How can I check if my USB drive is formatted with FAT on Windows 11?

How can I check if my USB drive is formatted with FAT on Windows 11?
I’ve recently upgraded to Windows 11 and I’m trying to manage my USB drives more efficiently. I know that different file systems like FAT, FAT32, and NTFS exist, but I’m not sure how to identify which one my USB drive is using. I need to check this specifically on my Windows 11 device. I’m particularly interested in knowing if my USB drive is formatted with the FAT file system. I prefer to do this without using third-party software if possible, as I’d like to make use of the built-in features that Windows 11 offers. How can I go about verifying the file system type for my USB drive in this operating system? Any detailed steps or insights on how to perform this check would be really helpful.
5 Answers

If you prefer a graphical approach to identify the file system of your USB drive in Windows 11, here’s a method:
- Connect your USB drive to the PC.
- Click on the Start menu and go to ‘Settings.’
- Navigate to ‘System’ -> ‘Storage.’
- Under ‘Storage,’ select ‘Advanced storage settings,’ then ‘Disks & volumes.’
- Find and select your USB drive in the list.
- Click on ‘Properties’ or ‘File system’ to see detailed information about the file system type.
This method doesn’t need any command-line tools and is entirely GUI-based, making it user-friendly.

To identify if your USB drive uses the FAT file system, follow these instructions:
- Connect your USB drive to your PC.
- Hit the Windows key and type ‘cmd’ to open the Command Prompt.
- Run as Administrator.
- In the Command Prompt, type
diskpart
and press Enter. - Type
list volume
and press Enter to display a list of all connected drives. - Note the volume number of your USB drive.
- Select the volume by typing
select volume X
(replace X with your drive’s volume number). - Finally, type
detail volume
and press Enter. The file system type will be displayed.

For those comfortable with PowerShell, you can also check the file system type directly:
- Connect your USB drive.
- Open PowerShell as Administrator by right-clicking the Start button and choosing ‘Windows PowerShell (Admin)’.
- Type
Get-Volume
and press Enter to view all volumes. - Find your USB drive and check the ‘FileSystemLabel’ column to see if it says FAT or another type of file system.

To check the file system of your USB drive in Windows 11, you can follow these simple steps:
- Plug your USB drive into your computer.
- Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
- Under ‘This PC,’ locate your USB drive.
- Right-click the drive and select ‘Properties.’
- In the Properties window, review the ‘File system’ entry. It will indicate whether your drive is FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.

Checking the file system on a USB drive in Windows 11 can be done like this:
- Insert the USB drive into your computer.
- Right-click the Start button and choose ‘Disk Management.’
- Locate your USB drive in the list of disks.
- Right-click the USB drive and select ‘Properties.’
- In the Properties dialog, the ‘General’ tab will display ‘File system’ information that tells you whether it’s FAT, FAT32, or another type.