A drop-down menu will appear with the following format options: It's at the top of the Disk Utility window.ħ.Click the 'Format' drop-down box. You'll see it in the window on the left side of the Utilities window.Ħ.Click the 'Erase' tab. You'll find this in the middle of the Utilities page.ĥ.Click your USB flash drive's name. It's near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu.Ĥ.Double-click 'Disk Utility'.

This menu item is in the upper-left side of the screen. It's the blue, face-shaped icon in the Dock.ģ.Click 'Go'. If you're using a newer Mac that doesn't come with USB ports, you'll need to use a USB-C ports.Ģ.Open the 'Finder'.

If you're using an iMac, you may find the USB ports on the side of your keyboard or on the back of the iMac's screen.

Your external drive has now been reformatted to your selected file structure.ġ.Plug your iDiskk flash drive into your computer.

Your external hard drive's files will be erased during this process.ġ1.

Doing so prompts Windows to begin formatting your drive.

If you've formatted your drive before, check the Quick Format box as well.ġ0.

Click the format you want to use to select it. Similar to FAT32, but has no storage limit.ĩ.

exFAT (Recommended) - Use this for hard drives you plan on using with multiple devices (Mac, Windows, console, etc.).

FAT32 - Works on Windows and Mac, but has a storage limit of 32 gigabytes with an individual file size of 4 gigabytes.NTFS - Use this for Windows-only drives.Doing so prompts a drop-down menu with the following options: It's below the 'File System' heading near the top of the page. Clicking it opens the Format window for your external drive.Ĩ. This flash drive-shaped icon is in the Manage toolbar near the top of the window. It's a menu item in the top-left side of the This PC window.ħ. It's under the 'Devices and drives' heading in the middle of the This PC window. It's on the left side of the File Explorer window.ĥ. Click the file-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the Start window.Ĥ.

Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press '⊞ Win' on your keyboard.ģ. Plug your USB flash drive into your computer.Ģ. Be aware that formatting a hard drive erases the drive's contents in the process.ġ. Formatting a USB flash drive can change the file system to make it compatible with your computer's operating system, as well as fix any non-physical errors on the drive itself.

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