CeeJay Loc: Southeast PA

In the menu- 7th tab in (first wrench) you will see format card

Tom DePuy Loc: Waxhaw, N.C.

Owner's Manual..
From I saw look on page 59 Formatting

Al Freeedman

Any new media card should always be formatted.
I'm not going to waste time telling you how to do it as it is explained on page
55 of your instruction book.

Captain Al

Tom DePuy Loc: Waxhaw, N.C.

Bob Boner

I never format in the camera. If there is a problem with the formatting, it may have a bad effect on the camera. I always format in a card reader. They are not expensive and work well.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes. Read The *Fine* Manual for exact instructions. Never format memory cards outside the camera they will be used in. That would invite gremlins into the workflow!

Most modern cameras write specific data and file structures onto the card when formatting it. You cannot get those from a computer OS.

Format varies with card size, too. Your camera knows which scheme (FAT or ExFAT) is required.

Bob Boner

I apologize for the bad information above. What I meant to say was that I never download the images while the card is in the camera. I take it out to download the images, then put the card back in the camera and format it there, as everybody else was saying.

I never download the images from the card in the camera. Since (rarely) the card becomes corrupted during downloading, I don't want the card in the camera when that is happening.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Newer cameras with USB 3 or USB C interfaces may be faster to download via cable than some SD card readers. And if you have an older card reader, it may not recognize the newest speed class of cards.

If you do use a cable, be sure you have installed a freshly-charged, fully-charged battery, or put an AC adapter "battery eliminator" in the camera.

I do put my cards in the computer SDXC reader and download images from there. After copying images to three locations, I put the card back in the camera and format it.

Foozer

Thank you everyone for your comments. I did get a manual and used it for directions to format the card. The main reason for the initial post was mostly to find out if a new media card needed to be formatted. I don't remember ever having to format the card on my previous camera.... power shot ts3i. Going forward I will format each time I upload photos.
Again thank you all. I have learned so much in my short time on this forum.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Do not be in a hurry to format the card. First make sure your photos are in the computer, and readable/viewable. Another step to take would be to also have a backup of your photos.

If your card is not very full, you can continue shooting with it another session or two. A lot of pros take more photos at a time than I take in a week, so they are more likely to format every time.

It is a good idea to sit down with the manual and read it from cover to cover. Then read it again with camera in hand so you can locate all the controls, know how to set the camera up the way you want [or leave it on the default settings if you prefer to take more time learning the camera before you change anything]. Even if there are things in the manual you do not understand right away, keep reading. You will accomplish some valuable things: Learn where all the controls are located and what they do. Learn about the different "modes" in which to shoot. Etc. And then bring the questions to the forum!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I second that recommendation! Jenglish (badly translated English from Japanese) is hard to wade through, but after a while, the syntax and word usage become understandable.

Modern cameras are computers with lenses and shutters. There is much power to be uncovered.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

"Format card" is one of the menu options in the camera. I don't have a T6i, but on most recent Canon it's the last item under the first page of the "yellow wrench" tab.

I also think you can set up a personalized menu on T6i... under the "green star" tab. Just navigate to that, then go into "configure" and choose any frequently accessed features you use there. This "registers" those menu functions for fast access and I suggest adding "format card" to that, too. It's the very first item on my camera's personalized menus, because it's easily the most used... I format every card every time I insert one into the camera... not just when the card is brand new. I use relatively small cards that hold between 250 to 500 images each (don't like to "put all my eggs in one basket"), so sometimes I swap a fresh card and format it 5, 10 or more times during a day's shoot.

Once you choose "format card" (either way), a screen will open to confirm the action. You need to select "OK" and then press the "Set" button on the camera to activate the formatting. This will set up folders and file structure on the card that are needed for the camera to use it properly, and also will mark anything that was already on the card to be "okay to over-write". So be sure to download any images on the card that you want to keep onto your computer or someplace else, before formatting! The confirmation screen will inform you if there is data on the card. There's always some small amount... about 160kb. Don't worry about that. not to worry. If there are many megabytes on the card, you might want to cancel the formatting and switch to image review mode temporarily, to be sure the images are okay to over-write.

If the camera is unable to format the card, something is wrong and you'll be alerted to it before you start trying to shoot. With SD cards it might be as simple as the "write protection" is enabled. Or it can be a fault with the card. Either way, by doing the formatting you'll be immediately made aware of it and can do something about it.

NOTE: Formatting doesn't actually "erase" anything already on the card. It only marks it as "okay to over-write". So if you ever accidentally format a card with images on it that you don't want deleted, simply don't start using it. Image recovery software usually can retrieve images after formatting, so long as they haven't been over-written.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

Your Camera's Menu should have a item, called, "Format Memory Card", at least that what my Nikon D3300 offers me.
REMEMBER; Always "Format" your memory Card IN YOUR CAMERA. after any images you desire to keep have been uploaded to your computer.