While most modern SD cards offer excellent storage speeds for high resolution video recording and long photo bursts, SD cards are still limited by their storage capacities. Because of this, no matter what SD card you have, you will eventually have to format it. And today, we are here with a complete guide on how to format SD cards. Apart from the best ways to format SD cards, you can also learn more information regarding formatting SD cards. So make sure to go through this guide if you use SD cards in any kind of camera or smartphone.
What Does It Mean To Format SD Cards?
In case you are new to cameras or SD cards, you might be unfamiliar with the term “format” or “formatting an SD card” which is completely fine. Thankfully, understanding the same is much easier than you may think. To understand the same in the easiest way possible, you can consider formatting an SD card to essentially delete or destroy all data on your SD card. Formatting also assigns a file system to your SD card and essentially resets it to the way it was when you took it out of the box. In short, once you are done taking photos and saving them to your computer, you can format your SD card to clear it up and have all the space for new photos and videos in your camera’s SD card.
5 Best Methods To Format SD Cards
Now that you know the basics of formatting an SD card, you may also want to do the same on your computer. Fortunately, doing so is fairly easy and does not need any technical knowledge. In fact, there are various ways to do the same including these 5 best methods to format SD cards:
1. Format SD Cards On Windows 10
In case you use a Windows computer to backup and edit your photos, you may want to format your SD card right after transferring all photos and videos from it. Thankfully, Windows allows you to format SD cards in multiple ways while offering various handy options. But if you want to use the easiest method, you can easily and quickly format SD cards on Windows 10 as described here:
a. Format SD Cards On Windows 10 via File Explorer
You will first need to find the SD card slot of your Windows laptop or use an SD card reader along with your desktop. Simply plug in your SD card to the slot or the SD card reader, and then plug in the SD card reader in a USB port of your computer. Once that is done, you can go to File Explorer in Windows and find your SD card as one of the available drives. Then, right click on the drive corresponding to your SD card and select Format. After that, you will see a popup on your screen which will give you all the options to format SD cards. You can then choose any file system of your choice where you should pick FAT32 for SD cards under 32 GB exFAT for SD cards above 32 GB capacity. Finally, give any label to your SD card and click on start to successfully format your SD card using Windows 10.
b. Format SD Cards On Windows 10 via Disk Management
While using File Explorer to format SD cards should work without any issues, some of you may want an alternative for the same. In that case, you can also try formatting SD cards on Windows using Disk Management as shown here:
Just like the File Explorer method, you first need to connect your SD card to your Windows computer. After that, press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open Windows Run. Here type ‘compmgmt.msc’ and press enter to open the Computer Management dialog. Now, simply find and open the Disk Management menu from the left hand side list on your screen. Once that is done, locate your SD card from the list of disks on your screen and right click on it to select Format. You can then choose a file system and drive label of your choice as we had described earlier. After choosing the settings of your choice, simply click on OK to save all settings.
2. Format SD Cards On MacOS
In case you are a professional photographer or videographer, it is quite likely that you may use a Mac instead of Windows PCs to edit your photos and videos. If that is the case, then the steps to format your SD card will be entirely different. To be more specific, you will need to follow these instructions explained down below:
Similar to a Windows PC, you will first need to connect your SD card to your Mac machine. While the latest MacBook Pro laptops come with an SD card slot, not all Mac devices will offer an SD card. In those cases, you may have to use a USB type C SD card reader to connect your SD card to your MacOS devices. Although, once you have connected your SD card to your MacOS computer, formatting is quite easy and simple. You need to start by opening the Disk Utility in MacOS and find your SD card in the list. Generally, you will find your SD card named as “untitled” or “no name” especially if you are connecting your SD card to your MacOS computer for the first time. Then, go to the Erase tab and click on Format while your SD card is selected. Just like Windows, you will need to select MS-DOS or FAT32 for SD cards under 32 GB and exFAT for SD cards over 32 GB of capacity. Once you get a confirmation message on your screen, simply click on Erase to successfully format your SD card as per the settings you selected.
3. Format SD Cards With a GoPro
Apart from smartphones and large sized DSLRs, SD cards are also used in smaller action cameras like GoPros. However, since GoPros are much smaller, they use micro SD cards instead of the full sized SD cards. As a result, you might not have any micro SD card reader for the same. Thankfully, you can format your micro SD cards right from your GoPro by going through these steps one by one:
Insert a desired micro SD card in your GoPro and turn it on. Now, swipe down to open your GoPro’s menu and select the Preferences option. Here, scroll down and find the Reset option. After that, you need to select the Format SD Card option from the list and again tap on Format to confirm. Doing so will successfully format your micro SD card using a GoPro action camera.
4. Format SD Cards With a DSLR
While it is advised to format your SD cards before going for a photoshoot or video shoot with your DSLR, there are always cases when you may forget to do the same. Fortunately, this is not an issue since all DSLR cameras available on the market allow you to format SD cards on the fly with ease as shown here:
To explain things exactly, we will be taking a look at how to format SD cards with a Canon DSLR. But if you have a DSLR of any other manufacturer, it will still look somewhat similar. First, insert your SD card in your Canon DSLR and turn it on. Now, press the Menu button and head over to the Camera Settings 1 tab. Over here, scroll down and locate the Format option. Finally, click on OK to confirm and successfully format SD cards using a Canon DSLR.
5. Format SD Cards via CMD In Windows 10
Even though we have already explained the 2 best ways to format SD cards using Windows 10, some of you might be looking for something even more versatile in terms of the options and settings that you can choose. If that is so, then you will be glad to know that you can format SD cards via CMD or command prompt in Windows 10. With this method, you can format each volume of your SD card selectively by following these steps:
Before using Command Prompt, you will need to connect your SD card to your computer which can be done using an SD card slot or an SD card reader. After you have connected your SD card, you need to type CMD in Windows’ Search Tool and select Run as Administrator under Command Prompt. Once you are in the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press Enter. Then, type list disk and press Enter to see a list of all the available disks including your SD card which will have a corresponding number. Make sure to note down this number. To format your SD card, you need to select it by typing select disk x and pressing enter. You need to replace x with the number next to your SD card in the drive list that you accessed in the previous step. After selecting your SD card disk, you can type list volume and press enter which will show you all the volumes available on your SD card. Similar to the disk list, this volume list will also have a number next to each volume. You need to note down the number for the volume that you want to format. Now to select the desired volume to be formatted, type select volume y and press enter. Simply replace Y with the number mentioned next to the volume that you want to format. Finally, type format fs=ntfs or format fs=exfat and press enter where ntfs and exfat represent the desired file system. Doing so will successfully format the selected volume of your SD card which is not possible with other SD card formatting methods in Windows 10 mentioned above.
3 Differences Between Deleting Files vs Formatting SD Cards
By now you must know all the viable options to successfully format your SD cards using any of the devices that you may have. However, some of you might be confused regarding the differences between formatting SD cards and deleting files. In case you are also considering the same, then consider these 3 key differences between file deletion & SD card formatting:
Speed: When you format an SD card, most methods will have a quick format option selected by default. And if that is the case, then your SD card will get formatted and completely empty almost instantly. On the other hand, if you are deleting files, it can take a much longer time especially if you have a large number of small sized files stored on your SD card which is quite common when you are dealing with photos. Corruption: As you not only delete the files of your SD card but also reset its file system when you format it, it is very rare that formatting your SD card will corrupt it. Coming to deleting files, it can result in a large number of file operations for your SD card. And depending on the SD card that you are using, it can possibly corrupt it and make it unusable. DCIM Structure: All cameras use some sort of DCIM structure to store all photos and videos. This simply means that all photos and videos are stored in specific folders along with their corresponding metadata files. Even though formatting an SD card initially deletes all these files, a camera will regenerate the same as soon as you reinsert your SD card. But if you have deleted files from your SD card, a new DCIM structure won’t be generated which can cause issues.
4 Reasons For Formatting SD Cards
Since formatting an SD card is definitely much better than deleting files, you may also want to learn more about the benefits for the same. Hence, here the top 4 reasons for formatting SD cards:
Using a New SD Card: In case you have bought a new SD card for your camera, then you should format it right after opening it. This will create a DCIM structure inside it according to the camera that you are using. Preventing Card Corruption: As mentioned earlier, deleting a large number of video files from your SD card can possibly corrupt it. So, you should format your camera’s SD card from time to time to prevent card corruption. Freeing Up Space for Photos & Videos: If you are going for a long photo or video shoot, then you will need to have a lot of space on your SD card for the same. Hence, it is a great idea to format your SD card to free up space to the total capacity of your SD card. Switching SD Cards between Cameras: Different cameras out there will use different types of DCIM structures. As a result, if you wish to plan to use the same SD card between two or more cameras, then the DCIM structure will need to be recreated every time you switch the camera. Thus, make sure to format your SD card after inserting your SD card in a different camera.
Choosing The Best File System For High Capacity SD Cards
As mentioned earlier, whenever you format an SD card using Windows or MacOS, it gives you the option to select a file system of your choice. In case you are new to SD cards and file systems, you may get confused while picking the same. Therefore, make sure to consider the following details while picking the best file system for high capacity SD cards:
FAT32: Despite being an older file system FAT32 or MS DOS FAT32 is still a great option for older SD cards. If you are using an SD or SDHC SD card with your camera, then they will only support the FAT32 file system. As for the specifications of the FAT32 file system, it supports a maximum file size of up to 4 GB and a maximum storage drive capacity of up to 32 GB. exFAT: Coming to more recent SD card options out there like SDXC, they offer drive capacities much higher than 32 GB. As a result, you should use the newer exFAT file system with them. With exFAT, you get a theoretical maximum file size limit of up to 16 EB and maximum drive capacity limit of up to 128 PB. In short, you should use the exFAT file system for all modern SD cards. NTFS: While NTFS offers the same storage capacity and file size support as exFAT, it is unfortunately not supported by most cameras. Thus, you should avoid using the NTFS file system if you wish to use your SD card with a camera.
Conclusion
An SD card is something that most of us don’t pay much attention to while using cameras and smartphones in our daily lives. However, to get the best performance from your high end SD card and camera, it is quite important to use it correctly. This also includes using the correct methods to format SD cards. Thus, we have already given the 5 best methods to format SD cards up above. You can also learn various handy information about formatting SD cards so that you can get the most out of them. If you found any of this information to be useful, consider leaving your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section down below: Comment * Name * Email * Website
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