In this tutorial, we'll show you how to convert a FAT32 drive to an NTFS drive using a built-in option in Windows 10. This way, you'll be able to change any hard drive or external device to NTFS without losing any data.
To perform the conversion, we'll use the native feature of the operating system called Command Prompt (with administrator rights).
Opening Command Prompt as Administrator
The first thing we need to do is open the Command Prompt window. From the search box, type cmd and the Command Prompt option will appear. Right-click on the icon and select Run as administrator.
Running the Conversion Command
A dialog box will open in which you'll need to enter the following command:
convert DRIVE LETTER: /fs:ntfs
We'll explain the command so you know what you're typing: The Convert parameter starts the command. The phrase DRIVE LETTER, you'll need to replace with the letter of the drive you want to convert from FAT32 to NTFS, and the /fs:ntfs parameter performs the conversion.
What Happens During Conversion
After running the command, the volume's serial number will be displayed and it will begin checking all files and folders on the volume. Once the process is done, the file system will be analyzed to check for any problems. Then it will determine the space required on the disk for the file system conversion, and if space is available, the process will start automatically.
In our tests with three hard drives (internal and external), the scanning and conversion time varied depending on the number of files and folders on the drive, although we noticed that in all cases the scanning was very fast.
When you see the message “Conversion complete”, the process has finished. You just need to right-click on the drive icon and select Properties to check the drive's new NTFS format.
Final Recommendation
The process of converting a drive from FAT32 to NTFS is very simple and doesn't affect your files and folders. But just in case, we recommend that before doing this task you make a backup of the entire drive.
