2026CLE CABRIOLET USBC/FLASH DRIVE ****
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Joined: May 2022
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E450 Cabriolet
2026CLE CABRIOLET USBC/FLASH DRIVE ****
The flash drive with a dozen CD’s worked in
my 2021 E450 but despite being properly formatted for 2026 CLE, it will not work in this car and companies across the country don’t seem to be able to simply transfer a dozen CD’s to a flash drive that will work despite sending them a wealth of information from the internet. Anyone find a company that do this job? Mercedes needs to stop making their systems unnecessarily complex and sensitive.
my 2021 E450 but despite being properly formatted for 2026 CLE, it will not work in this car and companies across the country don’t seem to be able to simply transfer a dozen CD’s to a flash drive that will work despite sending them a wealth of information from the internet. Anyone find a company that do this job? Mercedes needs to stop making their systems unnecessarily complex and sensitive.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2025
Posts: 67
Likes: 15
From: Florida
2025 CLE 53
I had a 2019 E450 and the same USB-C drive that worked in that works in my 2025 CLE 53. Mine are MP3's ripped from CD's over the years. The only issue I had was about 5% of the album cover art had to be redone. I've found almost all players require the meta data to be editied to suit the specific player.
What size USB-C drive are you using?
What format did you use? I assume since it worked in the E450 the drive size or the format type shouldn't be the issue.
Which USB input are you using? I seem to remember the inputs in front by the phone charger and the inputs in the console are both charging and data but the inputs in the rear part of the console (for the rear passengers) are charging only. At least that's how it is on my CLE 53 with the U/G 100watt 6 usb ports option.
Have you tried a few other of the usb inputs? What is the error message if any when you plug in the usb drive? Just not recognize it at all or is there a message of some kind.
This below from MB however I have nested subfolders and they work fine and I use one of the front usb inputs and it works fine.
Yes, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 (as part of the MBUX system) requires USB storage devices to be formatted in a specific way to play MP3 files reliably.
According to Mercedes-Benz documentation for similar MBUX systems (2024-2026 models), the requirements are:
File System Format: FAT32 or exFAT is generally required for proper recognition.
Maximum Storage Size: Up to 2 TB is supported, but it must be formatted properly.
File Types: Supported audio formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and ALAC.
USB Type: USB-C ports are used in the center console.
Important Tips for Success:
Avoid Subfolders: While it can read nested folders, a flatter structure helps in reading files faster.
Partitioning: Use a USB drive with only one partition.
Hope some of this helps.
What size USB-C drive are you using?
What format did you use? I assume since it worked in the E450 the drive size or the format type shouldn't be the issue.
Which USB input are you using? I seem to remember the inputs in front by the phone charger and the inputs in the console are both charging and data but the inputs in the rear part of the console (for the rear passengers) are charging only. At least that's how it is on my CLE 53 with the U/G 100watt 6 usb ports option.
Have you tried a few other of the usb inputs? What is the error message if any when you plug in the usb drive? Just not recognize it at all or is there a message of some kind.
This below from MB however I have nested subfolders and they work fine and I use one of the front usb inputs and it works fine.
Yes, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 (as part of the MBUX system) requires USB storage devices to be formatted in a specific way to play MP3 files reliably.
According to Mercedes-Benz documentation for similar MBUX systems (2024-2026 models), the requirements are:
File System Format: FAT32 or exFAT is generally required for proper recognition.
Maximum Storage Size: Up to 2 TB is supported, but it must be formatted properly.
File Types: Supported audio formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and ALAC.
USB Type: USB-C ports are used in the center console.
Important Tips for Success:
Avoid Subfolders: While it can read nested folders, a flatter structure helps in reading files faster.
Partitioning: Use a USB drive with only one partition.
Hope some of this helps.
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