How to format an external hard drive windows 10？

​Formatting via File Explorer

Open File Explorer: Click the folder icon on the taskbar or use the shortcut key Win+E.

Locate the Target Drive: In the left – hand navigation bar, find and right – click the external hard drive you want to format.

Select the Format Option: In the popped – up right – click menu, choose the “Format” option.

Set Formatting Parameters: In the popped – up formatting window, you can select the file system (usually NTFS), the allocation unit size (the default is fine), the volume label (the drive name), and whether to perform a quick format (it is recommended to check this to speed up the process, but if you are unsure about the drive’s status, it is advisable not to check it to perform a full check).

Start Formatting: Click the “Start” button. The system will pop up a warning window. After confirming that it is correct, click “OK” to start the formatting process.

Formatting via Disk Management

Open Disk Management: Right – click the “Start” button on the taskbar and select “Disk Management”.

Select the Target Partition: In the disk management window, find and right – click the partition you want to format.

Execute the Formatting Operation: Select the “Format” option in the popped – up menu. The subsequent steps are similar to those of formatting via File Explorer.

Formatting a New External Hard Drive

Open Disk Management: Press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously. In the “Run” box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and click “OK”. If the system prompts you to provide an administrator password or confirmation information, enter the password or provide confirmation.

Initialize the Disk: Right – click the disk and select “Initialize Disk”. Select the partition style. MBR is suitable for hard drives with a capacity not exceeding 2TB, and GPT is suitable for hard drives with a capacity exceeding 2TB. Then click “OK”. The hard drive should be displayed as unallocated.

Create a New Simple Volume: Right – click the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume”. Click “Next” when prompted: specify the volume size, specify the drive letter or path, and select a file system. Use NTFS if you will connect the storage device to a Windows computer and do not need a Mac to write to the storage device. Use exFAT if you need to allow both Mac and Windows computers to read and write to the storage device. You can also enter a custom hard – drive name in the volume label field. Then click “Next” and “Finish” in sequence.

Formatting a Previously – Formatted External Hard Drive

Open Disk Management: Press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously. In the “Run” box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and click “OK”. If the system prompts you to provide an administrator password or confirmation information, enter the password or provide confirmation.

Select the Partition to be Formatted: Right – click the partition box and select “Format”. The formatting prompt will open.

Set Formatting Parameters: Enter a custom hard – drive name in the volume label field, and select a file system. The selection criteria for the file system are the same as those for formatting a new hard drive. Keep the “Allocation unit size” field as the default value, check the “Execute a quick format” checkbox, and do not check the “Enable file and folder compression” checkbox. Then click “OK” and click “OK” again in the popped – up formatting warning window. The volume will now be displayed as formatted. After a few seconds, the volume will be displayed as “Status: OK (Primary Partition)”.

Special Case: Formatting a Hard Drive Previously Formatted for Mac

If the hard drive was previously formatted for Mac, “Disk Management” will list three partitions, one of which is displayed as “Status: OK (EFI System Partition)”. This is a protected partition and cannot be deleted directly. To delete this partition, you must use the Microsoft Diskpart Erase utility. The specific steps are as follows:

Determine the Disk Number: Press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously. In the “Run” box, type “diskmgmt.msc” and click “OK” to open “Disk Management”. Note the disk number of the hard drive to be formatted.

Prepare to Use Diskpart: Disconnect all other hard drives from the computer except the one to be erased/cleaned to prevent accidentally erasing other hard drives. Then, press the Windows key and the R key again, type “cmd” in the “Run” box, and click “OK” to open the command prompt window. Enter “diskpart” and press Enter to open the diskpart prompt.

Select and Clean the Disk: Enter “list disk” and press Enter to display the disk list. Then enter “select disk X” (replace the letter X with the disk number assigned to the hard drive). The command prompt window will display the message “Disk 1 is now the selected disk”. Finally, enter “clean” and press Enter. The command prompt window will display the message “DiskPart successfully cleared the disk”.

Initialize, Partition, and Format the Hard Drive: After cleaning the disk, you can initialize, partition, and format the hard drive according to the steps in the “Formatting a New External Hard Drive” section.

Precautions

Back up important data: Formatting will erase all data on the external hard drive. Be sure to back up important data to another storage device or cloud storage before formatting.

Choose the appropriate file system: If the external hard drive is only used on Windows computers, NTFS is a good choice as it offers good performance and security. If it needs to be used on both Windows and Mac computers, exFAT is more suitable as it provides cross – platform compatibility.

Be cautious when using quick format: Although quick format can save time, it only erases the file system table and does not perform a complete scan and erase of the hard drive. If the hard drive has bad sectors or other errors, it is recommended to perform a full format without using the quick – format option.

Check for write protection: Some external hard drives may have a write – protection switch. Make sure the switch is in the unlocked position before formatting, otherwise the formatting operation may fail.

Ensure proper connection: Make sure the external hard drive is properly connected to the computer. If using a USB cable, try using a different USB port or cable to rule out connection – related issues.

Run as administrator: Some formatting operations require administrator privileges. If you encounter permission – denied errors, try running the relevant tools (such as Disk Management or the command prompt) as an administrator.