Should Bootable USB Be NTFS or FAT 32?
I want to make a Windows recovery USB drive. What is the difference when making a bootable USB drive in FAT32 and NTSF system files? Can anyone help me out?
Best Answered by
Jerry· Answered on Jan 05, 2024
FAT32 must be used if you need to use UEFI. Your USB disk won't be able to boot otherwise. However, FAT32 will only allow you to utilize custom Windows install images up to a size of 4 GB. Therefore, NTFS or exFAT must be used in this situation.
If you use the media creation tool, the stick will be automatically formatted. However, if you manually generate the bootable stick, it must be either UEFI or FAT32. ExFAT or NTFS are incompatible. Which boot medium you need to move to the top in the BIOS varies depending on the format you used. Use the "UEFI USB" option if you manually formatted the stick in UEFI mode or generated it using the media creation tool. If you've previously utilized FAT32 mode, switch to the "legacy USB" option.
For Windows 10, NTFS is the default file system. This is because it supports file compression and has no file constraints. It differs from FAT32, which has a 32GB file size restriction. To guarantee that Windows 10 installs properly, you should utilize NTFS for your bootable USB drive.
If you plan to create a bootable USB, the easiest way is to use professional software. EaseUS Todo Backup Home is the one that can help you create a bootable USB. You can apply it to create a Windows recovery USB for another computer.
Related article: Which USB Format to Boot Windows: FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT?
Download EaseUS Todo Backup to Protect Computer Data!
Find best solutions to computer backup, cloud storage, data security, and disk cloning with full guidance.
People Also Ask
Can Windows 10 Boot from NTFS USB?
Can Windows 10 boot from NTFS USB? Do you want to know the answer? If so, this short post can help you. After reading this post, you will learn whether Windows 10 can boot from an NTFS USB.
Jerry
Jan 05, 2024
How to Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Windows XP?
Do you know how to create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows XP? This post will introduce you to the useful software EaseUS Todo Backup home to help you prepare the bootable USB for Windows XP. Also, the detailed steps will be given too.
Rel
Dec 20, 2023
Can I Use a Bootable USB for Storage?
If you are not sure whether a bootable USB can be used for storage, you have come to the right place. Here, you will find the RIGHT answer!
Jane Zhou
Jan 05, 2024
What Makes A USB Flash Drive Bootable
A bootable USB flash allows you to boot a computer from the file system on your USB drive without a hard drive. It's a great remedy when your hard drive fails and doesn't work properly. Do you know what exactly makes a USB flash drive bootable? How to create a bootable USB disk or CD/DVD? We'll answer you one by one with the following content.
Larissa
Jan 05, 2024
How to Copy/Clone Bootable USB Drive on Windows 10
Copying or cloning a bootable USB drive to another one can work as a backup and disaster recovery for your original USB drive. Learn how to clone a bootable USB drive on Windows 10 with EaseUS Todo Backup.
Larissa
Jan 05, 2024
Can I Use My Bootable USB Again?
Can I use my bootable USB again? Can I reuse it as a regular USB? And how to create a bootable USB easily? Do not worry, you will get all tips you need in this post.
Rel
Jan 05, 2024
