If your hard disk is not functioning properly or runs into some conflicts and glitches, you’ll need to fix the problem to continue using it. But do you know how to format a hard disk on Windows 11? If not, MiniTool shows you several useful ways.
Reasons for Windows 11 Format Hard Drive or Partition
Why do you need to format a hard drive on Windows 11/10 or other systems? The main reasons for disk formatting include:
- Format a new drive before using it.
- Change a file system.
- Clear disk data.
- Delete partitions.
- Improve computer performance.
- Fix disk errors.
- Increase disk speed.
- And so on.
However, some users don’t know the exact ways and steps to format a hard drive on Windows 11. Therefore, introducing how to format a hard drive on Windows 11/10 is necessary. The following part puts forward five methods to perform high-level disk formatting. You can use these methods to format disks, USB drives, SSDs, external hard drives, SD cards, etc.
Back Up Data from a Hard Drive Before Formatting
When your disk is working properly, you can easily back up files to another disk. Copy and paste should be the easiest operation for you to move files. But it is time-consuming when there are piles of files. Professional and free backup software, such as MiniTool ShadowMaker, can be your preferred choice.
This software can back up not only files and folders but also disks and partitions. You can safely back up files within a few steps. Furthermore, it gives you different backup modes to choose from: differential backup and incremental backup, which can avoid duplicate backups.
Here I’ll briefly introduce you to how to back up files using MiniTool ShadowMaker.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker on your computer.
Step 2: Connect an external hard drive or other device used for file storage to the computer, then launch the software.
Step 3: Choose Backup on the left pane.
- Click on SOURCE to select files or folders you want to back up, then click OK to return to the Backup interface.
- Click on DESTINATION to select the drive you just connected and click OK.
Step 4: Choose Back Up Now to start the backup process.
Once the backup process is complete, you can disconnect the backup drive properly and begin formatting the hard drive.
Recover Data from a Hard Drive Before Formatting
In addition to a new brand drive, there should be numerous files on your computer or other devices. If you can’t access files stored on the disk, you should rescue files from the disk before formatting by using MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
This free file recovery software is able to detect all your deleted, lost, and existing files. It allows you to recover them not only from the computer hard drive, but also from an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, an SSD, and other data storage devices.
Furthermore, this software is equipped with feasible features that can help you increase data recovery accuracy and efficiency. Now, you can follow the next steps to recover files from a hard drive before formatting.
How to Recover Data Before a Hard Drive Formatting
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery properly.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Launch the software and check whether the hard drive you want to format is detected. If you need to format an external hard drive, you should connect the device to your computer first and then run the software.
Step 3: Select a partition from the Logical Drives section and click on the Scan button. You can also turn to the Devices tab to scan the whole device.
Step 4: You can browse the files during the scan process. But for the best data recovery result, please be patient with the scan process and do not interrupt or suspend the process manually.
You will find some folders listed on the left pane, expanding them to find your needed files. You can also use the Filter, Type, and Search features to filter out unnecessary files and locate your wanted files quickly.
To ensure the accuracy of your chosen file, you can use the Preview function before saving it. Remember that the previewed videos and audio files should be less than 2GB in size.
Step 5: Add checkmarks in the box in front of the desired files and click on the Save button to select another storage path. Click OK to start the recovery process.
When the process is finished, you can go to the destination you just chose to check whether your files are recovered successfully. If yes, keep reading to format the hard drive.
#1: Format a Hard Drive on Windows 11 Using Storage Settings
First of all, I’d like to show you how to format a hard drive on Windows 11 by using the Storage Settings feature.
Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard and select Settings from the Start menu.
Step 2: Choose System in the left pane, then scroll down to find and click on Storage in the right pane.
Step 3: Click on the Advanced storage settings under the Storage management section.
Step 4: Select the Disks & volumes option. You will see all the disks connected to your computer and the volumes you have.
Step 5: Choose one that needs to be formatted and select Properties.
Step 6: Look through the properties window and choose Format.
Step 7: Input basic information about a driver such as volume label, and file system.
Step 8: Click on the Format option to start the formatting process.
#2. Format a Drive in File Explorer
How to quickly format a hard drive? Using File Explorer to format a drive on Windows 11 should be an easier method.
Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Select This PC from the left pane, then you can choose the drive you want to format under the Devices and drives section.
Step 3: Right-click on it and choose Format from the context menu.
Step 4: Set specific information in the popup window, like File system, Allocation unit size, and Volume label.
Step 5: Click on the Start button and click OK to start the formatting process.
#3. Format a Hard Drive Using Disk Management
You can also use a Windows built-in tool, Disk Management, to format a hard drive. This tool is designed for Windows users to manage disks easily. But you should be careful when using it because any change you make in Disk Management will apply to your computer immediately. There is no chance for you to revoke the change.
Step 1: Press Win + X and click on Disk Management to open it.
Step 2: Find and right-click on the disk you want to format, then choose Format from the context menu.
Step 3: You should give the disk a Volume label, select a suitable File system, and change the Allocation unit size based on your needs.
Step 4: Click OK to save changes, then click OK again to start formatting.
#4. Format a Disk Using Command Prompt
Command Prompt is equipped with all Windows systems. It works as a command line interpreter, which allows users to manage and configure their computers. You can execute various command lines by using Command Prompt to resolve computer errors, zip files, and format drives. Here are detailed steps about how to format a disk using CMD.
Step 1: Press Win + S and type Command Prompt into the search box.
Step 2: Select Run as administrator on the right pane.
Step 3: Type the following command lines and hit Enter after each command.
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk * (* refers to the disk number of the target disk)
- clean
- create partition parimary
- format fs=* (Change * to the file system that fits your computer)
#5. Format a Disk Using MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a professional and multifunctional partition management tool. This software can help you format partitions, initialize disks, resize partitions, etc. Here I’d like to introduce you to specific steps about how to format a hard drive with this tool.
Initialize a New Hard Drive
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Launch the software and select your new disk in the right pane.
Step 3: Choose Initialize to GPT Disk or Initialize to MBR Disk under the Convert Disk section in the left sidebar.
Step 4: When the initialization process is finished, click Apply to finish the suspending process.
After initialization, you can use this software to create partitions as well. Right-click on the disk and choose Create from the context menu, then follow the on-screen instructions to finish the rest steps.
Format a Partition on the Hard Drive
Step 1: Right-click on the partition you want to format.
Step 2: Choose Format from the context menu.
Step 3: Select a file system and choose a partition label, then click OK to save the changes.
Step 4: Confirm all the information and click Apply if there is no mistake. If you need to change information, click Undo and reset all the information.
Wipe a Hard Drive
You can format a hard drive and erase data stored on it completely by wiping the drive. Compared with common disk formatting, wiping a hard drive will make your data unrecoverable. You should think twice before taking this action.
Wipe Disk:
Step 1: Select the hard drive you want to wipe. (You should click on the Disk * to choose the drive.)
Step 2: Click on the Wipe Disk option under Clean Disk in the left toolbar.
Step 3: Select a Wiping Method based on your needs, then click OK.
Step 4: When the process is completed, click on Apply.
Wipe Partition:
Step 1: Select a partition you want to wipe.
Step 2: Choose Wipe Partition under the Partition Management section in the left pane.
Step 3: Select a Wiping Method and click OK.
Step 4: Click Apply to finish the change.
Verdict
This is the end of the article. This page mainly introduces you to five methods to format a hard drive on Windows 11. All these methods can also be used to format an external hard drive on Windows 11.
Since formatting will erase all your data on the device, you can back up your files to another disk or recover files from the disk according to your situation. If you have performed formatting without time to back up your data, you can also restore them with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Hope you can format your hard drive successfully with this article. If you have any problem with our software, please feel free to let us know via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Andrea graduated in English and has a keen interest in the IT industry and questions that arise when computers are used. She is passionate about new things and challenging things and has a wide range of interests like playing guitar, gaming, and crafting.