Sometimes you have a USB flash drive or external hard disk that needs to be formatted in a specific type of drive format that is not supported by the native formatting tool of your OS.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
You can use the built-in options that Windows and Mac OS provide, but sometimes these come with limitations. Limitations can sometimes be a pain that you might not want to deal with.
Formatting tools can also allow you to create a bootable USB should you wish to reinstall your operating system or for other recovery operations.
There are many advanced software applications out there that can aid you in everything from formatting your USB or SD card or setting the partitions on a new hard drive.
Choosing the right one can sometimes be challenging, so make sure that you know all the information before making your decision.
Today we are exploring 14 USB and Disk Formatter tools that can perform various format operations such as create disk partitions, format the storage device in FAT, FAT32, NTFS etc.
Let’s see these below. The list below is in no particular order.
Table of Contents
The MiniTool Partition Wizard is designed to be an all-in-one software option to manage all your formatting requirements.
It comes in three versions that all have various options to assist you in everything from disk partitioning to cloning your disk for backup reasons.
The free version can take care of all your basic needs, and the pro version includes advanced features such as data recovery. You can also use it to help back up sizeable portions of data.
You can download the business server version if you have an organization, school, or part of the government. It can be used to manage dynamic disks on PC and servers too.
This software package is the perfect mini solution for all your partitioning requirements.
Windows-based operating systems only support this software. So, keep that in mind if you have a Mac.
This application is a lightweight, simplistic tool that helps you format your USB disk into NTFS, FAT32, FAT, or exFAT.
The software makes quick and easy formatting of almost any disk drive and can even create FAT32 partitions bigger than 32 gigabytes.
Be sure to use the application for any tough flash drive formatting needs or even SD cards.
It is free-to-use software that is compatible with most Windows and Windows server systems.
The point of this tool is to make formatting FAT32 drive partitions easier and more appealing to a broader audience. It doesn’t require any installation or setup, and you can use it as soon as it is downloaded.
The GUI helps you to create FAT32 file systems in no time or format an existing file system due to a virus or malware attack.
This software is compatible with Windows operating systems only and can be used to manage partitions up to 130 GB out of the box.
The HP USB Disk format tool resembles the native Windows format utility but allows much more functionality like formatting a USB drive and also format with NTFS for such storage devices. Thus, it is one step above the official Windows-based software.
You can create a bootable flash, format flash drives, and build sizeable FAT32 file systems. The application doesn’t need installation and only takes a few seconds to download.
HP is renowned for making software that works well and this is no expectation.
This program can come in handy, so it’s best to keep the software somewhere safe on your computer for when you need it most.
One of the better programs out there, EaseUS Partition Master is a quality formatting tool that deserves mention.
It can convert FAT32 to NTFS without formatting all your data and fix various other USB file system errors.
This is a much-needed solution, especially if you are planning on keeping important information.
Solely a Windows-based application, it can create drive partitions and formats that are supported on Linux operating systems as well (such as EXT 2/3/4).
Another freeware application to help take care of erasing and formatting your USB flash drive or external hard drive is ROGOSOFT.
It can be used for commercial or freeware personal use without a license and would benefit people looking for easy-to-use software. It offers also a pro version for more features.
The software also allows you to create a bootable flash or DOS start-up drive from any Windows ISO.
It has built-in error checking and quick format options and since it works on low-level it can format any type of storage device even if the native Windows format tool cannot do the job. You can even format SD cards with this tool.
The application is 100 percent freeware for any Windows PC that needs disk management options. You can convert, copy, repair, partition, or format.
The server version of the software can be downloaded as a trial period if you are looking to use the application in your organization.
It can also be used to free up extra space by re-arranging disk data in your operating system.
By doing this, it increases system performance through defragmentation and file management.
Easily use this software to partition or decrease the size of a drive without formatting it. It leaves all your precious data intact and opens up extra space for storage if needed.
They have a special Rollback technology which keeps your data 100% safe when doing risky operations such as shrinking your partitions etc.
Rufus is the classic bootable flash drive creator that everyone knows and loves. It has been used for years by people to create Windows start-up disks.
It is one of the fastest boot disk creators on the market, and it beats rival competitors by a long shot.
Give it a try to see how intuitively the program is designed and how quickly it operates.
Create your next bootable flash with Rufus, and you are never going to use another formatting application again. In addition to that, it can also format your USB stick to any type you want.
Creating bootable USB flash drives is very useful in multiple situations such as:
- Flashing your BIOS
- Booting up from a different OS
- Install Raspberry Pi
- Recover your system after crashing
- Etc
Do you need an SD memory card that requires an unusual format or just to clean it up? Well, you are in luck! The SD Memory Card Formatter is compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
It can format multiple brands of SD cards and can do so at a fast speed. This tool is specifically designed to format SD cards and perform much better than standard operating system tools.
It cannot format locked SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards, but a separate application should do this for you.
If part of the partition is closed, the software still formats what is available to erase and manage.
It supports formatting of SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
The best way to keep your Kingston removable USB flash drives operating at their best performance is by using the format utility from the company itself.
When you use this software, your data is erased. Rest assured that you are going to receive peak performance from this software, though.
The application is not even a megabyte, so it hardly takes up any space on your computer. This self-extracting Win-Zip file is compatible with all Windows operating systems.
11) Windows File Explorer
Users know the original and built-in formatting application for Windows all over the world.
As you might know, most OS-based software lacks features that their aftermarket counterparts have. It provides you with the most simple formatting options and to get the job done.
Unfortunately, you will struggle partitioning drives without erasing everything, but at least you don’t need to download any software.
This software is for the old school techies; it can support way back to Windows 98. Offering support for FATlib and FAT32, you can format old drives on Windows XP.
There is also support in the software to make expectations for older IDE drives to be formatted.
The procedure is quite complex and could be tedious for newcomers, but don’t worry; you can find all the instructions on their website.
It is a basic but very functional Windows-based tool that is great for formatting flash drives and nothing else. The file size is minuscule, and it can be run on 32 bit as well as 64 bit operating systems.
Martik USB Disk Formatter allows you to format in both NTFS and FAT32 file systems. While not providing you with a whole lot of options, this software gets the job done perfectly.
The final one on the list is the SmartDisk FAT32 Format Utility. It is freeware that is available on Softpedia and is essentially used to format SD cards.
It can effectively and efficiently convert exFAT to FAT32 without losing any data. The software autodetects the removable disk that is inserted and displays all available options to the user.
It is also an excellent tool if you want to view relevant drive information such as tracks per cycle, total cylinders, sectors per track, and so much more.
Wrapped up in one portable package, it’s a quick download, and away you go. It is one of the most easy-to-use and straightforward formatting programs for SD cards out there.
Final Thoughts
Keeping in mind that there are often compatibility issues between file systems, you should always consider having a good formatting program.
You might also find one of your devices can’t pick up a particular microSD card, and you can convert it to the right file system.
The formatting tools available out there give you the power to take control of your storage. One step at a time, you can manage your storage properly by converting, merging, or partitioning relevant drives.
Luckily, all of the applications mentioned above are mostly freeware and can be used in the home and office.
Choosing which one to use depends on what sort of file system you are looking to convert or format your USB flash drive into.
Related Posts
<!–
–>
Post a Comment