How do I format my SD card to FAT32?I've been looking forward to downloading the homebrew channel on my Wii but I'm in a bit of a issue. I have micro SD card with 64GB, but the Wii would not accept it and I tried to format it but when I looked online on how to the websites got me no where. How do I format my card to FAT32? - posted byu/Jo-se-24 from reddit.com
Stay calm if you are experiencing the same issue: Windows doesn't allow you to format 64GB or bigger SD card to FAT32. Follow through this guide, and you'll get a complete and easy guide to successfully format your SD card and other types of storage devices into FAT32 as easy as 123. Let's get started here.
PAGE CONTENT:
- Why Can'tFormat SD Card to FAT32
- How to FormatSD Card to FAT32 Instantly
- Video Tutorial: Format SD Card to FAT32 in 4 Ways
- FAT32 vs. NTFS vs. exFAT: Which Is The Best for SD Card
Why Can'tFormat SD Card to FAT32 in Windows 10/8/7
![How to Format 64GB SD Card to FAT32 Successfully? [3 Minutes Guide in 2023] (1)](https://i0.wp.com/www.easeus.com/images/en/screenshot/partition-manager/cannot-format-sd-card-to-fat32.png "How to Format 64GB SD Card to FAT32 Successfully? [3 Minutes Guide in 2023] (1)")
Usually, the most common issue is that your SD card is too large in volume that exceeds the FAT32 file system format limit (32GB) on Windows.
Like the USB drive, SD cards with 32GB or lower storage are set to FAT32 by default. WhileexFATis set as the default file system for larger SD cards with 64GB or 128GB. As some special devices only support the FAT32 file system, like the 3Ds SD card, it requires users to format the SD card to FAT32, no matter how large it is.
Due to the limitation of FAT32, the Windows system doesn't support creating a FAT32 partition on a more than 32GB disk partition. As a result, you cannot directly format a 64GB memory card nor USB flash drive to FAT32. So what will you do when you must format a 64GB SD card to FAT32?
Fortunately, besides the Windows built-in utility, you still have a chance to fix'can'tformat your 64GB SD card or format USB flash drive to FAT32' issue.A third-party & powerful FAT32 format tool can help resolve this issue effectively. Read on and download the remarkable formatting tool for help.
How to FormatSD Card to FAT32 Instantly (64GB, 128GB)
![How to Format 64GB SD Card to FAT32 Successfully? [3 Minutes Guide in 2023] (2)](https://i0.wp.com/www.easeus.com/images/en/screenshot/partition-manager/cannot-format-sd-card-to-fat32-banner.png "How to Format 64GB SD Card to FAT32 Successfully? [3 Minutes Guide in 2023] (2)")
Applies to: Format 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or even bigger SD card to FAT32.
Instead of spending time and energy to test the foundSD card format toolsonline,here, we'd like to recommend you try EaseUS Partition Master.
Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure
Unlike the Windows built-in utilities, EaseUS Partition Masterbreaks the partition size limit withFAT32 on Windows PC and storage devices. In other words, you can directly format your 64GB, 128GB, and even larger SD cardto FAT32 without losing storage capacity or affecting the SD card read/write speed.
Besides FAT32, this software also supports formatting your device to NTFS, ReFS, FAT16, Ext2, Ext3, etc. Connect your SD card to your computer and start to format your 32GB/64GB/128GB SD card to FAT32 with ease.
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition you intend to format and choose "Format".
Step 2. In the new window, enter the Partition label, choose the FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs, then click "OK".
Step 3. Then you will see a warning window, click "Yes" in it to continue.
Step 4.Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting the partition to FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4.
When the formatting process finishes, you can directly unplug your SD card and use it on other devices for game storing or photography again. You can also use it on your Windows and Mac computers without any issues.
If you prefer to resize or partition the SD card, you can follow How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows 10 for help.
Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure
Note that this method also works to help you formatting other types of storage devices with large capacity, including:
Format 128GB SD Card to FAT32 Fix SD Card Won't Format Format SSD Windows 11
Video Tutorial: Format SD Card to FAT32 in 4 Ways
Here is a video tutorial for you to see how to format the SD Card to FAT32. Note that the only way to format big storage devices larger than 64GB is still EaseUS Partition Master.
01:30 Method 1. Format the drive in File Explorer
02:13 Method 2. Format the drive in Disk Management
02:46 Method 3. Format the drive using DiskPart
03:49 Method 4. Use EaseUS Partition Master to Format Drive
📖Read Also: How to Format SDXC to FAT32
Bonus Tip: FAT32 vs. NTFS vs. exFAT: Which Is The Best for Your SD Card?
Besides FAT32, NTFS & exFAT are also available while formatting an SD card using Windows utilities - Disk Management, File Explorer, CMD or third-party partition manager.
But do you know which is the best format for your SD card? Here in the following, we'll show you the difference between FAT32, NTFS and exFAT, and give you a suitable suggestion to choose the right file system format for your SD card or USB drive.
Comparison Among FAT32, NTFS and exFAT
FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS are all compatible file systems on Windows PC. Here is a basic comparison:
| Comparison | FAT32 | NTFS | exFAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported OS | Windows 95/2000/XP/7/8.1/8/10/11 | Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista/2000 | Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11 |
| Max Cluster Size | 64KB | 64KB | 32768KB |
| Max Formatting Capacity | 32GB | 2TB | 16EB |
| Max File Size | 4GB | 256TB | 16EB |
Next are a conclusion of the advantages and disadvantages of the three popular file systems that will help you understand their application case better.
Highlights:
- NTFS is regarded as the most modern file system which is widely used on system drive by default.
- FAT32 is not as efficient as NTFS, but it owns a greater compatibility with other operating systems. As for the compatibility, FAT32 is still the most widespread one.
- exFAT is regarded as an alternative file system to replace FAT32, with greater compatibility than NTFS on more devices and operating systems.
Limits:
- NTFS: No realistic file-size or partition size limits.
- FAT32: 4 GB maximum file size, 8 TB maximum partition size.
- exFAT: No realistic file-size or partition size limits.
Which File System Should You Choose for SD Card?
Which file system should you choose for your SD card or USB drive? Follow the suggestions below to set a suitable format for your devices.
This part provides detailed guides on various file systems. Share this article on your social media to help more.
FAT32
Applies to:Small SD card, USB drive with 32GB or smaller storage, gaming storage card, etc.
If your SD card storage is smaller than 32GB, and you don't plan to store large files (larger than 4GB for a single file) on the card, FAT32 is the best format.
Whenever you need to convert NTFS to FAT32 on 64GB SD card or 128GB USB drive, you can apply EaseUS Partition Master with the steps on this page for help.
exFAT
Applies to:Cellphone storage, camera, digital camera, camcorder, GoPro, DJI Drones, etc. large SD cards.
If your SD card or USB is 64GB or even bigger, or you need to store large files (single file bigger than 4GB), exFAT is recommended. Although it's similar to FAT32 as of compatibility, it doesn't have any storage limitations.
NTFS
Applies to:Large USB drive or external hard drive, Windows hard drive partitions, etc.
NTFS is a Windows-based file system that adopts more advanced technology than FAT32 and exFAT. If you are simply using the SD card between your Windows computer and the digital device, meanwhile, do not expect any file size or storage size limitation, use NTFS to achieve the best SD card performance. Again, EaseUS Partition Master is the unique solution to convert FAT32 to NTFS without formatting or losing data.
Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure
How to Format SD Card to FAT32 - FAQs
1. Can I format a 64GB SD card to FAT32?
Since the 64GB has exceeded the maximum FAT32 capacity limit, Windows File Explorer and Disk Management won't allow for formatting it to FAT32. However, EaseUS Partition Master can make it without trouble. Download EaseUS FAT32 formatter
- Connect the 64GB sd card to your Windows computer
- Right-click the SD card and choose Format
- Select FAT32 as the file system
- Apply the changes.
2. How do I change from exFAT to FAT32?
- Right-click on the exFAT partition and choose Delete Volume.
- Right-click again on the unallocated partition and choose New Simple Volume.
- Follow the wizard to create a new partition and assign the volume as a FAT32partition.
- Read more about how to convert exFAT to NTFS or FAT32.
3.Can you format a 128gb SD card to FAT32?
In the same way to format a 64GB SD card to FAT32, you need to download EaseUS Partition Master to format a larger 128GB SD card to FAT32. No matter what capacity of your SD card is, you can directly apply reliable SD card formattertoformat the SD card without losing disk storage with the help of the most efficient and powerful SD card formatting tool.
FAQs
How do I format a 64GB SD card to FAT32? ›
- Connect the 64GB sd card to your Windows computer.
- Right-click the SD card and choose Format.
- Select FAT32 as the file system.
- Apply the changes.
There are a few reasons why your USB drive might not be formatting to FAT32. The first reason is that your USB drive might be larger than 32 GB. As a result, it can't be formatted to FAT32. The second reason is that your USB drive might have been formatted using a different file system, such as NTFS.
How do I force my SD card to format to FAT32? ›- Select This PC in File Manager, and right click your SD card in the Devices section.
- Click Format.
- Click the File system drop down, and select FAT32.
- Click Start.
- Click OK. The SD card will be formatted immediately after you click OK.
- Click Start button.
- Write Cmd in search box.
- Click on cmd.
- Type this command C:\user> format H: /FS:FAT32 (where h is your drive letter) Press Enter. if it asking for for yes/no press Y. Press Enter Now Your sd card change in Fat32 file system.
You can't format a volume whose size is larger than 32GB using FAT32 file system in Windows. If you want to format a volume larger than 32GB, use NTFS file system. Note: if you try the formatting, the process will fail in the end with error: Logical Disk Manager: Volume size too big.
What allocation unit size should I use for FAT32 64GB? ›Volume Size
If your USB flash drive is smaller than 8GB, the most proper allocation unit size is 4096 bytes. If your flash drive is larger than 8GB but smaller than 16GB, the most proper allocation unit size is 8192 bytes. If your flash drive is larger than 16GB, the most proper allocation unit size is 16 kilobytes.
Solution 1: Remove write protection on SanDisk SD card
If the card reader that you insert the SanDisk 64GB Micro SD has such switch, make sure that it is adjusted to unlock position. If you still unable to format the SanDisk SD card, you can clear read-only attribute via Diskpart.
On Disk Management, Right-click on your exFAT USB or external device, select "Format”. Step 4. Set the file system to FAT32, tick "Quick Format" and click "OK" to confirm. When the formatting process finishes, your device is ready for saving and transfer files in the FAT32 format.
Why won't my FAT32 format run? ›The first reason you may fail to open a FAT32 format is when the partition you need to use is larger than 32GB. This is because Microsoft has limited the maximum file size of FAT32 drives to 32GB. If you try opening a file larger than that, you'll encounter the error "can't open".
Can all SD cards be formatted to FAT32? ›SD cards with 32GB or less storage capacity, like USB drives, are typically formatted in FAT32 by definition. While exFAT is the predefined file system for significantly bigger Memory cards with 64GB or 128GB.
Is ExFAT the same as FAT32? ›
ExFAT is a file system developed by Microsoft as an enhanced version of FAT32. It was created to provide better compatibility with external devices such as flash drives and digital cameras, while also increasing the capacity of storage available.
What SD cards support FAT32? ›The file format FAT32 is now commonly used in memory cards between 4GB and 32GB. If a digital device supports only the FAT16 file system you cannot use a memory card bigger than 2GB (i.e. SDHC/microSDHC or SDXC/microSDXC memory cards).
What if FAT32 isn't an option? ›It is usually due to that your partition is larger than 32GB. Because the default Windows format option only allows the FAT32 partition on drives that are 32GB or less. In other words, Windows built-in formatting tools like Disk Management, File Explorer or DiskPart won't allow you to format 64GB SD card to FAT32.
How to convert 64GB ExFAT to FAT32? ›On Disk Management, Right-click on your exFAT USB or external device, select "Format”. Step 4. Set the file system to FAT32, tick "Quick Format" and click "OK" to confirm. When the formatting process finishes, your device is ready for saving and transfer files in the FAT32 format.
What app can format 64GB SD card to FAT32? ›We'd like to recommend you try AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. It is able to format large disk partition such as 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 2TB drive at most to FAT32 file system successfully in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7. Free download this SD card formatter fat32.
Why is FAT32 not an option? ›This is usually due to your partition being larger than 32GB. Because the default Windows formatting options only allow FAT32 partitions on drives that are 32GB or less. In other words, Windows' built-in formatting tools like Disk Management, File Explorer, or DiskPart won't allow you to format a 64GB SD card as FAT32.