

In the File system drop-down, select NTFS.

Click on the Safely remove hardware icon in the taskbar, select your USB drive and wait till you get the confirmation message.

In order to avoid this situation, always use Safely Remove Hardware. It can also happen due to a power failure or any problem with the computer that caused temporary USB disconnect. When a USB device is removed without using Safely Remove Hardware, it damages the drive. The most common reason for USB drives to suddenly become RAW is an unsafe removal of the device.

#Reformat usb flash drive mac ntfs windows#
Since Windows sees no file system or a RAW file system, it prompts you to format the drive. Therefore, it is unable to mount it as a drive. The file system cannot be accessed by Windows OS. A RAW drive is a drive which is not formatted. This file system defines how data is stored and accessed on the device. Once the formatting is complete, you’ll see an icon for your flash drive appear on your Mac’s desktop.Your USB drives usually come with a pre-installed file system. 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
#Reformat usb flash drive mac ntfs how to#
How to format a USB flash drive (Windows and Mac)? ¶
