Creating Windows USB Recovery Drive. 32GB Requirement

As you've noticed about Windows 11 recovery disk, not all USB drives are created equal. Even if you buy a 32GB drive, it's possible that the actual capacity might be less due to differences in manufacturing or formatting. Formatting a USB drive can sometimes reduce its available capacity due to reserved space for system files, bad sectors, and other factors. If your USB drive is showing 28.8GB available, it's possible that the rest is already reserved or inaccessible.

Microsoft's tools often require a specific minimum capacity to ensure that there's enough space for the recovery image and other files. While 28.8GB might seem like enough, it might not meet their internal requirements.

Run a disk check on your USB drive using Windows built-in tools (chkdsk) or a third-party tool. This can help identify and fix any bad sectors or errors that might be affecting the available capacity. Instead of creating a recovery USB drive using the built-in tool, you can try using the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or the Advanced Boot Options menu to create a recovery environment on your USB drive. This might not require the same minimum capacity as the built-in tool.

If you're planning to use the Windows 11 recovery disk frequently or for other purposes, it might be worth investing in a larger USB drive to avoid similar issues in the future.