- #SD CARD FORMATTER OVERWRITE FORMAT HOW TO#
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But with this app, you don’t even know that because the app handles it for you. Cards that are from 4 to 32GB are SDHC, and they’re formatted with a FAT32 filesystem.Ĭards 64GB and larger are SDXC, and they’re formatted with the newer, more flexible exFAT filesystem. This is something that’s laid out in the SD Card Formatter specifications for SD and microSD cards. That’s important because that determines the filesystem the app uses to format.
#SD CARD FORMATTER OVERWRITE FORMAT MAC#
There are a few reasons for those differences, including that the app uses different ways to calculate a gigabyte in its Windows version (base 1024, or 1kB=1024 Bytes) than in its Mac version (base 1000, or 1kB=1000 Bytes).īut those variances are normal and aren’t anything to get concerned about.īased on the capacity, the Type field automatically adjusts to SD, SDHC, or SDXC. Or, as you see in this case, a 128GB card shows as 128.46GB. Just below that, it will show you two related bits of information: card capacity and type.įor card capacity, you’ll most likely see slight differences from what you might expect.Ī 64GB card, for instance, but show as 63.85GB. A useful feature is that it will only show you memory cards, so there’s not much risk that you’ll accidentally format an external hard drive instead (although it shows all memory cards, not just SD and microSD cards). The first, at the top, is selecting the SD card you want to format. The app has just a single small screen, and there are only three things to set. In short, it ensures that the card is in tip-top formatting shape for use. For one thing, it takes the risk out that you’ll use the wrong filesystem on the card.įor another, it gives you tools that might help repair a corrupted SD card. While it’s very straightforward to use, there are a couple of things worth noting, which I’ll go into below.įirst, though, there are some advantages to using SD Card Formatter overusing your operating system’s built-in tools. It’s free, and you can find it on the SD Card Formatter website. The app is called SD Card Formatter, and it’s available in Mac and Windows versions.
![sd card formatter overwrite format sd card formatter overwrite format](https://www.partitionwizard.com/images/uploads/articles/2019/02/raspberry-pi-sd-card-format/raspberry-pi-sd-card-format-11.png)
Whether the card is SDHC or SDXC, the SD Card Formatter will make sure it’s formatted correctly and ready for use.Īnd the filesystem will be optimized for its intended use on an SD card rather than, say, an old-school magnetic hard drive. The SD Association makes available its own app that is designed to perfectly implement their own specifications for SD and microSD cards–they are the ones that set the specifications, after all. In general, formatting tools provided with operating systems can format various storage media including SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards, but it may not be optimized for SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards and it may result in lower performance. It is strongly recommended to use the SD Memory Card Formatter to format SD/SDHC/SDXC Cards rather than using formatting tools provided with individual operating systems.
![sd card formatter overwrite format sd card formatter overwrite format](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71jpz-KttNL.png)
In fact, the SD Association goes so far as to recommend against using the tools in your computer’s operating system:
![sd card formatter overwrite format sd card formatter overwrite format](https://www.diskpart.com/format-disk/images/format-sd-card-4348/select-format.jpg)
The downsides are that there are more choices, which means more complications and places where things can get messed up. The advantages of that method are that it’s using tools already available in the operating system and it works for any kind of storage volume connected to your computer.
#SD CARD FORMATTER OVERWRITE FORMAT HOW TO#
Modern computer operating systems can handle this job well, and I’ve posted separately on how to format SD cards on Mac using the built-in Disk Utility app. There might be times you need to format an SD card in the computer. But that’s not always possible or practical.
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For one thing, formatting is the best way to wipe an SD card clean to free up space.įor another, it can repair any filesystem errors that have crept in at some point.Ī best practice is to format the memory card in the camera you’ll be using it in. In general, they come out of the box pre-formatted, and you can put them straight in the camera and the camera will create any folders it needs automatically.īut there are several reasons you might need to format or reformat it. SD Card Formatter for Formatting, Wiping, and Repairing SD and microSD Cardsīefore an SD card can be used it has to be formatted.