Formatting a USB drive is a common task that can be necessary for various reasons, such as removing all data, changing the file system, or preparing the drive for a new use. In the Windows environment, this can be accomplished using graphical tools like File Explorer or using command-line tools such as Command Prompt (CMD) and PowerShell. This article will guide you through the process of formatting a USB drive using CMD and PowerShell.

Formatting a USB Drive Using Command Prompt (CMD)

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

   • Press Win + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" from the menu.

2. Identify the USB Drive:

   • Type diskpart and press Enter. This will open the DiskPart utility.
   • Type list disk and press Enter. This will display all connected drives. Identify your USB drive by its size.

3. Select the USB Drive:

   • Type select disk X (replace X with the disk number of your USB drive) and press Enter.

4. Clean the Drive:

   • Type clean and press Enter. This will remove all partitions and data from the drive.

5. Create a New Partition:

   • Type create partition primary and press Enter.

6. Format the Drive:

   • Type format fs=ntfs quick and press Enter to format the drive with the NTFS file system. You can replace ntfs with fat32 or exfat if needed.

7. Assign a Drive Letter:

   • Type assign and press Enter. This will assign the next available drive letter to the USB drive.

8. Exit DiskPart:

   • Type exit and press Enter to close DiskPart.

Formatting a USB Drive Using PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator:

   • Press Win + X and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" from the menu.

2. Identify the USB Drive:

   • Execute the command Get-Disk to list all connected drives. Note the number of your USB drive.

3. Clear the Drive:

   • Use the command Clear-Disk -Number X -RemoveData (replace X with the disk number) and confirm the action.

4. Initialize the Drive:

   • Run Initialize-Disk -Number X to initialize the disk.

5. Create a New Partition:

   • Execute New-Partition -DiskNumber X -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter to create a new partition and assign a drive letter.

6. Format the Drive:

   • Use Format-Volume -DriveLetter Y -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel "USBDrive" to format the drive. Replace Y with the assigned drive letter, and you can change NTFS to FAT32 or exFAT if desired.

Conclusion

Formatting a USB drive using CMD or PowerShell provides a powerful alternative to graphical tools, especially when dealing with stubborn drives or when scripting is required. Both methods offer flexibility in choosing the file system and partitioning options.