Fix: Need to Format the Disk in Drive Before You Can Use It USB

In this passage, we will guide you on how to fix the USB drive is not formatted for use with this product' error and solve the USB flash drive not format error without losing data. Follow one by one and recover data from a non-formatted USB flash drive or hard drive.

Usually, suppose you unplug the removable storage drive directly when you are using it. In that case, you may get a USB flash drive not formatted error or get a message like "Attached storage device is not formatted for use with this product". And except for an abrupt removal, this format error can also pop up when the file system is attacked by the virus, damaged by faulty operation, or others. It can come with different error messages like "You need to format the disk before using it. Do you want to format it now?"

Many reasons can cause USB not formatted errors. You can check the following table to learn more:

🗂️Corrupted File System	It is possible that Windows cannot recognize the file system due to file system corruption.
💽Bad Sectors	Bad sectors can cause the USB flash drive to perform poorly, and Windows may be unable to access the data written to the bad sectors.
🦠Virus Issues	Some computer viruses and malware can also cause USB not formatted errors and even cause file corruption.
❌Physical Damage	If the USB drive is physically damaged, it may start showing format errors, including not being able to format.

Recover Files from a Not Formatted USB Flash Drive [First Thing]

When you get such messages, don't format the USB device and find a way to fix the issue if you have important data on it. Then how can you manage it since it is impossible to open a USB without formatting in this case? First, try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to restore files in advance. You can learn the detailed features in the following and download this safe data recovery product by clicking the download buttons:

The functional RAW recovery option of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard allows you to recover data from an inaccessible USB flash drive easily and quickly. Download and bring back data from the unformatted USB drive first.

You can check the following video, and we'll mention how to recover data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard in this video. You can also download this software after watching this video.

• 00:14 What to do when files from USB drives
• 00:42 How to download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
• 01:10 How to recover files from a USB drive with EaseUS
• 02:50 How to show hidden files on USB drives

Now, you should follow these steps to recover lost files from your not formatted USB flash drive:

Step 1. Choose the USB drive to scan

Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and choose your USB drive where you lost important files. Click "Scan for lost data" to start.

Step 2. Check and preview USB drive data

When the scanning is finished, you can quickly locate a specific type of file by using the Filter feature as well as the Search option.

Step 3. Restore flash drive data

After checking and finding lost USB drive files, click "Recover" to restore them. You shall save the found files to a safe location on your PC rather than to your USB drive.

💡Tip: You can restore data on the local disks, external hard drives, and also the cloud storage.

If you cannot regain useful data from RAW USB drives with data recovery software, you should try to contact EaseUS data recovery services to fix your problem manually.

Method 1. Fix USB Not Formatted Error with Disk Management

After you have returned the data, you can start to find the USB needs to be formatted error fix. The first method is straightforward; you just need to assign a new drive letter for the not formatted USB drive.

Before that, you can also reconnect the USB drive or check the cable to inspect the USB.

• 1. Try a Different USB Port: Occasionally, the port itself may be the problem. 
• 2. Try Another Computer: To ascertain whether the issue is with the drive or the original computer, try connecting the drive to a different machine. 
• 3. Check for Updates: Keeping your operating system up to date may occasionally resolve compatibility issues. 

How to assign a drive letter:

Step 1. You can right-click the Windows icon to wake up "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click the USB drive and choose "Change drive letter and path".

Now, you can reopen your USB drive to check whether the USB not formatted error is fixed. You can share this simple method on social media to help more users fix USB drive says it needs to be formatted error.

Method 2. Run CHKDSK to Solve USB Drive Not Formatted Error

When a USB drive says it needs to be formatted, you can run command lines in CMD to resolve the problem. To check and try to fix disk issues, launch Command Prompt as an administrator and type chkdsk <drive letter>: /f (for example, chkdsk D: /f).  The CHKDSK command is useful, and you can follow the tutorial below to run the CHKDSK command in Windows:

Step 1. Run Command Prompt as an administrator on Windows.

Step 2. Type in chkdsk /f /r x: in the Command Prompt window. You should replace the X with the right drive letter of your not formatted USB drive.

This abrupt Windows warning essentially signals a communication breakdown between your operating system and the drive's file system structure. Under the hood, the issue typically stems from severe corruption of the file system's core architecture - whether it's FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS - rendering it unreadable by Windows. Such corruption rarely occurs spontaneously; it's frequently the consequence of interrupting file transfers mid-process, yanking the drive out without safe ejection, unexpected power fluctuations during read/write operations, or lurking malware that sabotages partition tables. Even physical wear like deteriorating NAND cells in aging flash drives or unstable USB controllers can gradually destabilize the file system until Windows throws up this defensive prompt.

You may also be interested in the following passage to fix the type of the file system is RAW while running the CHKDSK command:

Method 3. Format the Not Formatted USB in Disk Management

If the two methods we have mentioned before cannot solve the problem, you have to format the USB drive to solve the problem. Don't worry. You can easily retrieve data from the storage device with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Now, you can learn how to format a USB drive on Windows:

Step 1. Open Disk Management and find the target USB drive.

Step 2. Right-click the USB drive and choose "Format".

Step 3. Choose the file system and confirm the operation to start formatting. You can also convert FAT32 to exFAT with this method.

Step 4. After formatting the USB drive, reconnect it and recover the data.

Method 4. Format USB Flash Drive to Fix the Not Formatted Error

After you have got back the data, you can format the USB to fix the not formatted error. The easiest way to format your USB is to use EaseUS free partition tool. This free tool can format a USB flash drive like Sandisk, Kingston, Panasonic, Lexar, Samsung, Sony, etc, easily in all complex cases. You can follow the guide below to format your USB drive in simple steps. 

Step 1. Select the USB drive to format.

Connect the USB drive or pen drive to your computer. Download and launch EaseUS partition software. Right-click the USB drive you intend to format and choose "Format".

Step 2. Set the drive letter and file system on USB.

Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click "OK".

Step 3. Check "Yes" to confirm the formatting USB.

Click "Yes" if you see the Warning window. If you have important data, back it up in advance.

Step 4. Apply the changes.

Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button first, and then click "Apply" to format the USB drive.

Summary

After learning how to fix USB drives that are not formatted, you may resolve the problem. The most effective way to avoid data loss on a USB flash drive is to back up files and folders frequently. It is better to back up the data to another disk or the cloud. Don't forget to download EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to regain data from USB drives without backups.

USB Flash Drive Not Formatted FAQs

If you need to learn more about USB flash drive not formatted error, you can keep reading the following questions and answers:

1. How to fix the external hard drive not formatted error?

The 'unable to format external hard drive' error could arise due to a malware attack, unexpected ejection from your computer, or a power outage that corrupted the file system of your USB device. The external hard drive not formatted problem can be resolved by formatting the drive or by using CMD to repair the hard drive.

2. Why is my USB saying I need to format it?

This notice appears when your USB flash drive's file system is corrupted or damaged to the point where your computer can no longer read it. Windows consequently informs the user that the USB must be formatted to be repaired.

3. How do I fix an unreadable flash drive without formatting?

You have three methods to fix an unreadable USB flash drive without formatting:

1. 1. Try plugging your USB flash drive into different USB ports.
2. 2. Using the CMD command to repair the file system of your USB.
3. 3. Using the TestDisk program to fix a corrupted USB flash drive.

4. How to recover data from a formatted USB drive?

It is possible to recover data from a formatted USB flash drive before your data has been overwritten. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard will be a good helper:

1. 1. Scan the formatted USB drive with this software.
2. 2. Select the deleted files and preview them.
3. 3. Recover the lost files from your formatted USB flash drive.