Formatting internal or external hard drives on Windows 11 is a common task required for various reasons. When you connect a new hard drive, formatting it erases all existing data and prepares the drive with a compatible file system, which allows Windows to read and write data efficiently. Also, formatting is important when repurposing a drive, ensuring that your data is securely erased. You can also fix logical errors and other issues by formatting a drive on Windows 11.
Windows 11 provides multiple methods to format a drive, offering flexibility to choose the approach that suits your level of expertise. The options include using Command Prompt, PowerShell, Disk Management, File Explorer, and the Settings app.
Comparison of formatting methods
Here’s a quick overview of the different methods for formatting a drive in Windows 11:
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Settings: This option is very user-friendly for beginners. It is suitable for formatting storage drives with limited customization options.
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File Explorer: It is the quickest method for formatting external drives. Simple and fast, it lacks advanced options.
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Disk Management: Suitable for both internal and external drives, offering more control over partitions, but it may seem complex for beginners.
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Command Prompt: Ideal for advanced users. It offers the most flexibility but requires command-line knowledge.
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PowerShell: Best for scripting and automation, offering powerful capabilities but requiring familiarity with PowerShell commands.
Things to know before formatting
It’s important to know that formatting a drive erases all data on it. Always back up your important files before formatting. Several file system options are available, and selecting the right one is crucial:
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NTFS: Best for Windows-only use, supporting large files and permissions.
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exFAT: Ideal for external drives, ensuring compatibility between Windows and macOS.
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FAT32: Compatible with most devices but limited to a maximum file size of 4GB.
The file system options available on Windows 11 depend on the type of storage connected to your computer. When formatting a secondary internal hard drive, the only available option is NTFS.
If you connect an external USB hard drive, you can choose between NTFS and exFAT. The FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT options are available for USB flash drives.
There are differences between quick format and full format.
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Quick format: Erases files but doesn’t check for bad sectors. It’s faster but less thorough.
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Full format: Scans for bad sectors, taking longer but ensuring drive health.
Use the quick format option to clean the drive for reuse. Choose the full format option when connecting a new drive or when disposing of the drive or computer.
Format hard drive on Windows 11 from Command Prompt
To format a drive with the Diskpart command-line tool, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Start.
Step 2: Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Step 3: Type the following command to open Diskpart and press Enter:
diskpart
Step 4: Type the following command to determine the drive to format and press Enter:
list disk
Step 5: Type the following command to select the storage and press Enter:
select disk 3
In the command, replace 3 with the number of the flash drive you want to use.
Step 6: Type the following commands to delete everything from the USB thumb drive and press Enter:
clean
Step 7: Type the following command to create a primary partition and press Enter:
create partition primary
Step 8: Type the following command to select the new partition and press Enter:
select partition 1
Step 9: Type the following command to make the selected partition active and press Enter:
active
Step 10: Type the following command to make the hard drive bootable and press Enter:
format FS=NTFS quick
Step 11: Type the following command to assign a volume and a drive letter for the USB flash drive and press Enter:
assign letter=X
In the command, change “X” for any available letter you want to use.
Step 12: Type the following command to quit the tool and press Enter:
exit
After completing the steps, the drive will be erased, formatted, and mounted with the specified drive letter.
Format hard drive on Windows 11 from PowerShell
To format a hard drive with PowerShell commands on Windows 11, use the steps:
Step 1: Open Start.
Step 2: Search for PowerShell, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Step 3: Type the following command to identify the drive to repair and press Enter:
Get-Disk
Step 4: Type the following command to wipe out the drive on Windows 11 and press Enter:
Get-Disk 3 | Clear-Disk -RemoveData
In the above command, change 3 with the disk number of the drive you want to format (see step 3). If you specify the number incorrectly, you could wipe out the wrong drive, causing data loss.
Step 5: Type A to confirm that you want to wipe the specified drive and press Enter.
Step 6: Type the following command to initialize the disk with the default GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition scheme and press Enter:
Initialize-Disk -Number 3
In the above command, change 3 with the disk number of the drive you want to format (see step 3).
Important: Although it’s recommended to use a GPT partition scheme if required, you can use the Master Boot Record (MBR) scheme using this command:
Initialize-Disk -Number 1 -PartitionStyle MBR.
Step 7: Type the following command to format and create a new partition on the drive, and press Enter:
New-Partition -DiskNumber 3 -UseMaximumSize | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel myDrive
In the above command, change 3 with the disk number of the drive you want to format on Windows 11 and myDrive with the name to use for the storage.
Step 8: Type the following command to assign a drive letter to the disk drive and press Enter:
Get-Partition -DiskNumber 3 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter H
In the above command, change 3 to the disk number of the drive you want to format and H to the letter assigned to the storage. If you get the Set-Partition: The requested access path is already in use error message, run the command one more time or specify a different drive letter.
Once you complete the steps, the PowerShell commands will delete the current partition and create a new one with the file system and drive letter you specified.
Format hard drive on Windows 11 from Disk Management
You can format a drive with or without a partition using the legacy Disk Management utility.
Format drive with partition
To format a hard drive with an existing partition with Disk Management, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Start.
Step 2: Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the app.
Step 3: Right-click the drive and select the Format option.
Step 4: Confirm the drive’s name in the Volume label setting.
Step 5: Select the NTFS option in the File System setting.
Step 6: Check the Perform a quick format option.
Step 7: (Optional) Check the Enable file and folder compression option to save space when storing files.
Step 8: Click the OK button.
After you complete the steps, the existing partition (also referred to as a volume) will be re-formatted, deleting any previous data.
Format drive without partition
If the drive doesn’t have a partition, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Start.
Step 2: Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the app.
Step 3: Right-click the drive and select the New Simple Volume option.
Step 4: Click the Next button.
Step 5: (Optional) Specify how much storage to assign to the drive.
Step 6: Click the Next button.
Step 7: Select the Assign the following driver option and choose the letter for the drive.
Step 8: Click the Next button.
Step 9: Select the Format this volume with the following settings option.
Step 10: Select the NTFS option in the File System setting.
Step 11: Confirm the drive’s name in the Volume label setting.
Step 12: Check the Perform a quick format option.
Step 13: Click the Next button.
Step 14: Click the Finish button.
Once you complete the steps, the tool will create a partition and format it using the specified file system.
Format hard drive on Windows 11 from File Explorer
To format an internal or USB drive through File Explorer, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open File Explorer.
Step 2: Click on This PC from the left navigation pane.
Step 3: Right-click the drive under the “Devices and drives” section and select the Format option.
Step 4: Select the NTFS option in the File System setting.
Step 5: Confirm the drive’s name in the Volume label setting.
Step 6: Check the Quick Format option.
Step 7: Click the Start button.
Once you complete the steps, the drive will be available in File Explorer.
If the hard drive doesn’t have a partition or drive letter, it won’t appear in File Explorer. In this case, you can use the new Disks & volumes settings or the legacy Disk Management tool to format the storage.
Format hard drive on Windows 11 from Settings
On Windows 11, the formatting steps will differ slightly depending on whether the HDD or SSD already has a partition or not.
Format drive with existing partition
To format an internal or external drive with an existing partition on Windows 11, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Settings on Windows 11.
Step 2: Click on System.
Step 3: Click the Storage tab.
Step 4: Click on Advanced storage settings.
Step 5: Click the Disks & volumes setting.
Step 6: Select the hard drive from the list.
Step 7: Click the Properties button.
Step 8: Click the Format button.
Step 9: Confirm a label for the storage drive (as it will appear on File Explorer).
Step 10: Select the NTFS option for the File System setting.
Step 11: (Optional) Check the Enable file and folder compression option to save space when storing files.
Quick note: Unless you are storing files that will benefit from compression, you don’t need to enable this feature.
Step 12: Click the Format option.
Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will format the drive and make it available through File Explorer.
Format drive without partition
To format a new drive without a partition, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Click on System.
Step 3: Click the Storage tab.
Step 4: Click on Advanced storage settings.
Step 5: Click the Disks & volumes setting.
Step 6: Select the hard drive.
Step 7: Select the Unallocated space, click the Create volume button, and choose the Create Simple Volume option.
Step 8: Confirm a label for the drive in the Label setting.
Step 9: Select the drive letter to make it available on File Explorer in the Drive Letter setting.
Step 10: Select the NTFS option in the File System setting.
Step 11: (Optional) Specify how much storage to assign to the drive in the Size setting.
Step 12: (Optional) Click on Advanced.
Step 13: Check the Perform a quick format option. (If you don’t select this option, the operation could take a long time.)
Step 14: (Optional) Check the Enable file and folder compression option to save space when storing files.
Step 15: Click the Format option.
After you complete the steps, a new partition will be created and formatted using the specified settings.
Formatting a hard drive on Windows 11 is essential for setting up new drives, securely erasing data, or resolving certain drive issues, and the operating system offers various methods to accomplish this. You can choose the formatting method that best suits your comfort level and technical expertise.