If the drive is larger than 2 TB, you can’t format it as FAT32. [2] X Research source If your goal is to make the drive compatible with as many operating systems as possible, use the exFAT file system instead. If you’re using a laptop, make sure it’s plugged into a reliable power source. Formatting the drive can take about an hour, depending on the drive’s size and speed.
Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer. Double-click This PC in the left panel. Now look at the right panel under “Devices and drives. " Each connected drive has a letter, such as C: or D:. Make note of the one assigned to your external hard drive.
If you see PowerShell (Admin) instead, click that. The commands will be the same whether you’re using Command Prompt or PowerShell.
For example, if your external hard drive is E:, you’d type format /FS:FAT32 E:
This method should work as long as your external hard drive is smaller than 32 GB.
If you don’t see this option and the drive is smaller than 32 GB, try the Drives Larger Than 32 GB method instead.
The only reason you might want to avoid using quick scan is if you’re getting rid of the external hard drive and worried that someone with amazing tech skills will be able to access your deleted data. Since you’re formatting as FAT32, it’s safe to assume you have a reason to still use the drive!
