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Formatting a microSD/SD Memory Card for Outdoor Handhelds

Sometimes a microSD/SD card may require formatting before it can be used with a Garmin device. Steps for this process can be found below.

It is required to use cards 32GB or smaller for maps and other downloaded content.

IMPORTANT: These instructions are only for formatting a microSD/SD card. Do not format any Garmin mass storage device. Formatting the device will cause the device to become inoperable. Formatting a microSD or SD card will erase any information already on the card.

Formatting a MicroSD/SD Card on a Windows Computer

  1. Place the microSD/SD card into the computer's card reader.

  2. Press the Windows key + E.

    Windows Keyboard

  3. If using Windows 10 or 11, click This PC.

    Windows This PC

  4. Locate the drive representing the microSD/SD card.

    • To determine which drive is the microSD/SD card, remove the microSD/SD card from the card reader and observe which drive disappears from the list. Insert the microSD/SD card again to continue.

      With Card Inserted

      Windows With SD Card Inserted

      Without Card Inserted

      Windows Without SD Card Inserted


  5. Right-click on the microSD/SD card drive. The drive letter pictured is an example; the memory card may be assigned a different drive letter.

    Windows SD Card Drive

  6. Click Format.

    Windows Click Format

  7. Verify File System is FAT or FAT32.

    • Format the microSD/SD card to the FAT or FAT32 format. A 2 GB or less card can be formatted in FAT or FAT32. Cards larger than 2 GB should be formatted in FAT32.

    • If an option is not given to format the card in FAT32, it is recommended to switch to another microSD/SD card no larger than 32 GB. Cards larger than 32 GB (for video recording) are typically formatted in exFAT.

      Windows File System Setting

  8. Change Allocation unit size to Default allocation size.

    Windows Allocation Size Setting

  9. Ensure Quick Format is checked.

    Windows Quick Format Checked

  10. Click Start.

    Windows Start Format

If at any point during the format process an error is received or formatting the microSD/SD card fails to resolve the issue, try a different microSD/SD card. These steps will format the microSD/SD card to be readable by the Garmin device.

Formatting a MicroSD/SD Card on a Mac OS X Computer

  1. Place the microSD/SD card into the computer's card reader.

  2. Open Spotlight by clicking the Mac Magnifying Glass Icon search icon in the upper right corner of the screen, or by ⌘ CMD + SPACE on the keyboard.

    Mac Magnifying Glass

    Mac Keyboard Command And Space Buttons

  3. Type Disk Utility (in the Spotlight search box).

    Mac Spotlight Search

  4. Press Enter or Return on the keyboard.

  5. In Disk Utility, click the parent icon for the microSD/SD card in the sidebar on the left.

    • The parent icon is the one that is not indented. This is not necessary on macOS 10.12 and newer.

      Mac Disk Utility Parent Icon

  6. Click on the Erase option on the right.

    Mac Disk Utility Erase

  7. In the Format drop-down menu, select MS-DOS (FAT).

    Mac Format Setting

  8. Click Erase.

    Mac Click Erase

The microSD/SD card will now be formatted and readable by the Garmin device.

If at any point during the format process an error is received or formatting the microSD/SD card fails to resolve the issue, try another microSD/SD card.

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