For optimal efficiency when formatting, it is important you unmount your storage device first. When your storage device is mounted on your system, Linux assumes the drive to be of a fixed size and specific format. Most Debian-based distros like Ubuntu will list the drive on the files menu. Your USB flash drive will be listed under the files menu or on the desktop depending on your desktop environment. If for some reason, the device is not automatically mounted, here is how you can mount the drive in Linux. Most Linux desktops will automatically mount your storage device once you connect it to your computer. Just make sure that you backup your data before formatting the device. Note that the steps are the same for other storage devices as well. If you wish to follow along, the best way is to practice using a USB flash drive.
Note: Always exercise caution when formatting drives to avoid losing important information. Some reasons you might want to do this include: to get rid of malicious software, improving performance, or removing sensitive data before handing over the storage device to another person. When you format a storage device, you are essentially deleting all data or information stored on that device, more like restoring it back to its default factory settings.
This guide will show you how to format a storage device right from the Linux terminal. Some of the most common ones include external or internal hard drives, flash disks, CDs, etc. Used for storing processed data, storage devices come in many different forms. A storage device is an integral part of your computer hardware and computing in general.