Cannot format USB or external hard drive to FAT32 in Windows 10 Mostly, people would like to format a USB flash drive or external hard drive to NTFS. But sometimes, you may want to format a USB flash drive or external hard drive to FAT32 in Windows 10 for some reasons, like making the USB or external hard drive faster when writing mostly large files to it or ensuring the compatibility with non-Windows operating systems. But the problem is that the max partition size of FAT32 is 32GB, which means you can only format devices smaller than 32GB into this file system. From the chart below, you'll have a better understanding of why you can't format USB or external hard drive (more than 32GB) to FAT32: Windows 10 Disk Management tool also can't do this on a USB drive or hard drive which is bigger than 32GB. Fortunately, this page will show you how to do it by using and professional. Notice: Formatting a USB drive or external hard drive will remove all existing files on the device.
![Format Format](http://cdn.geckoandfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/format-usb-drive-ntfs.jpg)
Please make sure you have to avoid further data loss. Format to FAT32 using CMD command line (Free) A simple and free way to format your flash drive or external hard drive to FAT32 in Windows 10 is using CMD command line.
Reformat USB Flash Drive from FAT32 to NTFS on Windows It does not matter what kind of USB flash drive you are using, you are able to convert its file system from FAT32 to NTFS by reformatting. You can insert the USB drive to a Windows computer including Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 to perform a quick format so as to change its file system to NTFS.
It's a built-in tool in Windows, enabling you to format, create, delete, extend, and shrink partitions without rebooting the system. Please be careful while using CMD for FAT32 formatting with the following steps: Step 1: Type command prompt in Windows 10 search bar or right-click on 'Windows icon' > select 'Search', and type cmd. Step 2: Right-click on 'Command Prompt' and select 'Run as Administrator'. Step 3: Type the command format /FS: FAT32 H at the prompt and hit 'Enter'. (H is the drive letter of your USB or external hard drive in Windows 10.
![Flash drive extension for mac ntfs drive Flash drive extension for mac ntfs drive](http://approblem.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/how-to-format-a-usb-flash-drive-in-mac-os-x-1.jpg)
If it's not for your case, replace the drive letter H with your drive letter.) Windows 10 will begin formatting the USB flash drive or external hard drive into FAT32. Step 4: Type exit when the process has completed. Use EaseUS Windows 10 FAT32 formatting tool (Easier & Safer) If you prefer a safer and easier way to format your USB flash drive or external hard drive to FAT32, you can try a professional third-party Windows 10 FAT32 formatting tool. We recommend you try EaseUS with its Format partition feature. Now, download and install this tool on your computer, then follow the steps to get things done.