A reader asks: “Does backing up system on laptop to flash drive formats the USB into only the size it backed up?”

Formatting and backing up are two separate things.

Formatting comes first: it sets the drive up to be able to record and deliver data.

Formatting uses a little of the drive’s capacity for itself; what’s left is the amount of data you can actually put on that drive.

For example, an 8GB flash drive will actually be able to hold around 7.5GB of data, after it’s formatted. A 64GB flash drive will be able to hold around 58GB of data, after formatting.

Backing up actually copies data from your primary device to the already-formatted backup device. You can store up to the capacity of the formatted drive — about 7.5GB with an 8GB drive, or around 58GB for a 64GB drive, and so on.

If you back up less than the drive capacity, the left-over space will still be available for other backups, or for any other file storage you wish.

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