How to format an external hard drive. To completely erase and format the hard drive on which Windows or macOS is installed, you'll need to do so from outside of the operating system. When you click Erase, a format menu will pop-up with three main choices with sub-formats: Aug 20, 2018 · Blue bar above the drive: existing partition on the drive. To format a system drive, you’ll need a Windows installer or specialized software. May 20, 2022 · How to Format a USB Drive There are a few places you can format a USB drive in Windows 10. Click here to learn more! Aug 8, 2023 · How to Add and Use an External Hard Drive with Xbox Series X or S. 11 and above Dec 10, 2023 · To format a hard drive or SSD in Windows 11, open File Explorer, browse to "This PC," right-click the drive, and select "Format" to start the process. Aug 20, 2018 · WD Quick Formatter can be used to format and remove all partitions on WD External Drive. Right-click the corrupted external hard drive and click Format. To fix drive issues on Windows 10 with DiskPart, use these steps: Open Start. When you format the USB extended storage, all game data saved on the drive is erased. Open the File Explorer and right-click the external hard drive. To check this, press Windows Key + R, type diskmgmt. Choose the file system, allocation unit size, and quick or low-level format options according to your needs. Oct 8, 2021 · What about formatting external hard drives or flash drives? The steps to format external drives and flash drives (also called thumb drives and USB drives) are the same as formatting internal drives. With it, it’s possible to easily format a storage device with just a few clicks. In this video we'll cover how to Format a Western Digital External Hard Drive for use on macOS and Windows. In this guide, we will show you how to set up external hard drives and show you some formatting tips and tricks along the way. Essentially, you’ll need to connect the drive to your computer, open Disk Management, select the drive, and then choose a file system to format it with. Jun 17, 2024 · Learn how to erase, format, and partition your external hard drive on Windows 10 or 11 using File Explorer or Disk Management. Select Start > OK. Step 3. Apr 22, 2024 · Stage 2. But, you can only do this if the corrupted external hard drive is detected by your PC. A dialog box will pop up asking you to confirm the format settings, such as the file system (NTFS, FAT32, etc. To format an external hard drive on Windows, find it in Windows Explorer, right-click it, click Format, and follow the steps. How to Format an External Hard Drive on Mac. If your external disk is O, then enter format /FS:FAT32 O:) Method 4. Use any USB 3. Click Done after the erase (format) process is complete. In the Disk Management window, see if your external hard drive is visible. Click the drop-down menu and select a new File System Format. Navigate to the external hard drive: Open File Explorer on your PC and locate the external hard drive. The easiest is "This PC. ” Choose the desired file system, assign a name to the drive, and click “Start” to begin the formatting process. Also, drives that will be used for storage need to be formatted. Locate and open Disk Utility. Locate the hard drive partition that needs formatting, right-click it and choose “Format”. Sep 24, 2023 · It will help you to format the external hard drive or USB drive using Windows PowerShell. For this, you can take the assistance of Disk Utility, which is the native application in Mac. Sep 6, 2023 · Follow the steps to format an external drive on a macOS. Click Start to reformat the hard drive. " Each connected drive has a letter, such as C: or D:. If you have a drive that is formatted for a different type of computer or a drive that is not preformatted, you will need to format the drive before you can use it. Right-click on the drive's icon to bring up the context menu, then select Format from the list. Select NTFS if using the drive only with Windows and exFAT if also using it with Mac. Not Initialized: the drive must be initialized before use. Dec 4, 2023 · How to fix drive (MBR) problems with DiskPart on Windows 10. As for Windows beginners, we suggest you back up important data first, then apply a practical formatting tool like EaseUS Partition Master for help. Double-click This PC in the left panel. 6 to 10. Click Go. Use the "File system" drop-down menu, and select the NTFS option (recommended for Windows 10). Choose "Format Partition" in the drop-down menu. ; Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result Jul 21, 2022 · Now that we’ve taken a look at file formats, let’s move into actually formatting the external hard drive. Return to Top. Open Disk Utility. WARNING! Formatting erases all data on the drive. 11 and above Nov 9, 2023 · Locate your external drive from the list of Devices and drives, then right-click on the drive, and select Format. Jan 6, 2023 · When connecting a mechanical hard drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), or an external USB hard drive to a computer, Windows 10 can automatically detect and set it up. Now, click OK. Unallocated: no partition on the drive. " "This PC," like its predecessor "My Computer," lists all of the hard drives and external storage devices attached to your computer. , with the Jun 28, 2024 · Step 2. Launch this software. You can format a drive when you no longer want to use it as USB extended storage for your PS5 console. This will ensure those deleted files can't easily be recovered without wiping the entire drive. Make sure it is recognized and mounted by the system. Jan 29, 2024 · Connect your external hard drive to your Windows computer. Step 5: Configure Format Settings. You can also format a hard drive via Command Prompt using the format command. When formatting, consider the capacity, file system, allocation unit size, and volume label. 1 drive, but only the Seagate expansion drive lets Jan 7, 2020 · The hard drive formatting process could take anywhere from no time at all to a while depending on the size of the hard drive in some cases. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a way to do this, but you'll have to visit the command line. Formatting your external hard drive will erase If you have a drive that is formatted for a different type of computer or a drive that is not preformatted, you will need to format the drive before you can use it. Type diskmgmt. ; Immediately after assigning the new letter the external drive should appear in File Explorer. Click the ‘Erase’ button. Choose ‘Mac OS Extended (Journaled)’ as the format. Operating System Support Windows. Dec 30, 2022 · (Image credit: Future) In the "Value label" field, confirm a new name for the storage. Follow these instructions to format your external hard drive: Windows: Right-click on the Start menu and select “Disk Oct 23, 2023 · If you've deleted some files from a mechanical hard drive or an external storage device, you might want to wipe only the free space, overwriting it with zeros. However, a newly added drive Oct 23, 2023 · Step 5: Choose the desired file system for the external hard drive. Step 1. If you want to format your hard drive so you can install Windows again from scratch, your hard drive will be automatically formatted as part of that process. Select (More) > Format as exFAT. This displays a pop-up menu next to the hard drive. Click ‘Erase’ to format the drive. Set the file system of the partition and you can add Partition Label if you want. Firstly, check the enclosure of your external hard drive to see if it has more than just a single USB port. Choose the best file system for your needs and back up your data before formatting. Now look at the right panel under "Devices and drives. Formatting prepares the drive for future use by creating a new file system and structure. Click on Erase to start the formatting the external hard drive. After successfully resetting your external hard drive, the next step is to format it. Dec 14, 2023 · Although your Mac comes with a hard drive built-in, knowing how to format an external hard drive on macOS will widen your options. msc, and press Enter. It should appear as a new drive under the “This PC” or “My Dec 17, 2023 · If you're using a Windows computer, to change the drive's format: connect the drive to a computer, right-click it, click Format, and choose a compatible format under File System. Oct 7, 2019 · For example, the process for formatting an internal hard drive can be different than formatting an external USB drive, and sometimes you have to decide between file system formats. macOS users have at their disposal a handy tool called Disk Utility. To format the drive, you'll need to know which letter represents it on your PC. That means that learning how to format an external hard drive is fairly straightforward. You can use Windows built-in tools: Disk Management and CMD: right-click on the target disk and select Format external hard drive. Oct 20, 2023 · Connect the external hard drive to your PC: Take the external hard drive and connect it to an available USB port on your PC. Select the external hard drive and right-click it. Jul 23, 2022 · Note: Select the Restore device defaults button if you want to revert to the default selections for the drive. ly/32SoDnDImportant Tip:😎 Leave comments 3 days ago · How to Format a Hard Drive for Mac. Next, it is time formatting the Xbox One external hard drive. When formatting your external hard drive in Windows 7, it is essential to select the appropriate file system. Mar 29, 2023 · To retrieve data from a corrupted external hard drive, you’ll need to use third-party data recovery apps. This is because Mac can also format an external hard drive in Windows-supported file systems like exFAT and FAT. To format an external hard drive for Mac, open a Finder window and go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. ; Use the Jun 7, 2023 · Format your external hard drive using File Explorer or Disk Management and then use data recovery software to recover important files. Plug in the drive and format it. Apr 22, 2024 · format /FS:FAT32 X (Replace X with the actual letter of your external hard drive. May 16, 2023 · Formatting your system drive (usually C Drive) is not as straightforward as with an external hard drive because the Windows operating system is installed there, by default. The amount of space each hard drive has is listed below the drive name in File Explorer. Select “NTFS” in the “File system” box and then tick “Perform a quick format”. To partition an external hard drive on Windows, open the Nov 24, 2023 · Right click on the external hard drive to format and click on “Format…”in the drop-down menu. Aug 2, 2021 · These will format the drive in OS X's HFS+ filetype so it will be compatible with Time Machine. Mar 15, 2023 · Right-click your external hard drive. It will only format and create a single partition for better performance. Format an External Hard Drive. Finally, select your drive, click Erase, choose a format, and click Erase. . Click "This PC" from the left panel. Otherwise, it may be listed as "USB Drive" or the make and model of your hard drive. Here's how: Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer. You should be done in seconds if you choose the Quick Format option. 7. Connect your external hard drive to your PC. ) and the volume label. Click Format… in the pop-up menu. If you see FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS, but don't know which one to pick, here's what you need to know. Locate the drive. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices. Go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage. Enter a name. msc then click OK. Black bar above the drive: not partition on the drive. In the left-hand margin, click on the external hard drive you have connected and in the main window, you’ll see information such as the drive name, capacity and connection type. Oct 23, 2023 · Now that you have successfully located and opened your external hard drive in the Files app, we can move on to the next step: formatting the external hard drive. 1. Jul 12, 2023 · When you format your hard drive, you can clean internal as well as external storage media. Once the drive becomes visible, you can format the external hard drive in several ways. ; If you receive a warning message, click the Yes button. Jul 23, 2024 · When you are reformatting a drive, memory card, or flash drive you need to pick a file format. In this guide, we will show you how to initialize and format an external hard drive on Windows 10. If you keep your hard drive's out-of-the-box NTFS format, you'll be able to read the drive when it's connected to a Mac, but you won't be How to reformat (delete or wipe) USB extended storage as a USB drive . Step 2. Conclusion. For instructions on how to format your hard drive on a Mac, please reference the following links: How to format a drive in Mac OS 10. Click Erase. Feb 15, 2024 · Formatting an external hard drive for Windows 11 is a relatively straightforward process. Option 1: Format to NTFS and buy this app for your Mac. Formatting a new external hard drive on Windows. Press Windows key + R to open Disk Management. Formatting an external hard drive for Mac is not a daunting task, but it’s important to approach it with caution. Jul 7, 2021 · In the Devices and Drives section of the main window, you should see your external hard drive. 10 How to format your drive in MacOS 10. Use File Explorer to Convert FAT32 Format. Jun 20, 2024 · More on Formatting Hard Drives in Windows . Feb 15, 2024 · Connect the external hard drive to your Mac. Click here to learn more! If you have a drive that is formatted for a different type of computer or a drive that is not preformatted, you will need to format the drive before you can use it. How to Format an External Hard Drive for use on Ma Dec 12, 2018 · Click the OK button. Need more help? Apr 22, 2024 · With the presented methods, you can easily format a brand new hard drive, format an internal or external hard drive, and even thoroughly wipe a hard drive in Windows 11/10. Under the "Devices and drives" tab, right-click the external May 8, 2023 · However, if the other methods don’t work, you can follow these steps to fix a corrupted external hard drive by formatting it: Go to Disk Management. As stated by WindowsCentral on how to properly format: 1. Nov 29, 2020 · Second Move: Add and Format Xbox One External Hard Drive. I need to format an external hard drive from FAT32 to NTFS without losing data. Select the external hard drive. With the drive selected in Disk Utility, click Sep 1, 2023 · Find the drive letter of the external hard drive. Apr 15, 2022 · First, partition the drive using Disk Utility in macOS and (using our walk-through below) format one part as HFS+ and the other as FAT32; then, plug the drive into your Windows PC and reformat Jul 18, 2017 · Learn how to format an external hard drive using Windows' File Explorer. 3. 2. Oct 25, 2023 · Step 7: Formatting the External Hard Drive. Make sure the Quick Format box is ticked and leave all the other settings the same. Mar 14, 2023 · QUICK ANSWER. Need more help? Answer ID 18824: How To Initialize Secondary Drives on Windows Jul 17, 2024 · How to Format a Hard Drive for Windows 10 on macOS? You don’t need to use a Windows system to format a hard drive for Windows 10. Jun 15, 2023 · This wikiHow teaches you how to format your computer's built-in hard drive, which is different than formatting an external or secondary hard drive. It will display you the basic situation of your hard drives. Click Utilities. As well as giving you more space to play with, an external hard Aug 2, 2022 · If you’re using Windows 7 or more recent versions, you can follow the next steps to format a new hard drive or reformat a used one, including an external hard drive using a macOS format. Windows users can easily format an internal hard drive, external HDD or SSD, USB drive, etc. Click Erase and OS X will format the drive. 6. Make sure the Quick Format box is clicked! Make sure the Quick Format box is clicked! If it is not, you will lose all of your data. Step 5: Format the external hard drive. Sep 5, 2024 · Right-click on the external hard drive and choose the Format option from the context menu. Now that you have accessed your external hard drive in the Files app, it’s time to format it. Be sure to make a copy of any data you might need later. May 16, 2017 · In this video I am going to show you how to format your external drive so you can use it fully on both Windows and macOS without the need for additional soft May 12, 2023 · Step 2. Windows 11 (NTFS) Windows 10 32-bit & 64-bit Dec 13, 2022 · 1. Then click View in Disk Utility and select Show All Devices. Drive Support Supported WD External Drives ; DOES NOT support SanDisk External Drives or USB Flash. Aug 30, 2019 · Formatted external hard drive without backup and want to recover the data? Try Recoverit data recovery: http://bit. Quick Not always available: Use the convert command to change the external hard drive format without losing data. In this tutorial, we explain how you can format a hard drive using the command prompt. If your external hard drive has a specific name, it will be listed in File Explorer. Open Finder. Select APFS Format (recommended). Change Name, Format and Scheme if needed. The file system determines how data is organized and stored on the drive, as well as its compatibility with different operating systems. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK. Please make sure you don’t have any important information stored on the Xbox One external hard drive before setting it up with your Xbox One. Check the Perform a quick format option. If it does, connect either an external AC power supply (it's recommended to use the Oct 23, 2023 · Formatting on Windows: If you are formatting your external hard drive on a Windows computer, you can do so by connecting the drive, opening File Explorer, right-clicking on the drive, and selecting “Format. hkduliudilxugryjlyuumjqciuixubbocxgpnlkyzyojelw
