How to Format a Flash Drive to FAT32

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Most flash drives use NTFS. However, some older drives may use the FAT32 as well.

Formatting a flash drive to the FAT32 format is only compaitble with flash drives that use the FAT32 file system to manage files. FAT32 is not widely used anymore and has been largely replaced with the superior "NTFS" file system. However, the formatting tools in computers can format FAT32 drives. The tool to format a flash drive can be found on the computer; you do not have to download any software.

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Step 1

Click on the "My Computer" shortcut on the desktop of your computer.

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Step 2

Right-click the flash drive and choose the "Format" option.

Step 3

Change the selection under "File System" to FAT32.

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Step 4

Click the "Start" button to begin the formatting process.

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