Updated on April 22, 2024

Key Points:

Are you looking for a comprehensive SanDisk formatting solution? Here's a quick guide for you:

1. Determine the best format for your SanDisk storage device.
2. Backup all important content on your SanDisk storage device.
3. Follow the SanDisk formatting solution provided here to format SanDisk to its optimal performance state.

On this page, we will show you the complete SanDisk formatting solutions, with which you can format your SanDisk SD card, USB flash drive, and internal or external SanDisk HDDs/SSDs into the desired file system. Ready? Let's get started.

SanDisk Formatting Solution

What format does SanDisk use?

SanDisk is a brand that manufactures and markets flash memory products produced by Western Digital, including memory cards, readers, USB flash drives, solid-state drives, and digital audio players. The original company, SanDisk Corporation, was acquired by Western Digital in 2016." - from Wikipedia

SanDisk, founded in 1988, is now a leading brand that offers thousands of storage devices to global users, spanning data storage, file transfer, and data protection solutions. You can purchase SanDisk devices on the Western Digital website, where you'll find a wide range of storage devices, including but not limited to:

    • Solid State Drive (SSD)
    • Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
    • USB Flash Drive
    • Memory Card
    • Data Center Storage
    • Network Attached Storage (NAS)
    • Embedded Flash Memory
    • Accessories, etc.

So, what format do these SanDisk storage devices use? Here's a list of the most common file system formats used by most SanDisk devices for different operating systems and platforms:

Format Purpose
NTFS
  • Default file system for Windows operating systems
  • Used for: Internal or external hard disk drives
FAT32
  • Used for: USB or SD cards under 32 GB
exFAT
  • Used for: USB, SD cards, and external hard disk drives over 64 GB
EXT2/3/4
  • Default file system for Linux operating systems
  • Used for: Internal and external disks
APFS
  • Default file system for macOS 10.12.4 and later
  • Used for: Internal SSDs
Mac OS Extended - HFS/HFS Plus/HFS+
  • Default file system for macOS 10.11 or earlier
  • Used for: Internal HDDs or SSDs

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If you're still unsure which format is right for your SanDisk device, read on to find out quickly.

What is the best format for a SanDisk SD card, USB, external, and internal hard drive?

So, do you know what the best file format is for your storage device? Don't panic if you're not sure about things like:

    • Is SanDisk formatted as FAT32 or NTFS?
    • Is SanDisk Micro SD card FAT32?
    • Should I use FAT32 or exFAT on my SanDisk external hard drive?

Please note that the format used by SanDisk heavily depends on the platform you're using and the storage capacity of your SanDisk device. Check the table below, and we'll help you determine the best format for your SanDisk device:

Platform USB/External hard drive SD card Hard drive Solid state drive (SSD)
Windows operating system
  • FAT32 - 32GB or smaller
  • exFAT - 64GB or larger
  • FAT32 - 32GB or smaller
  • exFAT - 64GB or larger
  • NTFS
  • NTFS
macOS
  • FAT32
  • exFAT
  • FAT32
  • exFAT
  • APFS
  • Mac OS Extended
  • APFS
  • Mac OS Extended
Android /
  • FAT32
/ /
Camera /
  • FAT32 - 32GB or smaller
  • exFAT - 64GB or larger
/ /
PlayStation 3/4/5 (PS3/4/5)
  • FAT32
/ / /

So, how do you set the best format for your SanDisk USB drive or SD card? Keep reading, and you'll get a comprehensive guide to solving this issue right away.

SanDisk Formatting Solution: Optimize SanDisk device performance with formatting.

You may need to turn to a professional hard drive format tool to help you set the best file system format for your SanDisk storage device. Below, you will get a reliable method to easily format SanDisk and set the desired file system format for your device.

Important
Formatting your SanDisk will delete all existing data on the device. If your SanDisk USB, SD card, HDD, or SSD has been in use for a while and contains valuable data, back up all important data to a secure location first.

After backing up all files, skip down to the relevant guide below, and start formatting your SanDisk device.

Guide 1: Format SanDisk on Windows

In this article, we'll guide you through the entire process of formatting your SanDisk on both Windows and Mac computers. If you need instructions for formatting your SanDisk device on Linux, refer to this link for assistance with formatting a USB drive on Linux.

For Windows users, let's proceed with the SanDisk formatting tips below and set the most appropriate format for your device right away.

Tip 1: Format SanDisk with a Reliable Third-Party Formatting Tool If the built-in disk management utility fails to resolve the issue, you can try formatting your SanDisk storage device with a trustworthy third-party formatting tool. Make sure to choose a well-reviewed and virus-free tool to avoid further damaging your device. Search for such a tool online, download it, and follow the software's instructions for use. Remember to back up important data before formatting.

Applies to: Format SanDisk SD card on Windows 10, format SanDisk USB, external and internal HDD/SSD.

For most Windows users, the easiest way to format a storage device is by using a reliable third-party formatting tool. For instance, the AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, with its "Format" feature, can cater to various needs for formatting storage devices for different purposes.

Alright, let's begin the formatting process for the SanDisk device.

Step 1: Right-click on the hard drive partition and select the "Format" option.

Step 2. In the new window, assign a "Volume Label," "File System," and "Cluster Size" to the partition, then click "OK."

Step 3: A warning will appear. Click "Yes" to continue.

Click the “Perform 1 Task” button, then click “Apply” to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

What else can Partition Master do for you?

With this tool, you can flexibly manage and configure your storage devices, like:

    • Convert disk to MBR/GPT, dynamic/basic, and change partitions to NTFS/FAT32.
    • Format hard drive from BIOS, format HDDs/SSDs, SD cards, USB, external hard drives, etc.
    • Merge partitions, expand, shrink, format, and erase disk drives.
    • Clone disks, upgrade, and migrate the operating system to HDD/SSD.
    • Check disks and fix file system errors.

"Tip 2: Format your SanDisk device using File Explorer in Windows."

Applies to: Formatting SanDisk SD cards, external and internal hard drive partitions, and SSD volumes.

Most Windows users can try quick formatting their SanDisk device using File Explorer. Here's how:

Step 1: Connect your SanDisk device to the computer.

Step 2: Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.

Step 3: Right-click on the SanDisk storage device that you want to format and select “Format”.

Step 4. Choose a new file system for your SanDisk device, such as NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT. Check the "Quick Format" box, then click "Start."

Format SanDisk with File Explorer

5. After formatting is complete, click "OK" to close the formatting tool.

请注意,如果你不小心没备份SanDisk设备上的数据,别担心。你可以求助于Data Recovery Wizard工具,它提供了可靠的SanDisk恢复解决方案:

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Free SanDisk Recovery Software to Retrieve Lost Data from SanDisk

Are you looking for an effective way to recover lost data from SanDisk? Professional SanDisk data recovery software is now available to save your data.

Data Recovery Software Tool for SanDisk

Aside from the two methods mentioned, seasoned Windows users can also utilize "Disk Management" or "Disk Part" to format their SanDisk device and set the desired file system.

Guide 2: Format SanDisk on Mac

Goal: Format SanDisk USB, SD Card, Internal or External HDD/SSD on Mac

To assist Mac users in easily setting the appropriate format for their SanDisk storage device, we will only show you how to format SanDisk using Disk Utility on a Mac. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Connect the SanDisk storage device to your Mac.

Step 2: Click on "Applications," then choose "Utilities," and then double-click "Disk Utility" to open it.

Step 3. Next, select your SanDisk drive from the left sidebar and click “Erase” from the top menu.

Step 4. Now, you can choose the format you want for your SanDisk device, such as APFS, Mac OS Extended, or MS-DOS (FAT). Click “Erase” to confirm the formatting.

Format SanDisk with Disk Utility on Mac

Some more experienced Mac users might also recommend using Terminal as an alternative tool to format your SanDisk disk or USB drive on a Mac. If you need a detailed guide on this, click here for the full guide on how to use Terminal and Disk Utility to format a disk on a Mac.

Conclusion

On this page, we list the most common file system formats found across various platforms, along with an informative table to help SanDisk users determine which format is best suited for their storage device.

    • On Windows, you can format the drive using NTFS.
    • On a Mac, use APFS or HFS+ for HDD/SSD.
    • For Android devices, FAT32 is recommended.
    • For cameras, FAT32 or exFAT is ideal for storing data.
    • For SanDisk devices to work with both Mac and PC, go with FAT32. exFAT also works well on both platforms.

We've also listed 3 simple methods to help Windows and Mac users format SanDisk for optimal performance. For Windows beginners, we recommend trying the Partition Master tool as a solution to set the desired format for your SanDisk device. Apart from formatting storage devices for both Mac and PC, you can also use this software as a reliable SanDisk formatter for Android. It also lets you format SanDisk SD cards for internal or external Android storage.

Mac users can use Disk Utility to format the SanDisk device to the optimal format immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions about formatting a SanDisk in American English:

Some of you might still have new questions about SanDisk formatting solutions. You can refer to the following Q&A for guidance:

1. Is there a SanDisk formatting tool to fix write protection error?

Yes, but a formatting tool won't directly address the write protection issue on your SanDisk device. If your SanDisk device is reporting a write protection error, you can try the following solutions to fix the problem:

    • Use a physical switch to unlock the SanDisk device.
    • Use CMD commands to remove the read-only status.
    • Remove write protection through the Registry.
    • Format your SanDisk after removing write protection.

If you need further help, please follow these two steps: 1. Fix the write protected error on SanDisk; 2. Format the SanDisk device.

2. How do I format my SanDisk SD card or USB drive?

On a Windows computer:

    Connect your SanDisk SD card or USB to the computer. Open File Explorer, locate and right-click on the SanDisk SD card/USB, then select "Format." Set the new file system for the SanDisk SD card or USB, and click "Start." Click "OK" to complete the formatting process.

On a Mac:

    Connect your SanDisk SD card or USB to your Mac. Go to 'Applications,' then click 'Utilities' and 'Disk Utility.' In the left pane, select your SanDisk SD card or USB, then click 'Erase' from the top menu. Set a new format for your SanDisk USB/SD card, then click 'Erase.'

What to do if the SanDisk SD card cannot be formatted?

When you're unable to format your SanDisk SD card, there could be various reasons preventing you from doing so. Here are some tips to help resolve the issue:

    • Try swapping or switching the SD card adapter, then reconnect it to your PC.
    • Scan and remove existing malware or viruses from both your PC and SD card using a top-notch antivirus software.
    • Run Check Disk on your computer to scan and fix internal errors on the SD card.
    • If your SanDisk SD card is read-only or locked, remove the write protection.
    • Finally, format the SD card using File Explorer or a reliable SD card formatting tool like Partition Master.