How to Reformat a Flash Drive

Remember, every computer is different - you may have a different operating system, different ports and a different flash drive. As such, there's no one guide or answer for how to reformat a flash drive that is going to work every time.

PC Reformatting

Here are the basic steps for how to reformat a flash drive using your PC:

Save Your Data

Connect the flash drive to the computer’s USB port and allow the computer to recognize the hardware.
You’ll be given an option to view or import the files on the flash drive. Choose to do nothing and close the option window.
Create a new folder on your computer’s desktop to transfer all of the data you want to save from your flash drive.
Go to your computer’s start menu and click on the “Computer” heading to open it and view all available drives and devices
Right-click on your flash drive’s heading.
Click the “Send to” field, and transfer any data to the folder you created so that it’s not erased in the reformatting.

Complete the Formatting

Once your data’s been transferred, right-click the drive’s heading again and click on the “Format” heading.
When you do this, you’re going to be warned that formatting the drive will automatically erase all of its contents if you continue.
If you wish to continue, click “Yes” and you’ll be given the opportunity to decide what file format you want to use in the flash drive.
The most popular format is the NTFS format, but you’ll be able to use the FAT32 system as well.
Choose your format by clicking on it and then clicking “OK.” When you do, the formatting window will appear, showing you the progress as it occurs.

Once your flash drive is finished reformatting, your computer will let you know that the task has been completed.

Mac Reformatting

To reformat a flash drive using a Mac:

Connect the flash drive to your computer by using the USB port, allowing the computer to recognize the device before engaging any of its functions.
Open the “Finder” menu, which will allow you to find any file or program that your computer contains.
On the right side of the finder menu, you’ll have to select the “Applications” folder.
Once you’ve opened the applications folder, you’ll be able to scroll through the contents of the folder until you find the folder entitled “Utilities.”
Once you find the utility folder, open it and locate the heading titled “Disk Utility.”

Disc Utility and Your Flash Drive

Once you find the disk utility in your Mac, open it and you’ll be able to view and manage any disc drive, internal or external.
The listing of the different drives will be on the right hand side of the disk utility screen, and you’ll have to click on the “USB Flash Drive” heading in order to access the flash drive that you’ve installed.
Once you do this, you’ll have to click the “Erase” heading in the disk utility screen in order to format the drive.
Another screen will appear that allows you to name the drive for future reference as well as select the formatting for the hard drive.

Proper Formatting

After you name your flash drive to be recognized by your Mac, you’ll have to choose the “Mac X Extended Journaled” heading in order for the computer to format the drive correctly with the correct volume format.
Once you’ve selected the format, click the “Erase” heading again and the computer will format the flash drive.
Once the formatting is completed, you will be able to use your flash drive to store and transfer any file from a Mac computer to your own, or vice versa.

Before you go filling your flash drive again on either PC or Mac, you should safely remove the drive by ejecting it. This way, when you plug the drive back in, your computer will recognize it as a new device.