How to format a USB drive? [duplicate]

Solution 1:

Method #1 (The Graphical Way)

Open Disks program from dash:

Then choose your device from left. Make sure you have selected at least one volume, and click on format as below:

Method #2 (The Command-Line Way)

In case you can't get your device formatted from Method #1 try this way.

1. Open the Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T)

2. List your block storage devices by issuing the command lsblk
   Then identify your pen drive by it's SIZE. In my case its /dev/sdb

   

3. Erase everything in the pen drive (OPTIONAL):

   sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=4k && sync  
   

   Replace /dev/sdb with your corresponding device. This will take some time. It will pretend to stuck. Just be patient.

4. Make a new partition table in the device:

   sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
   

   • Then press letter o to create a new empty DOS partition table.

5. Make a new partition:

   • Press letter n to add a new partition. You will be prompted for the size of the partition. Making a primary partition when prompted, if you are not sure.

   • Then press letter w to write table to disk and exit.

6. Format your new partition.

   • See what is your new partition with a command lsblk
     In my case it is /dev/sdb1

   

   • Issue the command below to format the new volume:

     sudo mkfs.vfat /dev/sdb1  
     

     Please replace /dev/sdb1 with your corresponding device.

   • Eject the device:

      sudo eject /dev/sdb
     

Solution 2:

You can try the application called Disks Utility. It's a very handy utility which should let you format the disk, among other things. You can find it by pressing ALT + F2 and typing the name, or going to System > Administration, or I guess typing the name in unity dash.