How to format a USB NVME disk for iPhone ProRes shooting
To format a USB disk for iPhone ProRes shooting, you'll need to format it as exFAT with the appropriate allocation unit size. Here's how to do it via
Windows CMD (Command Prompt)
Run CMD as Administrator and use these commands:
diskpart
list disk
select disk X
(Replace X with your USB drive number - be very careful to select the correct disk!)
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=exfat quick unit=128k label="ProRes"
assign
exit
Alternative using format command:
If you already know the drive letter (e.g., E:), you can use:
format E: /FS:exFAT /A:128K /Q /V:ProRes
macOS Terminal
For Mac users, use this command:
diskutil eraseDisk ExFAT "ProRes" /dev/diskX
(Replace X with your disk identifier - find it with diskutil list)
Or with specific allocation size:
diskutil eraseDisk ExFAT "ProRes" /dev/diskX -b 131072
(131072 bytes = 128KB allocation unit size)
Important Notes:
File System: Use exFAT for best compatibility between iPhone and computers
Allocation Unit Size: 128KB (131072 bytes) is recommended for video recording
USB Speed: Ensure your drive supports USB 3.0 or faster (USB-C preferred)
Drive Speed Requirements:
ProRes 422 HQ: ~220 MB/s sustained write speed
ProRes 4444: ~330 MB/s sustained write speed
iPhone Compatibility: Works with iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max and later models
Warning: These commands will completely erase all data on the selected disk. Always double-check you're selecting the correct drive before executing the format command!
