How to Convert a Bootable USB to a Standard USB

If you've used your USB drive to create a bootable device, it may retain partitions and settings that prevent it from functioning as a standard storage device. Converting it back to a regular USB is easy and safe with a few formatting steps. Here’s how to do it.

1. Using Windows Disk Management

Windows provides a simple way to clean your USB drive using the Disk Management tool. Here’s how:

  1. Insert the USB drive into your computer’s USB port.
  2. Open Disk Management by right-clicking on the Start menu and selecting “Disk Management”.
  3. Find your USB drive in the list of disks. It’s usually marked as a "Removable" drive.
  4. Right-click on the USB drive and select “Delete Volume” (if this option is available). This will remove all partitions and data on the drive.
  5. Once deleted, right-click on the unallocated space on the USB drive and select “New Simple Volume”. This will restore it as a standard drive.
  6. Follow the setup wizard, choosing a file system (either NTFS or exFAT is recommended), and click “Finish”.

2. Using Command Prompt (Diskpart)

This method is ideal for advanced users and allows you to fully clean the USB drive and delete all its partitions.

  1. Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.
  2. In the Command Prompt, type diskpart and press Enter.
  3. Once Diskpart opens, type list disk and press Enter. This will display all connected disks.
  4. Identify your USB drive by its size. For example, if your USB drive is 16GB, look for the corresponding disk.
  5. Type select disk X (where X is your USB drive's number) and press Enter.
  6. To wipe the USB drive, type clean and press Enter. This will delete all partitions on the drive.
  7. Create a new partition by typing create partition primary and pressing Enter.
  8. Format the USB drive by typing format fs=ntfs quick (or format fs=exfat quick for compatibility with Mac) and pressing Enter.
  9. Finish by typing assign and pressing Enter. Your USB drive is now ready for regular file storage.

3. Using Third-Party Tools

Alternatively, you can use software like Rufus, HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, or MiniTool Partition Wizard. These programs allow easy formatting and partition management for USB devices without needing command-line inputs or built-in Windows tools.

Note: Formatting the USB drive will erase all data on it. Make sure to back up important files before proceeding.