How to Format USB Drives On Linux

It may be essential to format the USB device on occasion (for example, when changing the file system or deleting data). Many Linux users, on the other hand, are hesitant to begin the formatting process, believing it to be either difficult or time-consuming.

We'll learn how to format a USB drive in Linux using three quick and easy methods in this tutorial:

• Using the Disks Application
• Using the GParted tool
• Using the Terminal

Format a USB Drive on Linux

Method 1: Using the Disks Application

Step 1: Launch the 'Disks' app on our Linux Operating System.

Step 2: From the list on the left, choose our USB Drive.

Step 3: On the right panel, below the USB Drive, select the 'Additional Partition Options' button, as seen in the image below.

Step 4: From the menu, select 'Format Partition Option,' as seen in the screenshot below.

Step 5: Now type in a new name for our formatted USB drive and choose 'FAT' as the 'type' so that you may use it with any operating system, then click 'Next' as shown below.

Step 6: Click on the Format button for formatting the USB.

Our USB drive has been successfully formatted.

Method 2: Using the GParted tool

Step 1: If you don't already have 'GParted' installed on our computer, you can do so with the apt command.

sudo apt install gparted

Step 2: Use the following command to start the 'GParted' utility.

sudo gparted

Select our USB drive from the list in the top right corner once the software has started.

Step 3: To begin formatting, select the 'Format to' option from the 'right-click menu on the drive. Choose 'FAT32' from the drop-down selection.

Step 4: On the top menu, select the "green-colored" 'Tick' button.

Step 5: Wait for the procedure to finish before clicking 'Apply.'

Now the process of formatting begins if we change our mind then click to 'Cancel' button to stop the formatting process.

Now, Our USB finally gets Formatted.

Method 3: Using the Terminal 

Step 1: The first step is to open the terminal. CTRL + SHIFT + T is the default keyboard shortcut for launching the Terminal. And then run the command below.

df

Step 2: The terminal outputs a list of all mounted partitions, together with the following data: utilized space, available space, used space percentage, and path.

Step 3: Use the following command to unmount the USB disc.

sudo umount /dev/sdb1

Step 4: Use the following command to format the USB drive using the FAT32 file system (which is compatible with all operating systems).

sudo mkfs.ntfs /dev/sdb1

Step 5: Run the following command to see if the USB has been correctly formatted.

sudo fsck /dev/sdb1

The presence of 0 files on our USB drive shows that our device was successfully formatted.