Reformat Usb To Fat32 Mac

Here in this article we would share top free mac fat32 formatters for formatting usb drives or memory card to fat32 on MAC.

1. Format Usb Fat32 On Mac
2. Reformat Usb To Fat32 Macbook Pro

You may wonder why there is no MS-DOS(FAT32) option when there is MS-DOS(FAT) inside of Mac Disk Utility, are they the same file system? What's the difference? Where could we get the disk/flash drive formatted to fat32?

Dec 12, 2020 The ExFAT filesystem is an updated version of FAT32 that works almost the same, except there's no 4 GB file size limit, and you can use it on drives larger than 32 GB (unlike FAT32, by default). This is the best, most up-to-date option for working between Windows and Macs (Windows 8 and newer, Mac OX X 10.6.6 and up). What is FAT32 Format? FAT32 is an improved version of the FAT system which was introduced in. How to open Disk Utility: - Back to the desktop, search 'Disk Utility' in seach. Load your usb flash/disk/sd card, get it clicked on the left, - click 'Erase' option. Set file system ' MS-DOS (FAT) ', and confirm the erasing. (Erasing is formatting on MAC Disk Utility) Format usb flash fat32 with Mac Disk Utility.

Don't worry, we would explain it to you and guide you the formatter to get it done on Macbook or other MAC X.

Format Usb Fat32 On Mac

Guide - Top Free MAC FAT32 Formatters

1. 1, Format usb/sd fat32 on MAC with Mac Disk Utility
2. 2, Format usb/sd fat32 using Mac Terminal
3. 3, Format fat32 with Freecome Hard Drive Formatter or also called FHD Formatter

Reformat Usb To Fat32 Macbook Pro

1, Best Free MAC FAT32 Formatter - Mac Disk Utility

Mac Disk Utility is probably the best fat32 formatter for you on MAC since you don't have to install any other programs and the simple user interface and easy user manul would draw you from the rest tools. What does mac os x stand for.

The problem you may have on your mind: Isn't Mac Disk Utility providing FAT32 as a format/erase file system option?

The Answer: MS-DOS(FAT) is fat32 that shows in MAC Disk Utility, they are the exact same file system here.

Guide to Format SD/USB FLASH FAT32 in MAC Disk Utility

Simple Steps

How to open Disk Utility: -> Back to the desktop, search 'Disk Utility' in seach.

Load your usb flash/disk/sd card, get it clicked on the left, -> click 'Erase' option

Set file system 'MS-DOS(FAT)', and confirm the erasing. (Erasing is formatting on MAC Disk Utility)

Format usb flash fat32 with Mac Disk Utility

2, Format USB Stick/SD Card FAT32 with Mac Terminal

1. Open Terminal, type: diskutil list
2. Type: diskutil eraseDisk 'MS-DOS FAT32' FAT disk5 (here you need to replace disk5 with your own drive)

Here is another terminal fat32 format guide on MAC that you may follow.

Preparations: Connect Flash drive to Mac ->Tap CMD and space bar to open Spotlight. Type 'terminal' and press Enter

Open MAC Terminal to format media fat32

• Type in: diskutill land locate your USB drivr
• Type in sudo.diskutilerasediskFAT32MBRFormat/Dev/disk2
• Sudo will give you the user right
• Diskutill will call in utility program
• Erasedisk commands will format
• FAT32 will set the file system
• MBRFormat will tell disk to format with Master Boot
• /Dev/disk2 will be the USB drive location

3, Format Drive FAT32 with FreeCome Hard Drive Formatter - less popular

This program was called FHDFormatter and it is able to format the HDD as NTFS or FAT32.

Format disk fat32 with Freecom Hard Drive Formatter

You may download it here

Note: Formatting/erasing would get your files lost, so it's better to move your data somewhere else before this.

Also read: best mac format tools

Hot Articles

USB flash drives are the little stick-like devices that we carry along in our pockets as portable external storage. But these little devices pack quite a punch; they can double up as your mobile movie library, photo collection, backup drive, OS boot volume, or just a way to transfer stuff from one computer to another. Each time you wish to use them for a unique purpose, it requires cleaning them and sometimes even formatting them to a file system suited to the target environment. Formatting is also a good way to rid the memory stick of unwanted errors or virus/malware programs.

One important thing to remember is always taking a backup of your data before beginning the formatting a USB drive procedure.

When it comes to formatting a USB drive, which format should you go for – FAT or NTFS? Or any other? Moreover, how can you change the format of your USB drive from FAT to NTFS to exFAT or FAT32? Let's answer these questions one at a time.

Which file system should I choose for formatting my USB Drive?

When it comes to formatting a USB drive, which format should you go for – FAT or NTFS? Or any other? Moreover, how can you change the format size of your USB drive from FAT to NTFS to exFAT or FAT32? Let's answer these questions one at a time.

In most Windows systems, while formatting a USB 4 file system choices are presented to you – NTFS, FAT, FAT32 or exFAT. You should choose one that suits your USB purpose as well as target environment. Additionally, here are the benefits of each of these file systems to help you make your choice.

Benefits of NTFS file system

If you select NTFS file system, you get:

• Better disk space management.
• Less space wastage.
• Increased reliability and security with file encryption.
• Small data clusters.
• Compressed data so as to save disk space.
• Ability to create permissions for individual files and folders.
• Ability to read / write files larger than 32GB and up to maximum partition size.

Benefits of FAT / FAT32 file system

Note: For USB flash drives with capacity larger than 32GB, FAT / FAT32 formatting option is not available.

If you select FAT or FAT32 file system:

• Faster performing USB owing to write operations lesser.
• Less memory usage.
• Quick disk scanning.
• Compatibility with almost all operating systems.
• Less space is dedicated to the file system data to allow more free space to hold other data.

Benefits of exFAT file system

If you select exFAT file system, you get:

• Ability to create partitions larger than 32GB.
• Better disk space management.
• Ability to read / write files larger than 4GB.

So if you're USB flash drive which has a capacity greater than 32GB, you should select NTFS or exFAT. Other than that, you should choose the format that suits your work. For example, if you use the USB on multiple operating systems, going for FAT would be better.

How to format USB Flash Drive to FAT / FAT32 / NTFS / exFAT using Windows Explorer?

FAT or FAT 32 file system is the option selected by default for formatting a USB flash drive on Windows XP. FAT or FAT32 is also the default file system most music players in cars recognise. So if on plugging your USB into your car's music player you've faced an error saying – 'cannot read', check its file system and change it.

Here's the procedure to format USB Drive to NTFS / FAT / FAT32 / exFAT:

Step 1: Plug in the memory stick into your computer and allow it to be detected. Once it is recognised, you should see an Autoplay dialogue box pop up asking you to choose the next action. If it doesn't appear, you can open My Computer and see if the USB is detected as a newly mounted volume. You can also find the USB under Disk Drives in Device Manager (right-click on My Computer -> Manage).

Step 2: Right-click on the USB drive shown in My Computer and select 'Format'. This will open a dialogue box displaying the formatting options.

Dec 12, 2020 The ExFAT filesystem is an updated version of FAT32 that works almost the same, except there's no 4 GB file size limit, and you can use it on drives larger than 32 GB (unlike FAT32, by default). This is the best, most up-to-date option for working between Windows and Macs (Windows 8 and newer, Mac OX X 10.6.6 and up). What is FAT32 Format? FAT32 is an improved version of the FAT system which was introduced in. How to open Disk Utility: - Back to the desktop, search 'Disk Utility' in seach. Load your usb flash/disk/sd card, get it clicked on the left, - click 'Erase' option. Set file system ' MS-DOS (FAT) ', and confirm the erasing. (Erasing is formatting on MAC Disk Utility) Format usb flash fat32 with Mac Disk Utility.

Don't worry, we would explain it to you and guide you the formatter to get it done on Macbook or other MAC X.

Format Usb Fat32 On Mac

Guide - Top Free MAC FAT32 Formatters

1. 1, Format usb/sd fat32 on MAC with Mac Disk Utility
2. 2, Format usb/sd fat32 using Mac Terminal
3. 3, Format fat32 with Freecome Hard Drive Formatter or also called FHD Formatter

Reformat Usb To Fat32 Macbook Pro

1, Best Free MAC FAT32 Formatter - Mac Disk Utility

Mac Disk Utility is probably the best fat32 formatter for you on MAC since you don't have to install any other programs and the simple user interface and easy user manul would draw you from the rest tools. What does mac os x stand for.

The problem you may have on your mind: Isn't Mac Disk Utility providing FAT32 as a format/erase file system option?

The Answer: MS-DOS(FAT) is fat32 that shows in MAC Disk Utility, they are the exact same file system here.

Guide to Format SD/USB FLASH FAT32 in MAC Disk Utility

Simple Steps

How to open Disk Utility: -> Back to the desktop, search 'Disk Utility' in seach.

Load your usb flash/disk/sd card, get it clicked on the left, -> click 'Erase' option

Set file system 'MS-DOS(FAT)', and confirm the erasing. (Erasing is formatting on MAC Disk Utility)

Format usb flash fat32 with Mac Disk Utility

2, Format USB Stick/SD Card FAT32 with Mac Terminal

1. Open Terminal, type: diskutil list
2. Type: diskutil eraseDisk 'MS-DOS FAT32' FAT disk5 (here you need to replace disk5 with your own drive)

Here is another terminal fat32 format guide on MAC that you may follow.

Preparations: Connect Flash drive to Mac ->Tap CMD and space bar to open Spotlight. Type 'terminal' and press Enter

Open MAC Terminal to format media fat32

• Type in: diskutill land locate your USB drivr
• Type in sudo.diskutilerasediskFAT32MBRFormat/Dev/disk2
• Sudo will give you the user right
• Diskutill will call in utility program
• Erasedisk commands will format
• FAT32 will set the file system
• MBRFormat will tell disk to format with Master Boot
• /Dev/disk2 will be the USB drive location

3, Format Drive FAT32 with FreeCome Hard Drive Formatter - less popular

This program was called FHDFormatter and it is able to format the HDD as NTFS or FAT32.

Format disk fat32 with Freecom Hard Drive Formatter

You may download it here

Note: Formatting/erasing would get your files lost, so it's better to move your data somewhere else before this.

Also read: best mac format tools

Hot Articles

USB flash drives are the little stick-like devices that we carry along in our pockets as portable external storage. But these little devices pack quite a punch; they can double up as your mobile movie library, photo collection, backup drive, OS boot volume, or just a way to transfer stuff from one computer to another. Each time you wish to use them for a unique purpose, it requires cleaning them and sometimes even formatting them to a file system suited to the target environment. Formatting is also a good way to rid the memory stick of unwanted errors or virus/malware programs.

One important thing to remember is always taking a backup of your data before beginning the formatting a USB drive procedure.

When it comes to formatting a USB drive, which format should you go for – FAT or NTFS? Or any other? Moreover, how can you change the format of your USB drive from FAT to NTFS to exFAT or FAT32? Let's answer these questions one at a time.

Which file system should I choose for formatting my USB Drive?

When it comes to formatting a USB drive, which format should you go for – FAT or NTFS? Or any other? Moreover, how can you change the format size of your USB drive from FAT to NTFS to exFAT or FAT32? Let's answer these questions one at a time.

In most Windows systems, while formatting a USB 4 file system choices are presented to you – NTFS, FAT, FAT32 or exFAT. You should choose one that suits your USB purpose as well as target environment. Additionally, here are the benefits of each of these file systems to help you make your choice.

Benefits of NTFS file system

If you select NTFS file system, you get:

• Better disk space management.
• Less space wastage.
• Increased reliability and security with file encryption.
• Small data clusters.
• Compressed data so as to save disk space.
• Ability to create permissions for individual files and folders.
• Ability to read / write files larger than 32GB and up to maximum partition size.

Benefits of FAT / FAT32 file system

Note: For USB flash drives with capacity larger than 32GB, FAT / FAT32 formatting option is not available.

If you select FAT or FAT32 file system:

• Faster performing USB owing to write operations lesser.
• Less memory usage.
• Quick disk scanning.
• Compatibility with almost all operating systems.
• Less space is dedicated to the file system data to allow more free space to hold other data.

Benefits of exFAT file system

If you select exFAT file system, you get:

• Ability to create partitions larger than 32GB.
• Better disk space management.
• Ability to read / write files larger than 4GB.

So if you're USB flash drive which has a capacity greater than 32GB, you should select NTFS or exFAT. Other than that, you should choose the format that suits your work. For example, if you use the USB on multiple operating systems, going for FAT would be better.

How to format USB Flash Drive to FAT / FAT32 / NTFS / exFAT using Windows Explorer?

FAT or FAT 32 file system is the option selected by default for formatting a USB flash drive on Windows XP. FAT or FAT32 is also the default file system most music players in cars recognise. So if on plugging your USB into your car's music player you've faced an error saying – 'cannot read', check its file system and change it.

Here's the procedure to format USB Drive to NTFS / FAT / FAT32 / exFAT:

Step 1: Plug in the memory stick into your computer and allow it to be detected. Once it is recognised, you should see an Autoplay dialogue box pop up asking you to choose the next action. If it doesn't appear, you can open My Computer and see if the USB is detected as a newly mounted volume. You can also find the USB under Disk Drives in Device Manager (right-click on My Computer -> Manage).

Step 2: Right-click on the USB drive shown in My Computer and select 'Format'. This will open a dialogue box displaying the formatting options.

Step 3: Select the desired file system from NTFS, FAT, FAT32 or exFAT from the 'File System' drop-down, then punch in the name that you wish to assign to the USB drive under 'Volume label' and also select a 'Format option'.

Step 4: Once you've made sure all options are correct, and you have a backup of the important data on the USB, click on 'Start' to initiate the process. When prompted, click on 'Ok' to confirm that you wish to erase the data on the drive and format it.

How to format USB Drive to NTFS / exFAT / FAT / FAT32 using Command Prompt?

Step 1: Plug in the memory stick into your computer and allow it to be detected.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt (Start -> Accessories -> Command Prompt or Start -> Run -> type 'cmd' -> Enter)

Step 3 : Supposing your USB drive is assigned the letter 'E': type the following command in the Command Prompt:

For FAT: format E: /fs:FAT
For FAT32: format E: /fs:FAT32
For NTFS: format E: /fs:NTFS
For exFAT: format E: /fs:EXFAT

Step 4 : When prompted, press Y (for Yes) or N (for No) to continue or stop the formatting.

Things to remember when formatting to NTFS

When formatting to NTFS file system, you need to remember to enable the 'removal policy' of the USB to the 'better performance' option. Here's how to do this:

1. Right-click on the USB and select 'Properties'.
2. Under the 'Hardware' tab choose the USB drive from the listed disks.
3. Click on 'Properties'.
4. Select 'policies' -> 'better performance'.
5. Click 'OK'.

You have formatted your USB drive successfully! Great! Now What if you want to again get back your precious photos, audios or videos???

The best possible solution to go for will be to download and run Stellar Photo Recovery Software. The addedbenefit of keeping Stellar Photo Recovery Software in your system is that you can take a backup of your entire drive. The top menu bar of the main screen section of the software includes a ‘Create Image‘ option which is used to create an image of your entire drive. This image can be used as a backup for recovering data at a later stage. To recover back your multimedia files, if lost accidentally, you can try the demo version of the software absolutely free:

Final Words

Hope our pointers above will help you the next time you need to format your memory stick. Always remember to backup your data before beginning the formatting process and choose a file system that suits your requirement. However, if you want to recover data from a corrupt or inaccessible USB drive, read our next post.