# Install format-udf with Homebrew Bash script to format a block device to UDF. Version 1.8.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:format-udf ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install format-udf ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:format-udf - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.8.0 - **Source summary:** Bash script to format a block device to UDF - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-2.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - format-udf (cli) - format-udf (alias) ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.8.0 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/JElchison/format-udf - Upstream latest detected: 1.8.0 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## Project history and usage format-udf is a Bash script for formatting block devices as UDF volumes intended to be read and written across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its README presents it as a compatibility tool for external hard drives and flash drives. ### Project history The GitHub repository was created in August 2014. The README says the project was created to address operating-system-specific quirks that make naively formatted UDF devices fail across platforms, including block-size expectations, partition-table behavior, and macOS full-disk mounting behavior. ### Adoption history The project remains a focused utility rather than a broad platform. Its official release history shows incremental fixes around OS and device support, including macOS 10.12 support, loop devices, udftools 2.0+, NVMe, and broader block-device handling. ### How it is used Users run the script against a Linux device such as /dev/sdx or a macOS device such as /dev/diskN, supplying a volume label. The script detects block size, validates dependencies, can wipe the target, formats with UDF revision 2.01 for compatibility, and writes a fake MBR unless disabled. ### Why package nerds care format-udf matters to package nerds because it codifies a pile of cross-platform filesystem edge cases in one auditable shell script. It is the kind of small system package that exists because the underlying native tools are powerful but not friendly to a portable-disk workflow. ### Timeline - 2014: GitHub repository created. - 2016: Release added macOS 10.12 support. - 2018: Release added support for udftools 2.0 and newer. - 2020: Releases added Linux NVMe and broader block-device support. ### Related projects - format-udf depends on platform tools such as mkudffs or newfs_udf and wraps Universal Disk Format workflows. Its README discusses the fake-MBR technique used to improve Windows compatibility for whole-disk UDF volumes. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** format-udf - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [btfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/btfs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [btrfs-progs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/btrfs-progs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [dosfstools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dosfstools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [dwarfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dwarfs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [dysk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dysk/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [e2fsprogs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/e2fsprogs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [e2tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/e2tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. - [erdtree](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/erdtree/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, filesystem, filesystems, system. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/format-udf.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/format-udf.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph