Format the flash drive in Ubuntu. Formatting a flash drive in LINUX Formatting a flash drive in fat32 linux

For most users, formatting a flash drive is not difficult; almost everyone knows how to do it in the Windows operating system. However, many people who switch to Linux experience difficulties in completing the task. In this article we will tell you how to format a flash drive in Linux.

Method 1: Using standard Linux tools

If, for example, you need to format a flash drive in FAT32 in Linux, then you can easily use this method. Looking ahead, we note that for the average user it will be the simplest and fastest in execution. Let's move directly to the algorithm of actions.

1. Open the system file manager. For example, in Ubuntu it is Nautilus.
2. On the left side panel, find the name of your device (flash drive).
3. Right-click on it.
4. Select "Format" or Format in English localization.
5. In the window that appears, select the formatting method, the file system itself, and specify a new device name.
6. Click the Format button.

After this, formatting the flash drive in Linux will begin. Depending on which method you choose, it can take a long time (in the case of full formatting) or quickly (in the case of shallow formatting).

Method 2: Using the Gparted program

If you don’t know how to format a write-protected flash drive, then the Gparted program will help you. It has a lot of functionality for working with disks, but first let's look at how to install it. And this is done as easily as possible, you need to enter the following in the “Terminal”:

The program is launched, now you need to select your flash drive. To do this, select its name in the drop-down list located in the upper right part of the window. If you only have one hard drive installed, then it will be called "/dev/sdb".

The device sections will be displayed in front of you. They must be unmounted before formatting. This can be done as easily as possible: right-click on the RMB section and select “Unmount” or Unmount.

Now you can proceed to formatting the flash drive in Linux. To do this, right-click on the partition again, hover the cursor over “Format to” or Format to and in the submenu that appears, select the desired format, for example, FAT32. Having done this, click the button in the form of a checkmark, which is located on the top panel of the program.

Method 3: Using Disk Utility

If you don't want to install additional ones on Linux, then you can use the pre-installed one called Disk Utility.

1. Launch it through the operating system menu. It’s easier to do this by entering the name of the program into the search.
2. In the program window that opens, you need to select the flash drive to format. It is easy to find - it is indicated by the corresponding icon and is always at the end of the list.
3. Having selected the device to format, you need to click on the Format Volume button, which is located on the right side of the window.
4. A new window will appear in which you need to specify the file system in the Type drop-down list, and enter the new name of the flash drive in the Name field.
5. Finally, click the Format button.

A window will appear where you need to confirm your actions. By the way, if you were wondering how to format a write-protected flash drive, then this method is also perfect.

Method 4: Through "Terminal"

If it is more convenient for you to work in the “Terminal”, then you can format the flash drive in Linux through it. To do this, you first need to find out the place where it is mounted. Run the command below to see the entire list of connected drives to your computer:

The flash drive is unmounted, so you can proceed directly to formatting. This is done by using the mkfs command. It has the following syntax:

Accordingly, to format a flash drive in Linux, say, in FAT32 format, you need to run:

After this, the formatting process will begin, after which the flash drive can be removed from the computer. So you have learned four ways to format a flash device in Linux.

The Linux operating system allows you to implement many information management capabilities. This also applies to external data storage such as flash memory. You can manage media either through a graphical interface or using the command line.

Ubuntu functionality allows you to format the drive.

Let's say, if you need to format a flash drive, Ubuntu allows you to do it quickly, while specifying all the necessary settings. First, we'll look at memory management using GUI programs, and then we'll move on to more professional ways to do the necessary.

Using GParted

The necessary and useful GParted utility is not included in the standard Ubuntu distribution. Therefore, first you need to install it. Luckily, it can be easily found in the default repository.

Execute the following instructions on the command line (Terminal):

It will display all the drives that the system currently “sees”. Now you can easily find your flash drive by size or other parameters.

And this utility will allow you to find out the name and other data of the USB flash drive in the system:

Now let's unmount:

$ sudo umount drive_dir

Here you just need to substitute the directory corresponding to the external storage medium.

It’s too early to format a flash drive in Ubuntu. First you need to unmount it. The following command serves this purpose:

$sudo umount directory

That's all, you can start. We use the mkfs utility.

$ sudo mkfs -t filesystem partition label directory

If you want the storage media to be supported in Windows, select the vfat file system. The partition label is set using the command:

L drive_name

It is advisable to enter the name in English.

After the procedure is completed, your flash drive will be completely ready for use.

Conclusion

In this article, we told you in detail how to format a flash drive in Ubuntu. These two methods do not claim to be unique - having better understood Linux, you can apply your own techniques. Always use caution when working with file system elements!

Look for useful information from the world of computer software and hardware on other pages of our site. We hope you spent your time usefully and interestingly!

About how to erase a disk in Ubuntu, where it was noted that optical disks are becoming a thing of the past and are being replaced by various flash drives. In this regard, the question of how to format a flash drive in Ubuntu will be even more relevant than erasing the disk, so an article on this topic simply had to appear on our website.

In Linux, there are many ways to format flash drives, both with and without a graphical interface. In this article we will tell you how to format a flash drive in Ubuntu using the GUI. For this we will use the GParted program.

Installing GParted

Unfortunately, this program is not included in the standard distribution (it is on the LiveCD but is not installed on the hard drive), so you need to install it yourself, fortunately it is in the standard repository:

Sudo apt-get install gparted

After the installation is complete, you can begin formatting the flash drive.

Format a USB flash drive in Ubuntu

First of all, we connect our flash drive to the computer and after it is determined, launch GParted. It will require administrator rights, so you will need to enter your password:

The main program window will open, where the hard drive structure is displayed by default:

But we need a flash drive, so in the upper right corner we select it from the list, for me it’s /dev/sdb/ but it may be designated differently for you:

For each computer, a flash drive may have different designations, this depends on the number of connected media and the number of hard drives, so when choosing a media you need to be extremely careful, because if you choose the wrong one, you can format the hard drive and, as a result, lose important data. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL!

We won’t be able to format the flash drive right away, since it is mounted, this is indicated by the key icon in the “Partition” field:

To unmount the media, you need to right-click on the flash drive partition and select “Unmount” from the context menu:

After the media is unmounted, right-click on it again and select “Format in”, where in the drop-down list you need to select the file system you need, for example fat32:

Now we apply the changes by clicking on the “bird” in the GParted toolbar:

We are warned that changing partitions could potentially result in data loss. Therefore, you need to be 100% sure that it is the desired media that is being formatted, and after that you can click “Apply”:

And wait for the formatting operation to complete:

Before installing any Linux distribution on a flash drive, it must be prepared. Fortunately, formatting a flash drive for Linux is not at all difficult. This does not even require specific experience or any programs; everything has long been standard in Windows. Let's look at the process of preparing a flash drive for installing Linux step by step.

It's easy to format a flash drive for Linux!

The easiest option is to go to Windows Explorer. In Windows 10, for example, this can be done by right-clicking on the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Or simply by going to the Start menu.

In the case of older versions of the operating system, you also need to go to the “Start” menu or find the “My Computer” shortcut on the desktop. In Explorer itself, you need to find the “This PC” tab if the list of storage devices does not open automatically.

Seven times measure cut once

First of all, we open the flash drive and make sure that we need it and that there is no necessary data left on it; it will be deleted permanently. If necessary, we save them. Then, we return to the list of disks. Find the letter of the flash drive and right-click on it. In the menu that opens, select “Format”. The window that appears again contains all the information we need.

The disk capacity cannot be changed and serves only for informational purposes. You need to make sure that the FAT32 file system is in frame “1”. The volume label, in my case Live, can be set as desired. This is the name that will be displayed in explorers and other file managers. I recommend checking the “Fast” box in the box numbered “2”. This will prevent you from having to wait long, especially if your flash drive has a large capacity. Then click “Start”. A warning about deleting data will appear, click “Ok”.

The process has begun

In the case of quick formatting (checkbox), the window will simply freeze for a few seconds; the main thing is not to touch anything and just wait. Manipulating a flash drive or a program window can cause the flash drive to fail!

Hello, this article will discuss a simple method formatting a USB flash drive in the Linux Mint operating system, this is a simple process, even a novice user can do it.

Linux Mint is one of the most popular free distributions of the Linux operating system, which is actively used as the main system on home computers.

If you are a novice user of Linux Mint who has just switched to using this distribution, then you most likely have many questions about how Linux Mint performs seemingly familiar and simple actions that do not cause you any problems in the Windows operating system. For example, the process of formatting a USB drive ( flash drives). In fact, formatting a flash drive in Linux Mint is even easier than in Windows, and now I’ll show you how it’s done.

I will show the whole process using the example of the Linux Mint 19 version with the MATE graphical shell; in another graphical environment, for example, Cinnamon, the process will be exactly the same, only the Mint menu will look a little different.

Forming a flash drive in Linux Mint

To format USB drives in Linux Mint, there is a standard application included by default in the distribution. That's what it's called " ».

This is a very simple program, it can only format flash drives, it doesn’t even have any settings. With this program you can format a flash drive into file systems: NTFS, FAT32, EXT4 And exFAT. ExFAT support was added only in version 19 of Linux Mint, so if you have an earlier version, you will not be able to format a flash drive to the exFAT file system with this application.

So, let's move on to a step-by-step examination of the process of creating a USB flash drive in the Linux Mint distribution.

Step 1 – Launch the program

To run the program " Formatting a USB flash drive", you need to go to the Mint menu and in the section " Standard» find the corresponding item.

Step 2 – Selecting a USB flash drive and target file system

After the program starts, we need to select the USB flash drive and the file system into which we want to format the flash drive ( I chose FAT32 as an example).

After specifying the required parameters, click “ Format».

The program can only be used with administrative rights, so next we will have a window for entering the administrator password. Enter the password and click " Authentication».

Step 3 - Finish Formatting

When a message appears stating that " USB drive successfully formatted", the USB flash drive formatting process will be completed. Click " OK».

Now you know how to format a flash drive in Linux Mint OS, and that this process is not at all difficult. That's all I have for now!