How to format a USB drive on Windows 11
Here are five ways to clean and format a USB flash drive on Windows 11.
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OnWindows 11, now and then, you may need to format a USB flash drive for many reasons. If it’s a new storage device, you may want to reformat it to clean it and ensure it does not contain any malicious code. If the removable drive has corruption problems or the system refuses to recognize it, deleting the current volume and starting from scratch may fix the most common issues. Or, if you plan to give it away, formatting the storage will make sure that you are not directly giving away any sensitive information.
Regardless of the reason, on Windows 11, you have different tools to clean and format any storage media type, including USB flash drives, using File Explorer, Settings, the legacy Disk Management, PowerShell, and Command Prompt.
Thisguidewill walk you through the different ways to delete the contents and resolve common problems with a USB flash drive on Windows 11.
Important:Although it should be obvious, these instructions will delete everything on the storage. As a result, it’s crucial that you back up any data you want to keep before proceeding.
How to format USB drive on File Explorer
To quickly format a USB flash drive with File Explorer on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the USB flash drive will erase and format to store files again.
How to format USB drive on Settings app
Windows 11 also comes with the “Disks & volumes” settings, a modern version of the Disk Management tool that allows you to manage drives, including the ability to format USB flash drives.
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Format removable storage
To reformat a USB drive through the Disks & volumes settings, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the flash drive will be ready from File Explorer.
Erase and format removable storage
To wipe out and format a USB flash drive through the Settings app, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you can use the removable storage to store files.
How to format USB drive on Disk Management
Also, you can still use the legacy Disk Management tool to format a USB flash drive in at least two different ways. You can format the external drive to rebuild the file system table and erase the content, and you can delete and recreate the volume to fix problems.
Format removable storage
To format a USB flash drive with Disk Management, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the flash drive will be ready to store documents, pictures, videos, and other files.
Erase and format removable storage
To erase and format a flash drive on Windows 11, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the wizard will set up the drive with your configuration. Usually, wiping out the flash drive and starting over with a new partition is the best option since it can also help to resolve logical issues, such as data corruption.
How to format USB drive on Command Prompt
On Windows 11, you can also use the DiskPart tool with Command Prompt to wipe out and format a USB flash drive.
Format removable storage
To use Command Prompt to format a USB flash drive, use these steps:
In the command, replace theVOLUMEwith the correct drive letter of the storage,FLASHDRIVE-LABELwith the name you want the drive to appear in File Explorer,FILE-SYSTEMwith one of the available file systems, including “FAT32,” “exFAT,” or “NTFS.”
This example performs a quick format of the “H” drive:format H: /v:workUSB /fs:NTFS /q
This example performs a full format of the H drive:format H: /v:“workUSB” /fs:NTFS
After completing the steps, the thumb drive will format with the specified settings.
Erase and format removable storage
To clean and format a flash drive with commands on Windows 11, use these steps:
In the command, replaceDISK-NUMBERfor the number representing the drive you are trying to format.
This example selects the flash drive listed as disk number 2:select disk 3
In the command, replaceFILE-SYSTEMfor your preferred file system, including “FAT32,” “exFAT,” or “NTFS.” Also, replaceDRIVE-NAMEwith the name you want to give the device. The “quick” option is optional, but the format can take a very long time if you don’t specify it.
This example formats the removable storage using the NTFS file system and applies the “workUSB” name:format fs=NTFS label=workUSB quick
Once you complete the steps, diskpart will clear the data from the thumb drive. It’ll create a new partition and configure a file system to store files.
How to format USB drive on PowerShell
Alternatively, you can also use PowerShell to format a USB flash drive on Windows 11.
Format removable storage
To format a USB flash drive with PowerShell, use these steps:
In the command, replaceDRIVE-LETTERwith the correct letter reflecting the drive you want to format,FILE-SYSTEMfor FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS, andDRIVE-NAMEwith the name you want it to appear on File Explorer.
This example performs a quick format of the “H” drive with the NTFS file system:Format-Volume -DriveLetter H -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel workUSB.
In the command, replaceDRIVE-LETTERwith the correct letter of the drive to format, andFILE-SYSTEMfor “FAT32,” “exFAT,” or “NTFS,” depending on the file system you want to use. If you do not know which one to pick, you should use NTFS for Windows 11. The Full option tells the command to perform a full format, and the-Forceoption specifies the override switch.
This example performs a full format of the “H” drive:Format-Volume -DriveLetter H -FileSystem NTFS -Full -Force
After completing the steps, PowerShell will format the removable storage with the specified settings.
Erase and format removable storage
To erase and format a USB flash drive with PowerShell commands, use these steps:
In the command, changeDISK-NUMBERfor the correct number representing the flash drive you are formatting. This example selects and cleans the disk number 3:Get-Disk 3 | Clear-Disk -RemoveData
In the command, changeDISK-NUMBERto the correct number representing the storage you are formatting.
This example creates a new partition using the entire space available on drive number 3:New-Partition -DiskNumber 3 -UseMaximumSize
In the command, changeDISK-NUMBERfor the number that identifies the storage in the system,FILE-SYSTEMfor “NTFS,” “FAT32,” or “exFAT,” andDRIVE-NAMEwith the label you want to appear in File Explorer.
This example selects and formats drive number 3 using the NTFS file system:Get-Partition -DiskNumber 3 | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel workUSB
In the command, replaceDISK-NUMBERfor the number that identifies the storage in the system, andDRIVE-LETTERwith the letter you want the device to appear in File Explorer.
This example sets “E” as the drive letter for disk number 3:Get-Partition -DiskNumber 3 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter F
After you complete the steps, the process will clean the drive information and reformat the space to resolve common problems, such as corruption, write protection, and the removable storage not getting recognized by Windows 11.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
