Pen drives and USB drives are essential devices for transferring and storing data. However, sometimes you may face a pen drive showing an unknown capacity issue. If such an issue ever happens, stay calm and try the solutions mentioned in this blog. This guide explains each and everything you need to know about how to format pen drive showing unknown capacity effectively.
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Pen Drive Showing Unknown Capacity
If the USB pen drive is shown with unknown capacity with the wrong size on the PC then it is possible that it is the result of improper way of formatting the drive.
Suppose you have a pen drive of 32GB capacity and you will see something like only a couple hundred MBs available on it. If you see this then do not panic because the drive still has the original amount of capacity available on it. It’s just that there could be several reasons why this actually happens.
What Causes Unknown Capacity Issues in Pendrive?
A wide variety of reasons can contribute to disk capacity unknown problem:
- Malware or virus infection can cause the Pendrive to malfunction.
- Corrupted file system.
- Physical damage or bad sectors in the disk drive.
- The drive format might not be compatible with your device.
After knowing the common causes of this problem now it’s time to tackle this situation in no time.
How To Format Pen Drive Showing Unknown Capacity
Below you can have a look at how you can format pen drive showing unknown capacity in easy ways. So, do not miss these ways and make your pen drive accessible to the full capacity in no time.
Format Pen Drive Showing Unknown Capacity Using Command Prompt
USB with unknown capacity can be formatted using command prompt. This command allows users to remove all the partitions on the pen drive. To do so, follow the steps below:
First of all, you have to open the Start menu and then search for Command Prompt window and then right click on it when you see it in the results. Next, you have to select the option Run as administrator.
Now, there you have to type the below command into the command prompt window and then hit Enter key. Doing so will launch the command line version of the Disk Utility program.
diskpart
Type in the following command just to view the disks that are attached to the PC. Your pen drive will be one of these disks.
list disk
In order to perform an operation on the drive then you can run the below command replacing N with the actual number for the pen drive.
select disk N
Now, use the following command just to clean up the USB drive.
clean
After the drive is cleaned, you can run the below command so that you can create a new partition.
create partition primary
At last, you can use the below command to format pen drive showing unknown capacity to FAT32 format.
format fs=fat32 quick
After your drive gets formatted you may need to unplug the pen drive and then plug it back into the computer. You will then need to find the system that allows you to use the complete storage capacity of the drive.
Format Pen Drive Showing Unknown Capacity Using Disk Management
Another method you can try to format pen drive showing unknown capacity is Disk Management. It is a Windows in-built tool to restore USB flash drive to its original state. Below are the steps you should follow to do so:
- Firstly, you have to press the Windows + R keys together and then enter msc in the Run box. After this, you can click on the option OK to open Disk Management.
- After this, you have to right click on the pen drive partition and then click Format option from the context menu.
- You can then set the formatting parameters and then click OK in the pop-up window.
Note: Do not forget to choose FAT 32 or exFAT file system and then uncheck Perform a quick format to complete a full format. Doing so will scan the pen drive for bad sectors when formatting.
- Next, you have to click the option OK on the pop-up format warning window and wait until the process of formatting reaches to 100%.
Most of the people may find that you can format memory card, SD card or pen drive in This PC. If it happens then you can just right-click the pen drive in This PC and then simply choose the option ‘Format’. This will restore the USB flash drive to its original state.
Also Read – Can’t Format External Hard Drive? 6 Ways To Fix!
Other Alternatives To Fix Pen Drive Showing Unknown Capacity
#1: Scan For Bad Sectors
If you have tried the above two fixes already yet failed to fix this issue then you can still try the option if there is a bad sector present in the drive. However, if there are bad sectors in the USB flash drive, pen drive or SD card then you can remove and recover bad sector from SD card or pen drive by trying the below steps:
- First of all, make a right-click on the USB flash drive under This PC and then choose the option ‘Properties’.
- You can then skip to the tab Tools and then click the option Check.
- Now, you can click the Scan and repair drive option.
- After this, you have to wait until the scanning and repairing process is completed.
NOTE: If there are physical bad sectors then you can try a new flash drive.
#2: Scan For Virus
If your issue does not get resolved using the above ways then you can try scanning for viruses. Yes, if there is a virus present in the drive then the pen drive may show unknown capacity.
You can try to scan for viruses using some antivirus tool. Or, you can also use an inbuilt tool named ‘Windows Defender Antivirus’. This will scan for viruses and remove the possible threats present in the pen drive.
How To Repair USB Pen Drive You Need To Format Before Use?
You can try to fix USB flash drive using CMD to format before using it. Doing so will help you check the disk error and fix it automatically. To do so, follow the below steps:
- First of all, you have to press the Windows key and then type cmd
- After this, you have to right-click the ‘Command prompt’ and then simply choose there ‘Run as administrator’.
- Now, in the CMD window, you have to type there chkdsk G: /f and then hit Enter You can replace there G with the drive letter of the external hard drive you are using.
- After this step, the Windows will begin to check and fix disk errors and damaged files.
When the process is finished, you can try again to read the USB flash drive, pen drive, or SD card after you restart the system.
Recover Data From Pen Drive Using Pen Drive Data Recovery Tool
In case, you have lost data such as photos, videos and audio files from pen drive then do not worry. The only solution you can try is to use the Pen Drive Data Recovery Tool. This tool will help you regain lost data from USB flash drive.
This USB flash drive data recovery tool will help you restore media files of all file formats of photos, videos, and audio files. The best thing about this tool is that it is compatible and available for both the platforms; Windows as well as Mac OS.
All you have to do is download and install Pen Drive Data Recovery Tool and try the three easy steps to recover deleted data from pen drive.
With the help of Pen Drive Data Recovery Tool, you will be able to:
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emid
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Here is the step-by-step guide to know to recover deleted data from pen drive using this fully-featured recovery tool.
Related FAQs:
How to Fix an Undetectable USB Drive?
To fix an unreadable USB drive and make it detectable, follow the below methods:
- Disconnect & reconnect the USB device to your PC.
- Update your device drivers.
- Try to connect your USB device to another USB port.
Why Is A 32GB Pendrive Showing Only 28 GB?
Most probably this happens when a small bit of space is used as an allocated space.
How Do I Format a Pendrive That Is Unable to Format?
By using the Windows Disk Management feature, you can format the drive which is unable to format.
- Press Windows + R keys to open a run box, and type diskmgmt.
- Now, right-click on a partition for your drive.
- After that, choose the ‘Format’ >> click ‘FAT32’ option as the file system.
- At this time, uncheck ‘Perform a quick format’ >> click on Start.
What Is the Maximum Capacity of a Flash Drive?
4 TB is the maximum capacity of a flash drive.
Final Verdict
Fixing a Pendrive with an unknown capacity is straightforward if you apply the correct steps. Use Windows tools, Command Prompt, or third-party applications to format pen drive showing unknown capacity.
Taposhi is an expert technical writer with 5+ years of experience. Her in-depth knowledge about data recovery and fascination to explore new DIY tools & technologies have helped many. She has a great interest in photography and loves to share photography tips and tricks with others.