Select disk n (replace n with the number of your USB drive) To do this, open the Command Prompt by pressing as an administrator and type in the following commands, hitting Enter after each: One way to fix the Can’t Format USB Flash Drive is to use the Command Prompt. If this is the case, then you will need to scan the drive with an antivirus program in order to remove the infection.įix the can’t format USB drive error with CMD The drive is infected with malware or viruses. Windows explore > right click on the flash drive > Properties > Tools > Error Checking > Check now This can happen if the drive was not properly ejected from a computer or if there was a sudden power failure. Warning: Formatting your USB flash drive will erase all data on it.Ĭheck for bad sectors.

You can learn how to change the USB drive format with our quick guide. Any storage media or partition formatted with an unsupported file system will show up as a RAW or corrupt drive. Windows supports NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT storage media formats. Try formatting the drive with a different file system. You can change your USB read/write settings at the properties of the drive or switch the physical lock on the device if it has one. If the drive is not showing up at all, then there might be a hardware issue that needs to be addressed.Ĭheck whether the drive is set to read-only. You can do it by unplugging the USB drive and then plugging it back in. Quick fixes for can’t format flash drive errorĬheck if the disk is properly connected.

However, if you’re unable to solve it with them, then you’ll have to use the command prompt or contact a flash drive data recovery service. There are five quick solutions that can help you, depending on what is causing the error. If you are getting the Can’t Format USB Flash Drive error on Windows, then there are a few things that you can try in order to fix it. How to fix Windows can’t format USB flash drive error

The USB drive is locked or write-protected.

Several things can cause can’t format flash drive error, such as Learn how you can fix and recover the data from a USB flash drive that is not formatting correctly.

One common error that can pop up is the Can’t Format USB Flash Drive message. Windows can be a finicky operating system at times.

Completely reformat usb drive