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# [Solved] Can't Format USB Disk in Ubuntu because of Error Formatting Volume
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/cant-format-usb-disk/
- Published: 2017-07-17T23:50:39.000Z
- Updated: 2023-01-11T09:56:24.000Z
- Author: Abhishek Prakash
- Tags: Quick Tip, Ubuntu, #Import 2022-12-26 08:27

So I was trying to [format a USB disk in Ubuntu](https://itsfoss.com/format-usb-drive-sd-card-ubuntu/). I used the normal way of formatting the USB. I right click on the mounted USB and clicked on format disk. It gave me the usual warning about the data loss and the next thing I saw was this error message:

**Error Formatting Volume**  
**This partition cannot be modified because it contains a partition table; >please reinitialize layout of the whole device. (udisks-error-quark, 11)**

![This partition cannot be modified because it contains a partition table; please reinitialize layout of the whole device. (udisks-error-quark, 11)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-1.png)

The USB disk I was trying to format was previously used as a [live USB for Solus Linux](https://itsfoss.com/create-solus-os-live-usb/). Clearly, Ubuntu wasn’t very happy about it (pun intended).

I tried using [GParted](http://gparted.org/?ref=itsfoss.com). But strangely, GParted could not fix this issue despite the fact that it had fixed [Error Formatting Volume](https://itsfoss.com/how-to-format-a-sd-card-or-usb-drive-in-ubuntu-12-10/) in the past.

In this quick tip, I am going to show you how to fix this Error Formatting Volume issue in Ubuntu and perhaps other Ubuntu based Linux distributions such as Linux Mint.

## Fix “Error Formatting Volume” in Ubuntu

You may watch this video to see how to fix this error in action:

[Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Linux videos](https://www.youtube.com/c/itsfoss?sub%5Fconfirmation=1&ref=itsfoss.com)

We’ll be using Disks utility provided by Ubuntu here. Just look for Disks utility. If you are using Unity or GNOME, just search for Disks:

![Use Disks to fix USB disk formatting issue](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-6.jpg)

I am using [Pop OS theme and icon](https://itsfoss.com/pop-icon-gtk-theme-ubuntu/) so my screenshots may look different. But you can still find your way out, I know.

In the Disks application, select your USB disk. Be very sure that you have selected the USB disk you wish to format. From the top right menu, select **Format Disk** option.

![Formatting USB Disk partition error](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-2-800x545.jpg)

Since it is a USB stick, select MBR partitioning like the one in the picture below:

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-3.png)

You’ll get the usual warning about losing your data on the USB disk. Click on Format:

![Can't format Ubuntu installation stick](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-4.png)

Once formatted, you’ll see your disk with entirely free storage:

![Format USb disk correctly in Ubuntu](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-disk-format-error-5-800x503.png)

At this point, you should also create a partition of the entire free space size here. I have used another USB disk in the below screenshots.

![Make partition on USB](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-format-error-fix-1.jpg)

Format it to FAT file system.

![Format USB partition](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/usb-format-error-fix-2.jpg)

Once you have created the partition, you’ll see that the USB is mounted immediately.

That’s it. I hope this quick post helped you to fix the “**This partition cannot be modified because it contains a partition table**” error while formatting the USB stick in Ubuntu Linux.