The flash drive cannot be formatted for ntfs. Formatting a flash drive using Windows
Hello friends. Today, I want to tell you about how to format a flash drive in NTFS format for different Windows operating systems. It was not by chance that I chose this particular format, since today it is the most relevant and secure. But main reason conversion to this format, is the ability to copy files larger than 4 GB to removable media. In flash drives with the FAT32 file system, this cannot be done; the maximum allowable size of the copied file is up to 4 GB.
In this article I will present several methods of formatting in the NTFS format, and you can choose any one you like.
Advice! Before formatting, copy files that are important to you to another removable media or hard drive.
— Formatting in Windows 7 and 8
How to format a flash drive to NTFS in Windows XP
Built-in formatting method
Most users of this operating system do not know that you can format a flash drive in NTFS format using built-in Windows tools. By default, this option is disabled and if you want to format the flash drive in the usual way, then in the parameter selection window you will see this picture:
There are simply no two types of file systems, including the NTFS format we need.
Let's carry out additional actions to activate the mode we need. To do this, open Device Manager, it is located at this address:
Start – Settings – Control Panel – System – Hardware tab
and find the item in it Disk devices, in which your flash drive will be located.
Click right click mouse on our device and select Properties. Then, in the new window, go to the Policy tab and check the checkbox next to Optimize for execution.
Click the OK button.
Now open My Computer or press the key combination:
and right-click on your flash drive, then select Format.
The NTFS we need will appear in the drop-down list of file systems.
Select it and decide on the formatting type - Quick or Complete cleaning(remove the checker) and click the Start button.
Built-in formatting using the File System Conversion Utility
In the Windows XP operating system, there is a built-in file system converter with which you can format a flash drive in NTFS format.
To run it, follow this path:
Start – Run – and write cmd in the command line
Press the Enter button.
In the black window that appears, type the following command:
convert G: /FS:NTFS /NOSECURITY /X
G: is the letter of the removable storage device. You can find out by opening My Computer.
/FS:NTFS – file system into which the flash drive will be converted. In our case it is NTFS.
/NOSECURITY – security settings for all files and folders on the flash drive, which after conversion will be available to everyone.
/X – special team to force the removal of this volume.
After you have entered this command, press Enter and wait for the process to complete and the message “Conversion complete” to appear.
Important point! When converted to file system NTFS, all data on the flash drive remains completely safe. But just in case, it is better to make a copy of them.
Also, you need to know that the flash drive itself must have a certain free space to complete the conversion operation. This volume can be found from the line – Necessary for conversion.
HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool
Download the archive and unzip it. Launch the exe file (under account Administrator) and select the NTFS file system type. Specify the volume label (the name of the flash drive) and click the Start button.
A warning window will appear in which we confirm our actions and after a while the flash drive will be successfully formatted.
How to format a flash drive to NTFS in Windows 7 and 8
Using Windows 7 OS
This method is the simplest. Go to My Computer and right-click on your flash drive, then select Format.
In the window that opens, select the file NTFS system and specify the volume label (name of the flash drive). Click the Start button.
If you just purchased a flash drive, then it is probably formatted in the FAT32 file system. This means that you will not be able to upload files larger than 4GB onto it. You won’t be able to copy an interesting movie onto it in order to watch it on TV, for example: you won’t be able to copy an archive with a game onto it or a disk image, and instead of enjoying the purchase, you will only receive an error message. How to fix this? Yes, very simple. You need to convert the file system of the flash drive to NTFS. Now I will show you how to do this.
I must say that the NTFS format is not the only one that decides everything the problems described above. There is also exFat, but some TVs have certain problems with it. Therefore, the choice is clear - NTFS.
I note that media with the FAT32 file system works great on almost any modern operating system. NTFS format works for reading/writing in operating systems Windows family and read-only on Linux and Mac OS X.
If the flash drive is no longer new and contains important information, then before starting the formatting process you should copy it somewhere to HDD or another flash drive with all the data. During the NTFS formatting process, they may suffer if something goes wrong. In this case, the flash drive can be formatted again, but all the information on it will be lost.
In this article I used Windows 10. But the same is true for Windows 7, 8, 8.1.
Formatting a flash drive using Windows
We insert the flash drive into an empty USB socket on the front panel of the computer or its back. For a laptop everything is simpler - into any free USB socket. Next, open Start and select Conductor.
Flash drive
Then right-click on the flash drive and select Format....
Formatting
In the window Formatting select the file system NTFS, tick Quick (clear table of contents) do not remove and press Begin.
Start formatting
Immediately before starting the formatting process, the system will show you a warning about permanent deletion all information from a USB drive. Click Yes.
At the end of the process, press the button OK in a window with the message: “Format completed.”
How to format a flash drive on the command line?
The process of formatting a flash drive to NTFS using command line can be done with the convert utility, which comes with the Windows 7, 8, 10 operating system. The name of the utility implies its purpose, which converts the file system of the media, and does not deal with formatting as such. That's why this utility allows you to carry out the formatting process from FAT32 to NTFS without data loss.
We connect the flash drive to a computer or laptop into any free USB port. Launch the command line. There are several ways to do this. Choose one of them for yourself.
1 Method
Right-click on Start and choose Command Line (Administrator).
Command line
2 Method
Press the key combination Menu + R and open the window Execute, in which we write cmd.
Execute
3 Method
Open Start and write cmd. On the search line Command line right-click and select Run as administrator.
Command line
Any of the methods described above will allow you to open a command line in which you need to specify convert M: /FS:NTFS, Where M: volume letter of the removable disk (our flash drive). You can view it at Windows Explorer, for example like .
After entering the command, press Enter and wait for the conversion of the file system to NTFS to complete. The conversion process may take some time, especially if you have a really large drive.
convert - conversion to NTFS completed
As you can see, the transformation is complete. You can also make sure that all the data that was on the flash drive before starting the conversion remains intact.
Using HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool to format
Download the utility, for example. Unpack it and launch it.
Rule for saving files in backup copy, announced at the beginning of the article, also applies here. Therefore, don’t be lazy and copy important data from the flash drive to local computer or another flash drive.
We select the device we need in the drop-down list if several USB devices are connected. Selecting a file system NTFS. Check the box Quick Format and press the button Start. We agree with the dialogue warning that all data on the flash drive will be destroyed. Click the button Yes and wait for the formatting process to complete.
Formatting from HP USB Disk Storage
After the formatting process is completed, you will see a report with the results. If you see an entry The type of the new system is NTFS, which translated means Installed new type NTFS file system. This means that everything worked out for you and the flash drive was successfully formatted in NTFS.
Let's see how to format a flash drive to the NTFS file system in the Windows operating system without using additional program. The vast majority of modern portable USB flash drives support conversion between multiple file systems.
By default, flash drives usually run on the FAT32 file system, because USB drives with the FAT32 file system are supported by most operating systems; a flash drive will work on almost any device.
A feature of the FAT32 file system is that files smaller than 4 GB are not supported. There are situations when you need to download a file larger than 4 GB to a portable drive. The NTFS file system supports files larger than 4 GB.
One way out of this situation is to format the flash drive from the FAT32 file system to the NTFS file system. Please note that along with the advantages, a flash drive in NTFS will not be readable at all, or will have significant limitations in other operating systems, or on connected portable devices.
How to convert a flash drive to NTFS? In order to format a flash drive into the NTFS file system, we will use two methods, without using programs: using the built-in operating system tool Windows systems, and using a utility run on the command line.
The result of converting the file system will be different: during the formatting process, the Windows tool will delete all files from the flash drive, and in the command line, the convert utility will save the files on the flash drive after converting the file system.
First, let's look at how to format a flash drive in NTFS using the Windows operating system, and then change the file system of the flash drive in the command line.
How to format a flash drive to NTFS
Before starting the formatting process, move everything from the removable drive necessary files to another computer drive.
Connect the flash drive to the computer, in the Explorer window, right-click on the flash drive drive. IN context menu Click on the “Format” item.
In the “Format flash drive name” window, select the file system, in our case NTFS, and then click on the “Start” button.
In a window warning that formatting will destroy all data on this disk, click on the “OK” button.
After the file system conversion process is completed, the NTFS file system will be installed on the flash drive.
How to format a flash drive to NTFS via the command line
In order to format a flash drive into the NTFS file system without losing the data on the flash drive, you will need a command line in which you need to run the convert utility.
In this example, connected to the computer USB flash 8 GB drive with FAT32 file system. The flash drive contains files that take up 1 GB of disk space.
Now you need to USB flash drive Convert FAT32 file system to NTSF file system without losing files. Please note that in order to convert the file system, there must be some free space on the flash drive.
Right-click on the Start menu and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the context menu.
In a command prompt window, enter the following command:
Convert N: /FS:NTFS
In Explorer on my computer, the removable drive has the drive letter “N”, so I entered this drive letter; on your computer, the flash drive connected to the PC may have a different drive letter. First make sure that under the corresponding drive letter there is exactly the flash drive whose file system you want to change.
Type the command and then press the Enter key.
Next, the conversion operation will begin. In my case, to start the process, it was necessary to disconnect the volume (flash drive), since the flash drive was being used by another process. To do this, I pressed the "Y" key and then the "Enter" key.
The file system conversion will take some time.
After formatting is complete, open Explorer, right-click on the flash drive, and click on the “Properties” context menu item.
In the “Flash Drive Name Properties” window you will see that USB drive now has an NTFS file system.
All data on the flash drive is saved.
Conclusions of the article
The user can change the file system on the flash drive by formatting the flash drive to the NTFS file system using Windows tools, or using the convert utility, launched from the command line.
The FAT32 file system, which most flash drives are sold with, has a number of limitations that can create inconvenience for users. For example, maximum size The file that this file system supports is only 4 GB.
In order to solve this problem, the flash drive must be reformatted from the outdated FAT32 file system to the more modern NTFS, which has no serious limitations. And in this article we will look at three ways how this can be done.
Reformatting a flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS via the context menu
If you just want to reformat from FAT32 and NTFS, then this can be done in two ways. The first method is formatting through the context menu of the flash drive. This method is the simplest and will suit most users.
In order to reformat a flash drive to NTFS using this method, you need to open the “My Computer” window and right-click on the flash drive, then select “Format” from the menu that opens.
As a result, a window will appear in front of you to reformat the flash drive. In this window you need to change the file system from FAT32 to NTFS. The rest of the formatting settings can be left as standard.
In order to start the process of reformatting the flash drive, you need to click on the “Start” button.
After which a window will appear warning you that reformatting the flash drive to NTFS will delete all data. To continue, close this window using the “OK” button. Next you will need to wait until the formatting is completed. This usually takes no more than 1 minute. When it's finished, operating system will inform you about this.
Reformatting a flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS via CMD
You can also reformat from FAT32 and NTFS using the Command Line. To do this, first press the Win+R key combination and execute the “CMD” command. This will open Command Prompt.
After opening the Command Prompt, you need to run the command in it to reformat the flash drive. This command looks something like this:
- format N: /FS:NTFS /Q /V:MyFlash
- /FS:NTFS - file system;
- /Q – quick formatting;
- /V:MyFlash – volume label (name of your flash drive);
After executing this command, the system will ask you to click on ENTER key on the keyboard to confirm formatting.
After pressing ENTER, the system will begin the process of reformatting the flash drive from FAT32 and NTFS.
Reformatting a flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS without data loss
It is also possible to reformat from FAT32 and NTFS without losing data. This can also be done in the Command Line, but using a different command. To do this, use the following command:
- convert N: /FS:NTFS
- N: - the letter that is assigned to your flash drive;
- /FS:NTFS - file system;
The screenshot below shows what this command looks like in the Command Prompt.
After executing the convert command, the process starts. In this case, all data on the flash drive is saved. The conversion process takes longer than normal formatting so be prepared to wait a while.
Hi all! Quite often I come across this question: why can’t my big movie download to a flash drive? (or the image of the game). The fact is that in this case the flash drive uses the FAT32 file system, and there is a limit on the maximum size of one file (approximately 4GB). The way out of this situation is to change the file system from FAT32 to NTFS.
Therefore, the question arises, how to format a flash drive in NTFS? It's actually simple and I offer you 3 working options.
I don’t see any particular need to format flash drives in NTFS; if you use it only on computers, I recommend file format exFat system, but knowing that these questions mostly arise when downloading heavy movies to watch on a FullHD TV - NTFS the only way out, exFat is not understood by all TVs.
Through Windows interface
Using HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool
First the method will work everyone except those who use outdated Windows XP. Let's try to upload a 5.54 GB file onto our experimental flash drive. As you can see, they write to us that the file is too large for the final file system.
Open “My Computer”, right-click on our drive and select “Format...” from the context menu that appears (I hope you saved all the necessary data from the flash drive? - It will be difficult to restore them)
Don’t forget to select the file system type (In our case, NTFS), check the box “ Quick formatting", so as not to wait forever for the process to complete and click "Start"
We see a warning that formatting will destroy ALL the data that you so diligently recorded throughout the life of the flash drive.
That's it, formatting is complete, now you can upload large files to your flash drive.
However, as I said, this method is not suitable for Windows XP, and for reasons unknown to me, formatting in NTFS is not always available in modern operating systems. In such cases, I recommend using a small and free program HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool.
How to use HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool?
First we need to download the program. I don’t like to wander around all sorts of warez and not so good sites in search of software, so I posted this utility on my blog - download it for your health!
So, let's launch the program. (Did you copy the data?), select our flash drive, which needs to be formatted in NTFS - make no mistake! Select the file system type and check the Quick Format box so that all this goes faster.
Warning that all data on the drive will be destroyed, are you sure you want to continue with the formatting process? We of course agree and click “YES”
After the formatting process is completed, we will be shown a report. Interesting information there is not much here, but now we see that The type of the new system is NTFS, which in translation means that everything worked out for us and our flash drive is in NTFS.
All two methods will destroy all data on your flash drive, but there is a way to change the file system without formatting. For this purpose, Windows has a built-in special utility Convert.exe
How to change the file system to NTFS without formatting?
Though this method and does not destroy your data on removable disk, I still recommend copying all documents important to you to safe place. So, open the computer and see which letter corresponds to your flash drive. In my case it is (Disk J)