If you need to erase your data from a USB drive, or configure a drive to work on a Mac instead of a PC, this video can show you how to format a USB drive. You can prep it to organize your data and maximize space for your files.<\/p>\n
Windows users
\nWindows users should insert a USB drive into the USB port on their PC, open File Explorer, click on \u2018This PC\u2019 from the left panel, then under \u2018Devices and Drives\u2019, right-click the flash drive and select the format option. <\/p>\n
File systems
\nThere will be multiple formatting options under the File System dropdown. FAT32 is what most USB drives initially use. It\u2019s the Windows default for smaller (\uff1c32GB) USB drives, recognized by both Mac and Windows, but caps files at 4GB in size and offers no security. <\/p>\n
exFAT is an alternative with no file size limit that\u2019s compatible with both Windows and Mac, though older systems may need an update to read and write to this format. NTFS is Windows\u2019 default for internal drives running the operating system or in use as a secondary drive, with a much larger max file size. However, it\u2019s read-only on macOS without a third-party utility. macOS Extended is Mac\u2019s native solution and includes features like cloning and file-level encryption. However, it won\u2019t work with a PC without a third-party tool. Choose the file format that\u2019s best for you, then carry on!<\/p>\n
In the \u2018Allocation unit size\u2019 dropdown menu, use the default selection. In the Volume Label field, confirm a drive name that will appear in File Explorer (e.g. KingstonUSB). Under the \u2018Format options\u2019 section, select either Quick format or Full format. Quick format will delete the file system table and root folder: efficient, but not the most secure. Full format scans for bad sectors and write zeroes in all sectors, which deletes all data permanently, but takes a little longer depending on the drive\u2019s capacity. When ready, click the Start button, then Yes, and you\u2019re ready to go.<\/p>\n
Mac users
\nMac users should insert a USB drive into their USB port, and launch \u2018Disk Utility\u2019 from Applications \uff1e Utilities \uff1e Disk Utility. Select the USB drive from the list on the left, then select \u2018Erase\u2019 at the top. Select the file system or format you\u2019d like (refer back to those mentioned earlier). If you\u2019re using macOS 10.13 High Sierra or newer and you don\u2019t see APFS on the list of options, click Cancel, go to the View menu, and select \u201cShow all devices\u201d. Select the new device that will appear higher in the logical device tree (it should be named something with both upper and lowercase letters), then click Erase again. From the Scheme dropdown menu, select GUID Partition Map. Then click on the Format dropdown and APFS should be available for you to select.<\/p>\n
With your chosen format selected, enter a name for the drive. Select \u201cErase\u201d then select Done once complete, and you\u2019re good to go.<\/p>\n
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