How to Reformat a USB Drive Using Windows Diskpart

There may come a time when a USB drive is formatted in an unusual file system, such as when used with a Smart TV, or when a large portion of the device is allocated to an unmanageable EFI partition. While Windows’ built-in Disk Management utility can handle basic formatting tasks, it is often unable to delete these protected partitions.

To fully erase and reformat your USB drive, follow this step-by-step guide using Windows Diskpart, a powerful command-line utility.

⚠ Warning:

This process will completely erase all data on the USB drive. Proceed only if you are certain you no longer need any files stored on it.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Click the Start Menu and type cmd.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.

Step 2: Launch Diskpart

Once the Command Prompt window opens, type:

diskpart

Press Enter to launch the Diskpart utility.

Step 3: List Available Drives

To see all detected storage devices, enter the following command:

list disk

This will display all storage drives connected to your system.

Important: Each drive is labeled as Disk 0, Disk 1, Disk 2, etc. Identify the USB drive by checking its size.

Step 4: Select the USB Drive

Once you identify your USB drive, select it by replacing X with the correct disk number:

select disk X

⚠ Double-check the selected disk! If you choose the wrong one, you may erase your primary hard drive.

To confirm the selection, type:

detail disk

This will display details about the selected disk to ensure it’s the correct one.

Step 5: Remove Existing Partitions

List all partitions on the selected disk:

list partition

If any partitions exist, delete them one by one. Start with the first partition, replacing X with the partition number:

select partition X
delete partition override

Repeat this step for all remaining partitions.

Step 6: Create a New Partition

Once all partitions are deleted, create a new primary partition:

create partition primary

Step 7: Format the USB Drive

Now, format the drive using your desired file system. For most USB drives, FAT32 is a good choice for compatibility, but if you need to store files larger than 4GB, choose NTFS instead.

For FAT32:

format fs=fat32 quick

For NTFS:

format fs=ntfs quick

For exFAT (recommended for cross-platform usage on Windows and macOS):

format fs=exfat quick

The quick parameter speeds up the process by skipping a full surface scan.

Step 8: Assign a Drive Letter

To make the USB drive accessible in File Explorer, assign it a letter:

assign

You can specify a particular letter by using:

assign letter=Z

(Replace Z with your preferred letter.)

Step 9: Exit Diskpart

Once the process is complete, exit the utility:

exit

Now, your USB drive is fully formatted and ready for use.

Troubleshooting Tips

If Diskpart fails to delete partitions, try running the following command before reattempting:
```
clean
```
This will wipe all partitions and data from the selected drive.
If the USB drive is not recognized after formatting, unplug it, restart your computer, and plug it back in.
If the format process takes too long, retry with the quick parameter.

This guide ensures you can properly erase and reformat any USB drive, making it usable for new storage needs. 🚀