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Format a USB Key from the Command Prompt in Windows

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Formatting an USB flash drive from the command prompt is a simple process that can be achieved using the format command, which works for most version of Microsoft Windows (Windows 95 up to Windows 8.1).

How To Format a USB Key from the Command Prompt

Connect the USB flash drive to your PC. Then click on Start > Run. Type 
cmd
and click on OK.


Your USB flash drive will be assigned a letter. For the purposes of this example, we have provided a command using the letter G but note that you should replace this letter with that which is assigned to your key.


Type the following command, followed by Enter: 

format /q /x G:

Note: The q parameter stands for "quick format" and the x parameter will force the selected volume to dismount if needed.
Jean-François Pillou

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