How to Format USB Drive to FAT32 in Windows 11/10/7  

How to Format USB Drive to FAT32 in Windows 11/10/7

Updated on Jun 14, 2024 | by Edwards

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A USB is an essential device in our daily personal and work life. Just like any device is called smart for being compatible with other devices, so a USB drive must be compatible with a different device or operating system to work softly. There are three file systems in windows: NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT. But due to the best compatibility of FAT32, people want to format USB to FAT32 in Windows 11/10/7. As the most important cause behind formatting a USB drive to FAT32 in Windows PC is to make the USB drive compatible with different devices or operating systems. So in this article, we are going to learn how to format USB to FAT32 in Windows 7/Windows 10 and know why we actually need this.

Part 1: Why You Need to Format USB to FAT32 on Windows PC

FAT 32 in the oldest file system of Windows, replacing FAT16 with the launching of Windows 95. The two new and modern file systems in windows are NTFS and exFAT. There can be various reasons why you need to format USB to fat32 in Windows 10/7. According to us, below listed are some of the common reasons behind it.

Part 2: Guide for How to Format USB to FAT 32 in Windows 11/10/7

Fat 32 is perfect for files less than 4GB. So if you have less than 4GB data, then it's highly recommended. You can get a maximum 8 TB partition size in a drive, which is much more. Here is a step by step guide for how to format USB to FAT32 in windows 7/10/11.

Step 1: Connect the USB drive to your Windows device. Click on My computer. You will see the USB drive there. Connect your USB drive to the device and click on the Open folder to view files option.

Step 2: Right-click on your USB drive and click on the Format option. From the window, select FAT32 from the drop-down bar under the File system.

format USB to fat32

Step 3: Click on Start and OK to commence the formatting USB drive to FAT32 process. Once the formatting is completed click on OK.

Part 3: Recovery of the Data from USB Drive after Formatted

This part is literally a bonus for you! Before you format your USB drive, you need to keep a backup of your drive. If you keep a backup of the necessary files present in your USB drive, you can restore them anytime. So you shouldn't forget to take a backup USB drive before formatting. For backup, you can try the most popular backup software named Qiling Disk Master. This is the most reliable and user-friendly backup software.

Suppose you forgot to make a backup and already formatted a USB drive to FAT32 Windows 11/10/7, no need to worry. We also have a solution for that. You can use Deep Data Recovery to recover the data. It's an amazing data recovery solution for you even if you have no technical skills. You can easily handle all the steps of recovering your data on your own because of the user-friendly interface and powerful system.

Your Best Formatted USB Drive Recovery Software

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  • It provides fully safe and effective data recovery after format USB to FAT32 every time. It's easy to use and highly effective recover USB drive on Mac or Windows for everyone.
  • It can recover data in any situation including accidental deletion, cleared recycle bin, accidental format, inaccessible or unreadable drive/partition, partition loss due to clone or repartition, drive corrupted, data lost due to the wrong operation, virus attack, etc. and more.
  • It can recover data from PC, server, SD card, Digital Camera, Camcorder, External Hard Drive, USB Flash Drive, and more.
  • It supports various file types including pictures, audio, videos, documents, archives, and more.

Step-by-Step Guide for How to Recover Files from Formatted USB drive

Step 1: Install data recovery software

Download and install this unformat USB drive tool on the computer and connect the USB drive to your computer.

Step 2: Choose Formatted USB Drive to Scan

On the next window, you will see a list of all the hard disk drive partitions/locations available on your computer. You need to choose the USB drive and click on the "Scan" button to start the scanning process.

Choose Formatted USB Drive

Step 3: Preview and Recover Data after Format USB Drive to FAT32

Finally, you will get a window where all the files that you lost from your USB drive listed on your screen. Now if needed, preview the files that you want to recover and choose. After selecting all the files, click on "Recover" to start recovering all the files on your computer.

recover files from usb after formatted

Now you know how to format USB to FAT32 in Windows 10/11 easily using the traditional way. Following the step-by-step guideline provided in this article will be easier for you. Also, for keeping a backup of your data, you can use Qiling Disk Master without any doubt, as this is the best tool to back up all your data. If you forget to keep a backup before formatting the USB drive, then start using Deep Data Recovery software to recover files from formatted USB drive in no time.

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