

- #FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC HOW TO#
- #FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC INSTALL#
- #FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC FREE#
#FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC INSTALL#
This tool is built-in in macOS, so we do not need to download or install anything.Ĭritical! The instructions in the article below are designed to help format a flash drive. To solve this issue, we will use the Terminal app and the tool diskutil. The Disk Utility app does not see this hidden partition and therefore formats only the first partition instead of the two.

To use a flash drive as a boot disk (for example, with the OS for Raspberry Pi), it creates two partitions: the first one with the bootloader and occupies 60 MB, the second one with the OS files is a hidden partition and occupies the rest of the flash drive space. In my case it’s all about the type of previous formatting. This is not a problem with the flash drive at all. And it can happen with a flash drive from any manufacturer.
#FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC FREE#
If I try to format it using macOS built-in Disk Utility app, it will only free the space in that partition. I noticed that no matter the size of my SD memory card, after writing an image with OS for my Raspberry Pi, macOS can only recognize one partition with about 60 MB.
#FORMATTING A USB FLASHDRIVE FOR MAC HOW TO#
In this article I will show you how to format a flash drive to reclaim full capacity and make it available for saving data again now. Once the formatting is complete, you’ll see an icon for your flash drive appear on your Mac’s desktop.Have you ever met this problem that a flash memory card or USB flash drive is not showing the full capacity but a wrong size in macOS? I got this problem every time when trying to erase an SD memory card after working with Raspberry Pi. This option is at the top of the Disk Utility window.Ĭlick Erase, then click Erase when prompted. It’s on the far-left side of the Disk Utility window.Ĭlick the “Erase” tab. You’ll likely find this option in the middle of the Utilities page.Ĭlick your flash drive’s name. This option is in the Go drop-down menu.ĭouble-click “Disk Utility”. If you don’t see Go, first click the Finder icon, which resembles a blue face in your Mac’s dock.Ĭlick “Utilities”. It’s a menu item in the top-left side of the menu bar. Note: Some Macs don’t have USB ports, so you’ll need to purchase an adapter.Ĭlick “Go”. Your flash drive has successfully been formatted. Doing this will cause Windows to begin formatting your flash drive for you.Ĭlick “OK” when prompted.

If you’ve formatted your drive before and you’re positive that it isn’t broken, you can also check the Quick Format box.Ĭlick Start, and then click OK. Note: exFAT format USB flash drives do not work with ClonerAlliance products.Ĭlick a format option (FAT32 or NTFS). Works with most computers and gaming consoles. If you’re using your drive as a secondary Windows drive, you’ll need to choose this option.įAT32 - The most widely compatible format. NTFS - The default Windows operating system format. A drop-down menu will appear with the following options: It’s below the “File System” heading near the top of the page. Doing so opens the Format window.Ĭlick the “File System” box. This option is near the middle of the drop-down menu. It’s beneath the “Devices and drives” heading in the middle of the page.Ĭlick Format. The drive, so make sure you back up your files before formatting yourĬonnect the USB flash drive to your computer. Note: Formatting your flash drive will remove all files or folders on How to format a USB flash drive (Windows and Mac)? ¶
