# How to format micro SD card for Steam Deck manually **URL:** \ **Category:** Off-topic\ **Tags:** steam-deck\ **Created:** [October 16, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://forum.hhf.technology/t/how-to-format-micro-sd-card-for-steam-deck-manually/215 "2024-10-16T05:24:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hhf.technoloy](https://forum.hhf.technology/user_avatar/forum.hhf.technology/hhf.technoloy/32/68_2.png) [@hhf.technoloy](https://forum.hhf.technology/u/hhf.technoloy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2024, 5:24am UTC](https://forum.hhf.technology/t/how-to-format-micro-sd-card-for-steam-deck-manually/215/1 "2024-10-16T05:24:59Z")
# How to format micro SD card for Steam Deck manually The Steam Deck seems to cause irreparable issues when it formats an SD card twice. In hopes of avoiding those issues, I’va manually formatted the SD card. I haven’t confirmed if this avoids the “issues when formatted twice” because that would mean potentially breaking the expensive SD card! ## Steps ### Find a computer running Linux, or use Windows 11 Windows 11 Build 22000 or later with WSL The Steam Decks expects the SD card to be formatted as ext4, so we’ll need a Linux computer to do the formatting. If using Linux, just plug your card adapter in and it should be detected. If using WSL: - In a _Administrator PowerShell_ run `wmic diskdrive list brief` - Once you’ve found the device id (e.g. `\\.\PHYSICALDRIVE12`), mount it to WSL with `wsl --mount --bare` - If it gives you WSL help then your version of Windows is too old. Switch to an insider build or find a Linux computer. You may be able to boot into a Linux live USB. - Switch to a WSL terminal with `wsl` ### Find your SD card Run `sudo fdisk -l` to list all disks. If it’s not obvious which disk is the SD card, you can try disconnecting, running `sudo fdisk -l`, then reconnecting. - On Linux, you can just physically disconnect and reconnect the disk - On WSL, you can `exit` back to PowerShell and run `wsl --unmount ` to disconnect the disk, then check fdisk in wsl, then `wsl --mount --bare` to remount. ### Format your SD card I will be using `/dev/sdz` and `/dev/sdz1` as examples, so that if you blindly copy/paste you _hopefully_ won’t break a real disk, since it’s unlikely that you have 26 disks. _ **You should use the /dev/ you found in the last step** _, not the ones I use in the example. 1. Start fdisk targetting the SD card - `sudo fdisk /dev/sdz` 1. Delete any existing partition - `d` 1. Create a new GPT label - `g` 1. Create a new partition - `n` - `p` for primary _if it asks for parimary/extended_. I did not see this when I did it. - `1` for first partition - You can use the default start block (`2048` in my case) - You should be able to use the default end block. I left around 9,000 blocks at the end just in case extra space could be important, but it shouldn’t matter. 1. Write the changes to the SD card. **This will delete all data on the card.** - `w` ### Make ext4 partition with proper setting The Steam Deck uses some extra settings when formatting its ext4 partition: - `-m 0` keeps 0 space reserved for system, since the sd card is solely used for storage - `-O casefolding` makes the filesystem case-insensitive, like Windows. This improves compatibility and performance with games running in Proton. `sudo mkfs.ext4 -m 0 -O casefold -F /dev/sdz1` You should use sdz_ **1** _ here because you’re making an ext4 filesystem _on the first partition_. ### You’re done! Put your SD card in your Steam Deck and it will recognize the card like normal!