4 Methods:How to Format a Micro SD Card/USB to FAT32

How to Convert RAW to FAT32 - Quick Steps:

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1. Step 1. Recover data from RAW SD card, USB, or external hard drive (optional).
2. Step 2. Launch the free partition manager and choose "Format."
3. Step 3. Configure the partition label and select FAT32 as the target file system.
4. Step 4. Click "Apply" to convert RAW to FAT32.

How to fix RAW drive or convert RAW to FAT32, like SD card, USB? Usually, when an SD card, hard drive, USB flash drive, etc., turns RAW, Windows detects the error and prompts you with the warning: "You need to format the disk in drive *: before you can use it. Do you want to format it?"

Please don't hurry to click the “Format Disk” button, as this will lead to data loss. Instead, follow the content below to choose the best RAW to FAT32 converter to fix your RAW device without losing any data:

How can I convert Raw to Fat32 without losing data?

Does anyone know how to convert a RAW USB drive to FAT32 without losing data? I have a 64 GB SanDisk USB flash drive with around 20 GB of files on it, but somehow it has become RAW.

Is there any way to convert a RAW file system on a USB device to FAT32 so I can use the files again?

RAW, also known as RAW file system, indicates that your hard drive, SD card, USB flash drive, or external hard drive has no or an unknown file system. When you have a RAW file system on an SD card or USB, it is referred to as RAW SD, RAW USB, and so on. When your device encounters this issue, you become unable to access the device or the data saved on it.

How to Fix RAW Error? 4 Free RAW to FAT32 Converters to Download

If your USB flash drive, SD card, or external hard drive is showing up as RAW, you won't be able to open the device or access any files on it. Here, you'll learn: 1) why your storage device might become RAW; and 2) how to convert RAW to FAT32, as well as how to change RAW back to NTFS.

Why Does Your Storage Device Become RAW?

When you see the file system of your storage device displayed as RAW, it could be due to any of the following reasons that your device has turned RAW:

• The device has not been formatted with a file system.
• The computer is unable to recognize the file system on the device.
• The file system on the device is missing or corrupted.

3 Tools to Convert RAW to FAT32

As mentioned above, the best solution to fix RAW USB is to format or change the file system of the RAW micro SD card, USB flash drive, or external/internal hard disk to a file system that Windows supports, such as FAT32, NTFS, etc.

Here, we have gathered four tools that will do the job with just a few clicks:

• #1. Third-party RAW to FAT32 Converter for SD Cards, USB, and Hard Drives - For All Users
• #2. Convert RAW to FAT32 in Windows File Explorer - For Beginners
• #3. Change RAW File System to FAT32 in Disk Management - For Experienced Users
• #4. Convert RAW SD/USB to FAT32 via DiskPart Command Prompt - For Administrators

How to Recover Data from RAW SD Card, USB in Windows (UTF-8)

Applies to: &lt;em&gt;Restore all important files from the RAW device to another secure location before converting the RAW device to FAT32.&lt;/em&gt;

If you don't need to perform a RAW data recovery, you can skip ahead to the method below to convert RAW to FAT32.

To help you access and retrieve data from RAW SD card, USB, external hard drive, or any other storage device, you need to resort to reliable data recovery software.

With the Data Recovery Wizard tool, you can thoroughly scan and successfully recover RAW drives with its Quick Scan and Deep Scan features, getting back all your precious files. This video guide will show you how to use the Tools Data Recovery utility to retrieve data from a RAW SD card or USB flash drive. Watch this video and follow the steps to resolve your issue.

Follow the simple 3-step procedure outlined below to recover files from RAW drive:

Step 1. Select and scan the RAW partition

If the RAW partition has a partition label, you can directly select it from the drive list and click "Scan" to recover lost files. If the RAW partition is missing its label, it will be recognized as a "Lost Partition". Just select "Lost Partition" and click "Scan" for a full scan of the RAW drive.

Step 2: Preview the data found in the scan result

Once the scan is finished, all recoverable files from the RAW hard drive will be displayed. Check these files and locate the ones you need to retrieve. You can sort the scanning results by file types, or simply search for the file or folder in the “Search for files or folders” box.

Step 3. Recover Data from RAW Partition

Select all the files and then click on “Recover” to retrieve all data. Choose another internal or external hard drive to save the recovered data and hit “OK” to start the RAW drive recovery process.

This data recovery software also supports OS crash recovery, virus attack recovery, and lost partition recovery, in addition to RAW drive recovery. It's definitely worth a try. Apart from data recovery software, we also offer manual data recovery services to retrieve lost data in complex situations.

Original Data Recovery Service Tool

Contact our experts for a free evaluation.

Consult with our Data Recovery Tool experts for a one-on-one manual RAW recovery service. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following services:

• Repair corrupted RAW drives without formatting
• Data recovery from RAW drives, including BitLocker encrypted drives
• Recover RAW partitions, RAW USB, RAW flash drives, RAW external hard drives, and more

After exporting all previous data from the RAW drive, refer to the following tutorials to convert RAW to FAT32 without worrying about data loss.

Method 1: Use a Third-Party RAW to FAT32 Converter for SD Cards, USBs, and Hard Drives

Best for: Windows users of all skill levels.

Free Partition Software - Partition Master is a third-party RAW to FAT32 converter that can easily fix RAW errors on storage devices. You can first use its "Check File System" feature to fix file system errors. Then, use its "Format" feature to convert RAW devices to FAT32 or other file systems for free.

#1. Check and Fix RAW File System Errors

Next, open File Explorer and check if the device is accessible again. If it still appears as RAW, continue with the steps below.

#2. Format the SD card or USB as FAT32

Step 1. Launch Partition Master, right click on the partition that you want to format and choose "Format".

Step 2: In the new window, type in the volume label, select the FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 file system and set the cluster size as needed, then click “OK”.

Step 3: A warning window will appear. Click “Yes” to proceed.

Step 4. Click on the 'Execute 1 Task' button on the top left to check your changes, and then click 'Apply' to start formatting the partition to FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4.

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Aside from being a RAW to FAT32 converter, it also offers other features that allow you to manage your hard drive partitions flexibly and even optimize PC performance.

Your SD card or other storage device should no longer be in RAW format. You can now save the recovered data back to the drive.

Method 2: Convert RAW to FAT32 in Windows File Explorer

Best for: Windows beginners; simplest.

For most novices, they may have no idea about the error message “You need to format the disk……Do you want to format it?” Some of them may directly click “Format Disk” and then format the RAW drive to a file system that Windows supports.

If you click on the "Format" button, the formatting is accomplished. The data recovery wizard, as shown in the above steps, can help you recover the data.

If you clicked “Cancel”, we recommend that you follow the data recovery instructions first to scan and find all your files. You can then format the microSD card, USB drive, or other device to FAT32 in Windows Explorer as follows:

Step 1: Connect the bare drive to your computer.

Step 2. Open File Explorer, find your RAW USB or SD card, right-click on it, and select “Format.”

Step 3: Choose FAT32 as the target file system, check "Quick Format", and then click "Start" to convert RAW to FAT32.

Wait for the formatting process to complete, and your drive will now use the FAT32 file system. You can then save your recovered data back onto the device.

Method 3: Convert the RAW file system to FAT32 via Disk Management

Best for: Experienced users running Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, etc.

Normally, when your SD card, USB or external hard drive turns RAW, it can still be recognized by your computer. Therefore, you can also use Disk Management to format RAW to FAT32.

Here are the steps to format a RAW device to FAT32:

Step 1: Connect your USB flash drive or SD card in RAW format to your computer.

Step 2. Right-click on "This PC" and choose "Manage" > click on "Disk Management".

Step 3: Right-click on your USB drive or SD card and select “Format.”

Step 3. Choose the file system you want—FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT—and click OK.

When it's done, close the Disk Management window. Your device should no longer be listed as RAW, and you should be able to save data to it again.

Method 4: Convert RAW SD/USB to FAT32 via DiskPart CMD

Best for: Administrators and experienced Windows users who are familiar with the correct use of the DiskPart CMD commands. Difficult.

For advanced users and administrators, you might prefer to use the DiskPart CMD command to convert RAW to FAT32.

The only problem is that, inevitably, you will be notified that “chkdsk is not available for RAW drive.”

Thus, you should use the “format” command in DiskPart instead of “convert” to change RAW to FAT32. Here are the steps to convert RAW to FAT32 via CMD:

At the command prompt, you can also use the diskpart command to convert RAW to FAT32 by formatting:

Step 1: Connect the bare hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card to your computer.

Step 2: Press Windows key + R, type cmd, and press Enter.

Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 3: Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 4. Enter each of the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:

• List Volumes.
• Select volume X (replace X with the name of your RAW device).
• Format fs=fat32 quick.

5. Type exit to leave DiskPart.

When it's done, close the window, and check the file system of your SD card, USB drive, or external hard disk by right-clicking it and selecting Properties. It should now be formatted as FAT32.

Video Tutorial: How to Convert/Format RAW to FAT32

Bottom line

This page explains what RAW file system is and what to do when your Windows PC detects a RAW SD card or RAW USB flash drive. We also provide 4 reliable RAW to FAT32 converters to easily fix your RAW devices.

To prevent any loss of important files, we recommend that you first scan and recover all valuable data from the RAW device using reliable data recovery software, such as the Data Recovery Wizard tool.

Then, you can easily use reliable methods to convert RAW to FAT32 for your micro SD card, USB flash drive, and so on.

Frequently Asked Questions on Converting RAW to FAT32

If you have other questions about file system conversion, check the Frequently Asked Questions below – you might find your answer quickly.

1. How do I convert from FAT32 to NTFS?

There are two ways to convert a FAT32 device to NTFS:

• Manually format FAT32 to NTFS
• Use a partition management tool to convert FAT32 to NTFS

For detailed steps, refer to the article on how to convert FAT32 to NTFS.

2. Can I Convert exFAT to FAT32?

To convert your exFAT device to FAT32, follow these steps:

1. First, back up essential data to another location. 2. Next, utilize an exFAT to FAT32 conversion tool, such as Disk Management or Command Prompt. 3. Format the exFAT to convert it to FAT32.

What should I do if Windows is unable to complete the format?

There can be several reasons why Windows is unable to complete the formatting process on your device, such as a "Device contains RAW file system" error, bad sectors, virus or malware infection, the device being locked, and so on.

To resolve this issue and format the device, you need to seek a professional solution. Check out the 2020 guide on "7 Ways to Fix Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format" where you'll find a solution.