Whether you’re formatting an internal drive, external drive, or USB flash drive, Windows makes it possible to choose between NTFS and exFAT formats. In this guide, we’ll go over the simple steps to formatting a USB drive and which format is best for certain situations.
exFAT is a file system optimized specifically for flash drives. Introduced in 2006, it’s designed to be a lightweight file system like FAT32 without the extra features of NTFS and without the FAT32 limitations. exFAT has very large file size and partition size limits so files larger than 4GB a piece can be stored on a flash drive formatted with exFAT. It makes very few unnecessary writes, and stores files throughout the drive in order to maximize the lifespan and speed up transfers.
Format to exFAT through free FAT32 to exFAT converter In most cases, Windows File Explorer and Diskpart utility can help you to format external drive to exFAT. There are chances that these tools are unable to format external hard drive or flash drive to exFAT out of certain reasons like write-protection, file system corruption, etc.
On Ubuntu 20.04, I open the disks app, go to format my thumb drive, go to other, click next, and it wont let me format to exFAT. Is there a way to.
Insert the drive in the USB port. Right, Click on the drive then hit on the Format option. Now choose the desired file system from FAT, FAT32, NTFS or exFAT from the new dialogue box. Give a name to the drive.
Aug 28, 2020 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.
In this guide, we show you virtually every method to format a USB flash drive and quickly erase its contents or fix data corruption and other issues using Windows 10's built-in tools.
NTFS however, is not a flash drive’s best friend. It makes many extra disk writes and, as a dynamic file system, can also write without your knowledge. If one of these writes is taking place and a drive is pulled out, corruption and a reformat is required to get things back in order but your data will have been lost. Additionally, NTFS has read-only compatibility with Mac devices, a flaw not shared by the exFAT format.
Before we get started make sure to back up all data. Reformatting will result in a wipe of the drive so backing up on another device is vital to keeping your data.
Step 1: Plug the USB drive into your computer and allow it to be detected. Once it has been recognized, open up your standard File Explorer.
Step 2: Locate the drive under Computer. Right click and select “Format”. This opens a dialog box with formatting options.
Step 3: On the “File System” dropdown, select the desired format. In this case, we’ll be formatting to exFAT. Our backups are created and our format type is set so click “Start” to initialize the process.
An alternative method is formatting USB drives using the Command Prompt. Some may find this method to be easier or more intuitive but it’s simply typing out the commands instead of using the tools in your Explorer.
Step 1: Plug the drive in and make sure it has been detected. As with our previous steps, backing up to save your data is still necessary.
Step 2: Open the Command Prompt. To do this, open your “Start” menu and type “cmd” into the search box. “cmd.exe” should appear so open it up.
Step 3: Your USB drive will have an assigned letter, for example “F”. Typing the following will bring up the formatting prompts   “format F: /fs:EXFAT” Mac hard drive on windows pc.
Press Y or N to continue or stop the formatting respectively.
With these methods you’ll be able to optimize your flash drive’s format or save some hardware that has seen better days. For more How-To’s and tech related news, make sure to Follow Us On Twitter to receive the latest updates!
Cyrus
Cyrus is currently getting his bachelors degree in computer programing. As a part time job, Cryus writes contributing articles and content for GetUSB.info. He is an avid swimmer, loves Minecraft and prefers to program in Python.
Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions
Sony’s PlayStation 4 or PS4 is a gaming console that has gained widespread popularity in recent years. The issue which the users face when it comes to PS4 is storage and at the same time PS4 USB format. The console comes with a hard drive of 500GB. The gamers need much more space to play uninterrupted and to keep the console at the best performance.
Part 1: Can I Use a USB Stick on My PS4?
PS4 comes with an external slot for the USB connections. Therefore you can easily use a USB or external hard drive with the console with the right PS4 external hard drive format. Certain requirements are to be fulfilled. The USB design should be such that it easily attaches itself to the slot. The slot space is too limited when it comes to PS4 so you must buy an external wire or cable if the USB has a weird design.
Requirements
To make sure that the best performance is achieved once the USB has been attached to the system you need to make sure that the following requirements are met. The integral part is the PS4 flash drive format.
The minimum storage should be 250GB
The maximum storage is 8TB.
Along with the right USB format for PS4 USB interface should be 3.0 as the lower versions are too slow to read and write the data to or from PS4.
First Time Connection
The right PS4 USB drive format is a must. When connected to PS4 the Hard Drive or the USB should be formatted to start transferring the data. For this you need to head over to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices > Format as Extended Storage. Once it has been done the external drive will be installed as the auto location for all game data storage and game installations.
How to Move Applications?
If you need to move any current application to your newly installed storage location follow the process as under. Get your PS4 format external hard drive to correct format to work perfectly.
Head over to Settings > Storage to select the correct PS4 external drive format.
Select the internal storage as it is the place where the app is located.
Press the OPTIONS button to select the external storage as a destination and move the applications.
Part 2: What Format Should a USB Stick be for PS4?
For some weird reasons, the USB format for PS4 is FAT32 or exFAT. When you start formatting your external hard drive with a computer you get a choice to choose the file system you want. There are currently 2 choices that are provided by the windows operating system. These are exFAT and NTFS.
If you are planning on using a hard drive as external storage with PS4 then you need to select exFAT as a format system. The exFAT was introduced back in 2006 and FAT32 as compared to this is too old. Use the correct USB format for PS4 to get the best results.
Why should you not use FAT32 with PS4?
There are many reasons for which FAT32 should not be used with PS4. The first and foremost is the fact that the FAT32 file size is limited to 4GB only. It means that if there is a game that is larger than 4GB or similar data transfer will not take place at all. You, therefore, need to use the exFAT system to ensure that the PS4 data transfer is smooth.
The exFAT usage with PS4
By all modern means, exFAT is the only system that should be used to make sure that the data is transferred in large chunks. The minimum file size that can be transferred to and from PS4 to the external drive is about 16GB but with exFAT, this increases to at least 50GB per file.
Part 3: How to Format an External Hard Drive for PS4?
To format PS4 external hard drive you need to follow these steps.
Open File Explorer on your computer for formatting a hard drive for PS4.
Right-click the to format external hard drive on PS4 and select Format from the menu that appears.
Select exFAT which is also the default system. Don’t forget to check the Quick Format tab or else the process would be too long. Press start and then click on Yes to initiate the process to select the correct PS4 Pendrive format.
Your external storage is now ready to be used with PS4. Why my pdf file cannot be printed. The data can be transferred to and from the console with ease as seamlessly. To format a USB drive for PS4 use the process above to get the work done. Take care zip file.
Bonus Tip: How to Recover Lost Data from PS4?
If for any reason you have deleted important data from the external hard drive then there is nothing to worry about. Recoverit Data Recovery is here for your service and rescue. The program is highly sophisticated and has a very easy to understand interface.
Recoverit Data Recovery - The Best File Recovery Software
The program supports over 1000 data and format types to choose from.
Regardless of the reason for data loss Recoverit Data Recovery will get it back for you.
The videos can also be recovered with a high success rate.
The deep scan allows you to recover the data which is no possible otherwise.
You can easily preview the files before they are recovered.
The Process
Step 1: Start the process
Launch the program once the external drive has been connected to the computer.
Step 2: Select the place to scan
Format Usb To Exfat
Select the location where you want to recover the data from.
Step 3: Start scan
Scan the selected location to retrieve the data.
Ntfs Vs Fat32 Vs Exfat For Usb
Step 4: View the files before recovering
Format Usb To Exfat Or Fat32
Preview the files once they have been restored. Select the ones you want and discard others. Press Recover to completely recover your files.
Conclusion
Linux Format Usb To Exfat
Recoverit Data Recovery is the only program that will allow you to recover your lost files if you have formatted external HDD for PS4. It is highly reliable and works to the best of its performance. Recoverit Data Recovery has good user reviews and it is all because of the usability of the program that it presents to all. Data recovery has never been as easy as it is with Recoverit Data Recovery.