In the window, run commands listed below in order: Press Windows + R, input “diskpart” and hit “Enter” key to open Diskpart utility. You can use it to remove read only from USB drive and then format it if the unrecognized won’t format due to write protection. Format unrecognized USB drive using Diskpartĭiskpart is a useful Windows built-in tool. And the USB drive will be recognized by Windows.

After a while, the format will be completed. Note: When you try to format a large USB drive, like 64GB USB flash drive and 128GB SD card, you’ll find that there is no FAT32 option. You can choose one based on your own need. Usually, there are three options: NTFS, FAT32, exFAT.

In the pop-up window, you need to choose a file system for your drive. Note: If USB flash drive or SD card shows as unallocated, right-click the unallocated space, choose “Create New Simple Volume' and follow the wizard to format the drive with a compatible file system. Locate the unreadable USB drive (USB flash drive, SD card, or USB hard drive), right-click the partition on it, and choose “Format…”. Open Disk Management in Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7 (Press Windows + R, input “diskmgmt.msc” and press “Enter”). It enables users to format a USB drive that contains an unrecognized file system with a compatible file system through the following steps: Format unreadable USB drive using Disk Managementĭisk Management, a convenient and powerful disk and partition management tool in Windows. Warning: Formatting will erase all data on the USB drive. If an unreadable USB drive cannot be formatted in Windows Explorer, you can format the drive in Disk Management or Diskpart utility. Any advice?”įormat unrecognized USB drive using Windows 11/10 built-in tools I’m confused and don’t know how to format the unrecognzied USB flash drive to make it usable again in Windows 10. I tried to access it again, but the error- the volume doesn’t contain a recognized file system popped up. I followed the prompts to start format and only got the message saying that Windows was unable to complete the format. I tried to open the drive and was asked to format it. “I have a USB flash drive connected to my PC via 3.0 USB port.

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