive to your system.<\/li>\n<li>Next, go to <strong>This PC<\/strong> and find your <strong>drive<\/strong> there. Right-click and select <strong>Format<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Further, choose any one <strong>file system<\/strong>, select other formatting options, and click <strong>Start<\/strong>.<\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step3-9.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 3\" width=\"337\" height=\"200\"><\/li>\n<li>Lastly, click <strong>OK<\/strong> to get the process started.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_Format_External_USB_Drive_with_the_Command_Prompt\"><\/span>Method 2: Format External USB Drive with the Command Prompt<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Open<strong> Command Prompt<\/strong> on your system.<\/li>\n<li>Input the command <strong>diskpart <\/strong>and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Next, input cmd: <strong>list disk<\/strong> and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Further, input command: <strong>select disk Z <\/strong>(Z refers to the number of the USB drive) and press <strong>Enter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>After that, write the command <strong>clean <\/strong>and again hit<strong> Enter.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Subsequently, run the command <strong>create partition primary.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>At last, run the command: <strong>format fs=(type of file system for USB drive).<\/strong><\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step7-1.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 7\" width=\"437\" height=\"300\"><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Using_Windows_Tool_to_Format_Drive\"><\/span>Method 3: Using Windows Tool to Format Drive<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This method uses the Disk Management Windows tool. It is a utility offered by Windows for managing advanced and external storage operations. To find and use it, the steps are as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Navigate to the<strong> Start<\/strong> menu, right-click, and select <strong>Disk Management<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Then, search for your <strong>USB<\/strong> drive, select and right-click, and choose <strong>Format<\/strong>.<\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step2-3.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 2\" width=\"437\" height=\"300\"><\/li>\n<li>Subsequently, select the <strong>file system (NTFS, exFAT, FAT32)<\/strong>, checkbox <strong>perform a quick format<\/strong>, and click <strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This marks the finishing of manual methods. However, these methods only format your drives and do not recover or protect data. Therefore, we must go for a more advanced solution and select the best format for External drive to format.<\/p>\n<p>Know more: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/how-to\/format-usb-flash-drive-using-cmd.html\"><strong>Format USB Flash Drive Using Command Prompt<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_4_Automated_Tool_to_Recover_Data_from_External_Drive\"><\/span>Method 4: Automated Tool to Recover Data from External Drive<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If your drive is corrupt, formatting can permanently delete all your files and it will be difficult to recover. Better, you recover possible data from the drive beforehand and avoid any future loss. You can use the <strong>Windows Data Recovery Tool<\/strong> to recover your data securely. Further, format the drive once you have retrieved your files.<\/p>\n<p>This tool has different advantageous features, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is user-friendly and highly compatible with systems.<\/li>\n<li>Recovers all sorts of corrupt, damaged, or deleted files.<\/li>\n<li>Moreover, it supports both FAT and NTFS formats in drives.<\/li>\n<li>It also helps to fix <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/fix-cyclic-redundancy-check-data-error\/\"><strong>Cyclic Redundancy Check Data<\/strong><\/a> issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Process to Recover Data from External USB Drive<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Download and install the tool on your system. Run it as an administrator.<\/li>\n<li>Select the <strong>drive<\/strong> and click <strong>Next<\/strong>. Further, check the selected volume information again and click <strong>Next<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>After that, choose the <strong>mode of recovery<\/strong> for your drive data and click <strong>Next<\/strong>.<\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step3-10.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 3\" width=\"437\" height=\"300\"><\/li>\n<li>Once the scanning process is complete, click <strong>OK<\/strong> to save the data. Next, <strong>preview<\/strong> the directory structure of your drive data.<\/li>\n<li>In addition, choose the folders to recover and click <strong>Save<\/strong>.<\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step5-2.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 3\" width=\"437\" height=\"300\"><\/li>\n<li>Subsequently, browse and locate the destination to save and click <strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/step6-2.jpg\" alt=\"Windows Data Recovery Tool Step 3\" width=\"437\" height=\"300\"><\/li>\n<li>Finally, hit the <strong>Save<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This write-up above explains how you can format an External USB drive. However, to protect your data and keep it safe without modifications, go for the suggested professional tool. It is easy to use, is quick, and seamlessly recovers your data. Whether, the drive is corrupted, damaged, or data is deleted it ensures complete recovery. Make sure to protect your files before you go through the steps to format the drive.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"faq_heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h4>\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1723551554469\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. Which method is best to format an external USB drive?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\"><strong>Ans- <\/strong>The reliable method to format an external USB drive without much hassle is given below. Follow these steps:<br\/>1. <strong>Connect<\/strong> the USB drive to your PC. Then, navigate to <strong>This PC<\/strong>, locate your <strong>drive<\/strong>, right-click, and select <strong>Format<\/strong>.<br\/>2. Further, select the <strong>file system (NTFS, FAT32, exFAT) <\/strong>of your choice.<br\/>3. Choose other formatting options, and click <strong>Start<\/strong>. At last, click <strong>OK<\/strong>.<br\/>However, you must try to recover possible data from the faulty USB Drive, if needed. Using <strong>Windows Data Recovery<\/strong> can be a smart choice.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-bottom\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;7763&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this post&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;5\\\/5 - (1 vote)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Format External USB Drive and Recover Data From Formatted Flash Drive&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;142.5&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 142.5px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            5\/5 - (1 vote)    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary:- Is your external USB drive faulty? Then, you might be having trouble using it. So, the best solution is<a class=\"read-more ml-1 main-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data-recovery"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Format External USB Drive - An Easy Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here you will see the step by step methods to format external USB drive using NTFS and recover data if the drive is formatted accidentally.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sysinfotools.com\/blog\/format-external-usb-drive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Format External USB Drive - 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