How to Format Jump Drives

These days, USB flash drives, more commonly known as jump drives, have become reliable for storing various files of different sizes including applications, backup files, personal documents, music, videos and more. When you purchase a new USB flash drive, it is best to undergo formatting before you use it to ensure it is for your type of computer system. You will format it to FAT32 for Windows systems and format it to MS-DOS for Mac systems. Formatting is also the best method if you need more space on your jump drive, the jump drive is operating poorly or you need to permanently delete unnecessary files off your jump drive. Here's a quick and easy process on how to format a jump drive to help you store your data properly.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Format Jump Drives

1. Insert your jump drive into an available USB port in your computer. Normally, the system should find it automatically as a removable disk.

2. On a PC, click on the "My Computer" icon from your desktop or from the start menu. Look for the drive with the "Removable Disk" icon. The drive bay letter may not stay the same from computer to computer. It all depends on which drive bay is available on the computer you are using.

3. Right click on the "Removable Disk" icon and choose "Format."

4. Click the "Start" button. It will open a dialogue box that will warn you about the irreversibility of the formatting process. Keep in mind that formatting your jump drive will erase all files on it, so if you have some important files in your jump drive, make sure to copy them to a temporary location in your computer. The dialogue box will also show several options. Unless you want to modify the volume level, leave all the options unchecked. The "Quick Format" option should also be left unchecked to ensure that everything will be deleted properly during the formatting process.

5. Click the "OK" button for the device to fully format. Your jump drive will be cleaned and fully formatted, and ready to accept files.

References

• Jump Drive Format Help