How do I format SD in FAT32?

[Oreosnax]

Hi folks!

I understand from my previous thread that I need to get a new SD card, and format it in FAT32

But how do I do that?

I have only android devices. I haven't seen anywhere that let's me choose

I did a search of the forum here, and the only thread I found coming close to this topic was this long and cranky one, which did not resolve the issue:

OTG FAT32 format

Hello, From time to time, I need to format large sdcards in Fat32 (200gb, 400gb...) to use them with different small electronic devices. These devices can only format SD cards up to 64gb but work well with larger Fat32 preformatted SD cards. Until now, I have been using a Windows 10 computer to...

androidforums.com

Thanks very much for any help!

I have a Galaxy S20 phone running android 13, and the replacements for my dead tablet I've been looking at seem to all run android 11

 

[Oreosnax]

PS I also have a borrowed ancient ipad, if that's any use

 

[ocnbrze]

its better if you insert the new sd card into your tablet. then go into settings>storage>format sd card. it will automatically format the card for you. now if does not see the new card formatted or not, then the issue is with the tablet. and my suggestion is to return it and get a different one....not the same one, a different one....preferably a better higher end one.

 

[Oreosnax]

To be clear, I'm not asking how to format a card

I'm also not asking how to choose whether it's formatted as Internal storage or a portable storage

Instead, I'm asking how to have it specifically format it as fat32, using an android device

 

[AugieTN]

Here ya go: AParted ( Sd card Partition ) - Apps on Google Play

Solved my problem by using AParted app from Play Store..

Unmount sdcard in settings - storage

Then used the app to make 1 partition with maximum storage allowed and made it FAT32 ..

[Solved]How to convert Micro SD to FAT32 on Android?

 

[Oreosnax]

Woohoo! Thank you AugieTN!!!

That app was mentioned in the thread I quoted, but the person on that thread said it only worked on a rooted device. I didn't want to do that

But I assume from your post that it's not necessary?

 

[kate]

but the person on that thread said it only worked on a rooted device.

AParted does require root, if you're not rooted it displays a message saying root not detected.

 

[Oreosnax]

Oh phooey

Is there any other way to do FAT32 formatting on android?

 

[AugieTN]

AParted does require root, if you're not rooted it displays a message saying root not detected.

Thanks for noting that. I didn't see rooting in the description "About This App". I'm surprised

 

[olbriar]

I found this guide that may be of assistance Beginners' Guide: Format SD Card for Android with How-To Tutorials 2023.

 

[kate]

Have you verified that the SD card is currently not formatted as FAT32?

You can use DevCheck to see:

DevCheck Device & System Info - Apps on Google Play

Testing, tools and complete information about your hardware and operating system

play.google.com

Tap on the Hardware tab on the top, then scroll down to Storage. Your SD card should be listed there, if it says vfat then it's FAT32.

 

[Oreosnax]

DevCheck says "Filesystem sdfat". What is that?

Wikipedia has no entry

I found an arduino site:

"The SdFat library supports FAT16, FAT32, and exFAT file systems on Standard SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards."

SdFat - Arduino Reference

The Arduino programming language Reference, organized into Functions, Variable and Constant, and Structure keywords.

www.arduino.cc

This does not help me to know whether I have FAT32 or exFAT

Any ideas for next steps?

I sure appreciate your folks' help on this!

 

[AugieTN]

......Any ideas for next steps?.......

Yes, put it in your tablet and be done with it.

 

[Oreosnax]

......Any ideas for next steps?.......

Yes, put it in your tablet and be done with it.

I appreciate your efforts, but the whole point here was that I bought a tablet, and my SD card didn't work in the tablet

I thought the problem was the tablet, so I returned it and bought a different one,different brand

and the same thing happened!

My old tablet anf my phone can both read the sd card fine, but both new tablets an not

before I buy a third tablet, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong

people here suggested that the problem was maybe that it wasn't formatted FAT32

So now I'm trying to figure out how to do that.

 

[kate]

DevCheck says "Filesystem sdfat". What is that?

If it says "sdfat" that means it's either exFAT, FAT32, or FAT16.

It might be possible to use ADB to get more info or format to FAT32. Or use a computer - Windows defaults to FAT32 if it's 32GB or smaller and exFAT for 64GB or larger so you might need 3rd party partitioning software.