π» Formatting Your Flash Drive Using Command Prompt: A Step-by-Step Guide
Need to fix a slow or corrupted flash drive? Formatting via Command Prompt is more powerful than using File Explorer. Letβs walk you through it step-by-step.
π Why Use Command Prompt?
- More Control: Choose between FAT32 or NTFS, quick or full format.
- Deeper Clean: The
clean
command wipes all partitions and data. - Fix Errors: CMD can solve problems File Explorer canβt.
βοΈ Step-by-Step: Format with CMD
1. Open CMD as Admin
- Press
Windows key
, type cmd, right-click β Run as administrator.
2. Launch Diskpart
diskpart
3. List All Disks
list disk
Identify your flash drive by size.
4. Select the Drive
select disk [your-disk-number]
β οΈ Double-check! Wrong disk = lost data.
5. Clean the Disk (Optional but Powerful)
clean
6. Create New Partition
create partition primary
7. Select the Partition
select partition 1
8. Format It Choose a format type:
format fs=fat32 quick
or
format fs=ntfs quick
9. Assign Drive Letter
assign letter=E:
10. Exit
exit
β οΈ Important Tips
- Back Up Files β Formatting erases everything.
- Check Disk Number β Triple-check it.
-
Choose File System Wisely:
FAT32
: More compatible (TVs, consoles, etc.)NTFS
: Better security and large file support
π Your flash drive is now clean and ready to use!
π¬ Questions or stuck? Drop a comment!