iPadOS 18 Lets You Format External Drives Like a Pro
Apple quietly added a powerful new feature to iPadOS 18: format external drives directly from your iPad! No Mac required. Learn more.
iPads borrow a useful macOS feature with iPadOS 18 While Apple didn't mention it at WWDC, iPadOS 18 quietly introduces a new feature that brings its capabilities closer to macOS: formatting external drives. American developer Caleb Cadle discovered this handy addition within the Files app. Users can now format external storage directly from their iPads, a feature previously exclusive to Macs. To do this, simply long-press on the external drive's icon within the Files app and select the "Erase" option from the context menu. You can choose between APFS, ExFAT, and MS-DOS (FAT) formats. This feature is currently available to iPad users enrolled in the developer beta program. The stable release of iPadOS 18 is expected to arrive in Fall 2024.