Formatting an SD card/Windows: Difference between revisions

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This is an add-on section for formatting an SD card to work with the 3DS.

If the 3DS already recognizes the SD card, this guide is not required.

This page is for Windows users only. If you are not on Windows, check out the Linux or Mac pages.

What You Need

For SD cards 32GB or smaller: the latest version of SD Formatter
For SD cards 64GB or larger: The latest version of guiformat

Instructions

Insert your SD card into your computer
If the SD card has any files and folders on it, copy everything to a folder on your computer
Run guiformat.exe
Select your SD card’s drive letter for "Drive"

Make sure you choose the correct drive letter, otherwise you might accidentally erase the wrong drive!
Select a size for "Allocation unit size"
- If the SD card is 64GB, choose 32768
- If the SD card is larger than 64GB, choose 65536
Enter anything for "Volume label"
Ensure that "Quick Format" is selected
Click "Start"
Click "OK"
Wait for the format to finish
Click "Close"
If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer

Insert your SD card into your computer
If the SD card has any files and folders on it, copy everything to a folder on your computer
Run SD Card Formatter Setup (the .exe file) in the downloaded .zip file with Administrator privileges, then install the program
Run SD Card Formatter from the Start Menu
Select your SD card’s drive letter for "Select card"

Make sure you choose the correct drive letter, otherwise you might accidentally erase the wrong drive!
Enter anything for "Volume label"
Ensure that "Quick Format" is selected
Click "Format"
Click "OK"
Wait for the format to finish
Click "OK"
Close SD Card Formatter
If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer

Common errors with guiformat

Failed to open device: GetLastError()=32

Close everything that may be using the SD card, such as any File Explorer windows.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 <translate>
 <!--T:1-->
-This is an add-on section for formatting an SD card to FAT32.
+This is an add-on section for formatting an SD card to work with the 3DS.
+<!--T:2-->
+If the 3DS already recognizes the SD card, this guide is not required.
 <!--T:3-->
@@ Line 8: / Line 11: @@
 </translate>
-== Choose your SD card size ==
+== What You Need ==
-<tabber>
+*<translate><!--T:4--> '''For SD cards 32GB or smaller''': the latest version of <tvar name="sdformatter">[https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/sd-memory-card-formatter-for-windows-download/ SD Formatter]</tvar></translate>
-|-|<translate><!--T:40--> 64GB or larger</translate>=
+*<translate><!--T:5--> '''For SD cards 64GB or larger''': The latest version of <tvar name="guiformat">[http://ridgecrop.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm guiformat]</tvar></translate>
-=== What You Need ===
-*<translate><!--T:4--> The latest version of <tvar name="sdformatter">[https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/sd-memory-card-formatter-for-windows-download/ SD Memory Card Formatter]</tvar></translate>
-*<translate><!--T:5--> The latest version of <tvar name="guiformat">[http://ridgecrop.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm guiformat]</tvar></translate>
 <translate>
-=== Instructions === <!--T:39-->
+== Instructions ==
 </translate>
+<tabber>
+|-|<translate>64GB or larger</translate>=
 <ol>
 <li><translate><!--T:22--> Insert your SD card into your computer</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:23--> If the SD card has any files and folders on it, copy everything to a folder on your computer</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:43--> Run <code>SD Card Formatter Setup</code> (the <code>.exe</code> file) in the downloaded .zip file with Administrator privileges, then install the program</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:44--> Run <code>SD Card Formatter</code> from the Start Menu</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:45--> Select your SD card’s drive letter for "Select card"</translate>{{warning|<translate nowrap><!--T:46--> Make sure you choose the correct drive letter, otherwise you might accidentally erase the wrong drive!</translate>}}</li>
-<li><translate><!--T:47--> Ensure that "Quick Format" is selected</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:48--> Click "Format"</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:49--> Click "OK"</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:50--> Wait for the format to finish</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:51--> Click "OK"</translate></li>{{info|<translate nowrap><!--T:52--> '''You're not done yet!''' Your SD card will be formatted to exFAT at this point. The following steps will format it to FAT32.</translate>}}
-<li><translate><!--T:53--> Close SD Card Formatter</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:24--> Run <code>guiformat.exe</code></translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:25--> Select your SD card’s drive letter for "Drive"</translate>{{warning|<translate nowrap><!--T:26--> Make sure you choose the correct drive letter, otherwise you might accidentally erase the wrong drive!</translate>}}</li>
@@ Line 37: / Line 30: @@
 <ul>
 <li><translate><!--T:28--> If the SD card is 64GB, choose 32768</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:29--> If the SD card is larger than 64GB, choose 65536 (note that if GUIFormat reverts to 32768, this does not mean it selected the wrong cluster size!)</translate></li>
+<li><translate><!--T:29--> If the SD card is larger than 64GB, choose 65536</translate></li>
 </ul></li>
+<li><translate><!--T:30--> Enter anything for "Volume label"</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:31--> Ensure that "Quick Format" is selected</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:32--> Click "Start"</translate></li>
@@ Line 44: / Line 38: @@
 <li><translate><!--T:34--> Wait for the format to finish</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:35--> Click "Close"</translate></li>
-{{info|<translate nowrap> To confirm that your SD card was formatted correctly, navigate to This PC, right-click the SD card drive, and select Properties. Ensure that the file system is set to FAT32. </translate>}}
+<li><translate><!--T:36--> If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:36--> If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer, unless you were linked to this by another guide that needs the SD to be formatted and blank</translate></li>
 </ol>
-<translate>
+|-|<translate>32GB or smaller</translate>=
-=== Common errors with guiformat === <!--T:37--> </translate>
-==== Failed to open device: GetLastError()=32 ====
-<translate>
-<!--T:38-->
-Close everything that may be using the SD card, such as any File Explorer windows. If it does not resolve the issue, try formatting the card to NTFS, then run GUIFormat again.
-</translate>
-==== GetLastError()=1117 ====
-<translate>
-<!--T:41-->
-Your SD card write-protection switch may be [https://3ds.hacks.guide/images/sdlock.png enabled]. The lock must be flipped upwards to allow writing to the SD card (including formatting).
-</translate>
-|-|<translate><!--T:42--> 32GB or smaller</translate>=
-=== What You Need ===
-*<translate><!--T:56--> The latest version of <tvar name="sdformatter">[https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/sd-memory-card-formatter-for-windows-download/ SD Memory Card Formatter]</tvar></translate>
-<translate>
-=== Instructions === <!--T:55-->
-</translate>
 <ol>
@@ Line 77: / Line 49: @@
 <li><translate><!--T:10--> Run <code>SD Card Formatter</code> from the Start Menu</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:11--> Select your SD card’s drive letter for "Select card"</translate>{{warning|<translate nowrap><!--T:12--> Make sure you choose the correct drive letter, otherwise you might accidentally erase the wrong drive!</translate>}}</li>
+<li><translate><!--T:13--> Enter anything for "Volume label"</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:14--> Ensure that "Quick Format" is selected</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:15--> Click "Format"</translate></li>
@@ Line 83: / Line 56: @@
 <li><translate><!--T:18--> Click "OK"</translate></li>
 <li><translate><!--T:19--> Close SD Card Formatter</translate></li>
-{{info|<translate nowrap> To confirm that your SD card was formatted correctly, navigate to This PC, right-click the SD card drive, and select Properties. Ensure that the file system is set to FAT32. </translate>}}
+<li><translate><!--T:20--> If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer</translate></li>
-<li><translate><!--T:20--> If the SD card had any files and folders on it before the format, copy everything back from your computer, unless you were linked to this by another guide that needs the SD to be formatted and blank</translate></li>
 </ol>
+<translate>
+=== Common errors with guiformat === <!--T:37--> </translate>
+==== Failed to open device: GetLastError()=32 ====
+<translate>
+<!--T:38-->
+Close everything that may be using the SD card, such as any File Explorer windows.
+</translate>
 </tabber>
-==SD Card not formatting or has some other issue.==
-Refer to the [[SD Clean/Windows|SD Clean]] guide.
 {{hg imported|Guide_3DS}}
 [[Category:General guides]]