Ubuntu: How to Format a USB Drive Safely

To format a USB drive on Ubuntu, the simplest method is the Disks app: select the USB device, select its partition under Volumes, choose Format Partition…, pick a file system, and confirm. You can also use GParted if you want more control over partitions. Formatting erases the files on the selected partition, so back up anything important and double-check the drive before you continue.

Before you format the USB drive

Connect the USB flash drive or external USB disk and verify that Ubuntu sees the correct device. A quick terminal check is:

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,FSTYPE,MOUNTPOINTS,MODEL,TRAN

Look for a device whose capacity and model match your USB drive. The TRAN column often shows usb. Do not rely on a device name such as /dev/sdb alone, because Linux device names can change when drives are connected or removed.

Important: formatting is not the same as securely erasing data. GNOME’s documentation notes that recovery tools may still be able to retrieve data from a normally formatted disk. If you are preparing sensitive media for disposal, use an appropriate secure-erasure process instead.

Choose the right file system

Method 1: Format a USB drive with Disks

For most Ubuntu Desktop users, Disks is the easiest option. The application is provided by the gnome-disk-utility package. If it is not installed on your Ubuntu flavor, run:

sudo apt install gnome-disk-utility

1. Open Disks from the application menu.
2. Select the USB device in the left sidebar. Check the displayed capacity and model carefully.
3. Under Volumes, select the partition you want to reformat. If it is mounted, unmount it first using the stop/unmount control shown for that volume.
4. Open the menu for the selected volume and choose Format Partition…. This is the current GNOME-documented path for reformatting a removable partition.
5. Choose the file system and a volume name, then continue to the confirmation screen.
6. Review the device details one more time, click Format, and authenticate if Ubuntu asks for your password.
7. When formatting finishes, use the eject control before unplugging the drive.

The distinction matters: Format Partition… creates a new file system on the selected partition, while disk-level formatting can involve recreating the device’s partitioning structure. If your goal is simply to erase and reuse the existing USB volume, formatting the partition is usually the safer, simpler choice.

Method 2: Format a USB drive with GParted

GParted is useful when you need to see or change the partition layout as well as the file system. Install it with:

sudo apt install gparted

Then open GParted and authenticate. GParted warns that partition editing can cause data loss, so keep a backup and make sure you are working on the removable drive.

1. Use the device selector in the upper-right corner to choose the USB disk. Match the capacity to the drive you identified earlier.
2. Select the partition you want to format. If it is mounted, right-click it and choose Unmount. GParted requires partitions to be unmounted for formatting operations.

3. Right-click the partition, choose Format to, and select the file system you want.
4. Review the pending operation. GParted queues changes rather than applying them immediately.
5. Click the Apply All Operations checkmark, read the confirmation carefully, and apply the change.
6. Wait for GParted to report that the operation has completed, then close the app and safely eject the USB drive.

If formatting fails

• The format option is disabled: unmount the partition first and close any Files windows or applications using it.
• The drive is missing: reconnect it, try another USB port, and run lsblk again. If the device still does not appear, the problem may be hardware-related rather than a formatting issue.
• The file system you want is unavailable: install the supporting tools. On current Ubuntu releases, packages such as exfatprogs, dosfstools, and ntfs-3g provide utilities for common removable-drive file systems.
• You need to change the partition layout: use GParted or the disk-level partitioning features in Disks, but confirm the entire device before applying changes.

Official references

For the current Disks workflow, see GNOME Help: Wipe everything off a removable disk. For partition formatting, unmounting, and applying queued changes in GParted, see the official GParted manual. Ubuntu’s package catalog also lists gnome-disk-utility for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.