Quickly Format a USB Drive with File Explorer

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated June 21, 2021)

A handy tool for any computer user is a portable USB drive. USB drives are an easy way to take data from one computer and transport it to another computer or device. USB drives can come in a wide range of sizes and speeds. While the majority of USB drives come preformatted for Windows computers, there could be a whole set of reasons why you might want or need to reformat one. For instance, you may want to remove all the contents of the drive quickly or change the file system used to store information on the drive. Whatever the reason, Windows allows for quick formatting through File Explorer.

To reformat your USB drive, insert it into an available USB slot on your computer, open a File Explorer window, then follow these steps.

  1. Right-click on the USB drive's icon. A Context menu is displayed.
  2. Click on "Format..." from the Context menu. This opens the formatting window.
  3. From the File System dropdown, choose the File System format you want to use for the USB drive.
  4. If you wish, you can choose to change the Allocation Unit Size. However, we recommend you leave this set to its default value.
  5. Under Volume Label, enter the name you want the USB drive to display when it is plugged into a computer.
  6. Press Start to begin formatting your USB drive. If your computer displays a confirmation box, press OK to authorize the formatting.

When Windows completes the formatting process you will see a dialog box alerting you that your USB drive has been formatted. In File Explorer, you will now see the USB drive with the name you entered in step 5. Formatting your USB drive will allow you to set up your USB drive to handle your data the way you want.

 This tip (13875) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Typing Insights

Gaining insights into how you type can improve your typing skills and allow you to see how you're doing. The Windows 10 ...

Discover More

Setting Up Startup Boost in Edge

Edge Chromium's Startup Boost reduces the time it takes for Edge to load. Enable this feature with a simple setting change.

Discover More

New Windows 10 Shortcuts

At times, it is helpful to work quicker to get things done faster. Windows 10 offers several new shortcuts to help you ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Using Reliability Monitor

Reliability Monitor provides some measure of how stable your system is. It does this by noting, over time, various types ...

Discover More

Enabling Speech to Text Dictation

With Dictation feature in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, you can quickly say what you want and have Windows 10 ...

Discover More

Xplorer2

If Windows Explorer or File Explorer leaves you wanting more from a file management utility, you might want to give ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight less than 8?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips