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

1. Click the Start Menu and type cmd.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
3. 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. 🚀