"Windows unable to format USB drive? Try these 6 solutions to format your USB drive [Beginner's Guide]"

When your Windows computer fails to format a USB or you get an error message saying "Windows was unable to complete the format," stay calm. On this page, you'll learn a full solution on how to get rid of this error from your USB drive and make it usable again for storing files. Let's get started.

Error: Windows Unable to Format USB Drive – Reasons and Solutions

Figure 1: Windows is unable to format the USB drive

Read more: Free PNY USB Flash Drive Format Tool

Why Can't Windows Format USB Drive? Check the Reasons Here

What might prevent or stop you from formatting a USB flash drive? Check out the list of reasons why Windows can't format a USB and see if you encounter the same issues:

• Virus infection
• Bad sectors
• Physical damage
• Incompatible or unsupported file system
• USB drive is locked or write protected (When the USB drive is write protected, you may turn to Format Write Protected USB for help.)

If you can't format or fail to complete the formatting process of USB flash drive, hard disk partition, external hard drive, SD card, etc., don't worry. In this guide, we will show you how to fix the USB formatting failed issue with free USB formatting tools, such as Partition Master, CMD, or other tools.

Method 1: Format the USB from the “Can't Format” Error with Free USB Formatting Tools

To fix the USB not formatting error more simply and easily, USB Format Tool, Partition Master is your best choice. This formatter enables you to format USB drive and restore it to full capacity in 4 steps.

Download and install it for free on your Windows 11/10/8/7 PC, and learn how to format a USB drive to full size right now:

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

Plug your USB drive or flash drive into your computer. Download and open a partitioning tool. Right-click the USB drive that 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, then click “OK”.

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

If a warning prompt appears, click “Yes.” Back up important data on your hard drive beforehand, just in case.

Step 4: Apply the changes.

First, click “Run 1 Task,” and then click “Apply” to format the USB drive.

Now you can store data on the USB, or back up important personal files.

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Aside from fixing the USB can't be formatted error, the Partition Master tool also breaks through the limitations of the FAT32 file system, allowing any user to format their removable device to any desired file system.

3 Ways to Fix USB Not Formatting to FAT32 in Windows

Is your USB drive not formatting to FAT32? Don't worry. This blog post will show you how to format your USB drive to FAT32 easily with a few simple steps.

Method 2: Fix the “Unable to Format USB Drive” Error Using CMD

This method works great for fixing a USB formatting error when the device is locked, encrypted, damaged, or even write protected. Follow the steps below to learn how to format your USB drive to its original state:

Step 1: Connect the USB drive that you want to format to your computer.

Step 2. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, type cmd, and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.

Step 3: Right-click on it and select “Run as administrator.” Type diskpart, then hit Enter.

Step 4. Type list disk and press Enter to view all the disks on your computer.

Step 5: Type select disk 2 and press Enter. (Use the number that corresponds to your USB drive.)

Step 6: Type clean, and then press Enter.

Note: The clean command will remove all partitions from the USB drive and unlock it. You will then need to create a new volume and format the USB drive.

Step 7: Type create partition primary and press Enter.

Step 8. Type either format fs=fat32 quick or format fs=ntfs quick and press Enter to format the USB drive as FAT32 or NTFS.

Step 10: Type assign and assign your USB drive a new drive letter.

Step 11: Type exit to complete the process.

After you've done this, you should be able to start saving new data to the USB drive.

[Video Tutorial] How to Format a USB Drive using CMD (UTF-8)

Here is a video tutorial where you can learn more:

Both solutions work great and are practical, so do share this article to help more friends who want to take control of their USB flash drives.

Quick Solutions to the "Unable to Format USB Flash Drive" Error

Aside from those two, you can also connect your USB drive or USB flash drive to the computer and try out the four quick solutions below in a matter of minutes. After that, check if you can format the USB drive and if you need to proceed with more solutions or stop now:

Step 1: Check and unlock your USB flash drive: If your USB flash drive has a physical switch, slide it from the “On” side to the “Off” side.

2. Check the USB and fix internal errors: Right-click on the USB drive > Properties > Click “Check” on the Tools tab > Scan the drive.

Step 3: Scan your USB for viruses: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options > Windows Defender Offline scan > Scan now.

Step 4: Remove the read-only status: Open Diskpart, and type in the following commands, pressing Enter after each: list disk > select disk 2 (your USB drive number) > attributes disk clear read only

Method 5: Quick Format with File Explorer Right-click the target USB drive > "Format" > check "Quick format" and set the format to FAT32 (for drives smaller than 32 GB) or exFAT/NTFS (for larger ones).

If the formatting process goes through, congratulations! The error is fixed. If Windows still says it can't complete the format, proceed with the next two solutions to successfully format the USB drive on Windows 11/10 or earlier.

If the issue of “Windows was unable to format USB” still persists after trying the above methods, you can go back and seek help from Tools - USB Formatter or CMD. In addition, you can refer to this tutorial for more possible solutions:

The “Windows was unable to format USB drive” error can be fixed using the right methods.

On this page, we discuss the reasons behind the Windows unable to format USB error and provide you with some practical solutions. Please note that the error is fixable as long as you resort to the right solution.

Tool Editor Recommended:

1. First, try the quick fix methods to rectify some errors on the USB drive. 2. Secondly, format the drive immediately using File Explorer or a USB formatting tool like Partition Master.

When you encounter this error, stay calm. Now, simply troubleshoot the error yourself with the solutions provided above.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the "USB Not Formatting" Issue

If the above solutions don't address your issue, don't worry. Below, we'll tackle three common problems and provide direct answers, which might be helpful for you.

How to fix a USB that won't format?

To fix a USB that can't be formatted, you can try the solutions listed below:

• Slide the USB lock switch to the OFF position and try another USB port.
• Rename the USB drive letter to display it on your computer.
• Remove viruses and malware from both the USB and your computer.
• Run CMD with the command attributes disk clear readonly to remove the write protection.
• Use Disk Management to format the USB to the required file system format - FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT.

**2. How to Force Format a USB on Windows?**

On Windows, you have three tools to try and low level format USB:

• #1. File Explorer: Right-click on the USB device and select "Format," then choose the new file system.
• #2. Disk Management: Right-click on the USB device and select "Format Volume..." to set the new format.
• #3. USB Formatting Tool: Select the USB device, click "Format," and specify the new file system.

3. Why Can't I Format USB to FAT32?

There are two reasons why you might not be able to format a USB drive as FAT32: 1. The USB drive might be damaged or write-protected, preventing Windows from formatting it directly to FAT32. 2. The USB drive has a capacity of 64GB or more, and due to file system limitations, Windows does not support formatting drives larger than 32GB as FAT32.