Free download top 5 disk formatting tool for both Windows OS and Mac OS to format or reformat hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card. Most users are satisfied with the hard drive utilities that ship with Windows-especially the more powerful partitioning and defragging tools found in Windows Vista and 7. Since you're reading.
Whether you're selling your computer, trying a new operating system, or setting up an external drive for backups, sometimes you need to completely erase and format a hard drive. Here are the basic steps involved.
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File Systems Explained
When you first set up a hard drive for use with a computer, you have to format it using a file system. Different operating systems (like Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux) use different file systems to organize and store data, so you need to use the file system most applicable for your needs. Here are a few of the more popular file systems you'll see:
- NTFS: This is Windows' default file system. Windows can read and write to NTFS-formatted drives. OS X and Linux can only read NTFS-formatted drives, but not write to them—unless you have a third-party driver like NTFS-3G installed.
- FAT32: FAT32 is an older file system. You can't install newer versions of Windows on a FAT32 system, but it can be handy for external drives since it can be read and written to by Windows, OS X, and Linux. However, it has one major downside: You can only store files 4GB or smaller on a FAT32 drive, which means it isn't ideal for large files like movies.
- ExFAT: ExFAT is less commonly used, but is similar to FAT32 without the downsides. Both Windows and OS X can read and write ExFAT-formatted drives, and it can store files over 4GB. This makes it ideal for flash drives.
- HFS Plus: Also known as Mac OS Extended, this is OS X's default file system. OS X can read and write to it. If you're running Windows on your Mac with Boot Camp, you can read HFS Plus drives, but not write to them. A third party tool like Paragon HFS+ will allow any Windows system to read and write to HFS Plus drives.
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These are just a few examples of popular file systems, and the only ones you'll really encounter as a Windows or Mac user. Which one you use depends on the drive and what you're using it for. For example, if you have an external drive you only use with Windows computers, you'll want to format it as NTFS. If you have a drive you're using with Windows PCs and Macs, ExFAT is probably the best option.
Note that when you format a hard drive, it erases all the content on your drive, so make sure you choose the right file system before you copy your data. In some cases, it's possible to convert your drive without losing files—like converting a hard drive from FAT32 to NTFS—but under most circumstances, the only way to change your file system is to erase the drive and format it from scratch.
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Read more ReadHow to Format an External Drive or Flash Drive
So you've just bought a new external drive or flash drive, and you need to start using it. Note that we recommend formatting every drive you buy, even if it works when you plug it in—many external and flash drives come with extra software that, in our opinion, isn't very good, and formatting it removes that annoyance (not to mention gives you a bit of extra space on the drive).
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In Windows
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To format an external drive in Windows:
- Plug your drive into the computer and, if necessary, into a wall outlet.
- Open Windows Explorer, click the 'Computer' section in the sidebar, and find your drive.
- Right-click on the drive and choose 'Format.'
- Under 'File System,' choose the file system you want to use. See the above section for more details on which one to pick.
- Give your drive a name under 'Volume Label,' and check the 'Quick Format' box.
- Click 'Start' to format the drive. You'll get a notification when it's done (it should only take a few seconds).
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When you're done, open up the drive in Windows Explorer and you can begin dragging files to it, or backing up your computer.
Remember that when you format a drive, it won't show the exact same amount of free space as it does on the box. This is because computers measure space differently than they are marketed, so you'll never get that exact same number, at least on Windows.
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To format an external drive on a Mac:
- Open Finder and go to /Applications/Utilities and double-click on Disk Utility.
- Select your drive in the left-hand sidebar and go to the Erase tab.
- Under the 'Format' menu, choose the file system you want to use. See the above section for more details on which one to pick.
- Give your drive a name and click the Erase button. It should only take a few seconds to format your drive.
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When you're done, click on the drive in Finder. You can start dragging files to it, or set it up as a backup drive with Time Machine.
How to Format Your Computer's Main Hard Drive
If you want to erase your computer's main hard drive, things get a little more complicated. You obviously can't erase the drive while you're using it, so you'll need to format from a bootable CD or USB drive. What tools you use depend on what you're trying to do.
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If you're going to sell your computer or the hard drive, you'll want to securely wipe it using these instructions beforehand. After you've done so, you can reinstall your operating system (if necessary) as described below.
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If you just want to reinstall your operating system (or install a new one), the installer can do the formatting for you. Just insert your Windows, OS X, or Linux installation disc (or drive), boot from it, and enter the installation.
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If you're installing OS X or Linux, you usually just need to choose the option to install from scratch, which will erase your drive. In the Windows installer, wait until you get to the screen with a list of your drives. Click 'Drive Options,' then click the 'Format' button to format the drive as NTFS before you click Next and install Windows. Make sure you've backed everything up before you reinstall!
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Read more ReadThat's all there is to it. The process is much simpler than this long guide would have you believe, and once you've gotten the hang of it once or twice it'll be like riding a bike. All it takes is a few clicks to get a fresh, clean drive formatted for your needs.
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On Windows 10, whenever you get a new hard drive, it's important to format it before you start dumping files. The reason is that you want to ensure that the drive is working correctly, completely clean, and free of malware or malicious code that may harm your installation and personal files.
And it's not just a good practice for new drives, but for used hard drives too (especially those previously connected to a different OS), as using the proper formatting, you can avoid issues and compatibility problems.
Basically, when you format a hard drive, you're deleting all the data residing on the storage, and you start clean with a compatible file system (including NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT), which in this case Windows 10 understands to read and write data.
There are many methods available to format a hard drive, but using Disk Management could be considered one of the best options for most users.
In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to correctly format a traditional hard drive or Solid-State Drive (SSD), whether it already has a partition or it was never initialized.
How to format existing partition using Disk Management
If you have a hard drive already configured with a partition, you can just format the existing partition to erase its content and start fresh with a clean drive.
To format a partition using Disk Management, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the experience.
- Right-click the new hard drive and select the Format option.
- In the 'Value label' field, type a descriptive name for the drive.
- Use the 'File system' drop-down menu, and select NTFS (recommended for Windows 10).
- Use the 'Allocation unit size' drop-down menu, and select the Default option.
- Check the Perform a quick format option.Quick Tip: While performing a quick format wipes the drive faster, it doesn't check if the drive is damaged. On the other hand, when clearing the option, a full format will be performed, which not only wipes the drive clean, but it'll also check for bad sectors. It's an option that could take several hours, but it's a good practice to make sure the hard drive is in working conditions.
- Unless necessary, clear the Enable file and folder compression option.
- Click the OK button.
- Click the OK button again in the warning message.
Once you've completed the steps, the system will format the selected partition on the drive, and then you can start using it to store files.
How to create and format new partition using Disk Management
If you happen to have a hard drive that was never formatted, you'll need to initialize and create a new partition before you can format it.
Typically, you'll know when a hard drive doesn't have a partition, because it'll not appear in File Explorer, and on Disk Management, it'll appear as unallocated space.
To properly set up a blank hard drive, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the experience.
- Right-click the hard drive marked as 'Unknown' and 'Not Initialized,' and select Initialize Disk.
- Check the disk to initialize.
- Select the partition style:
- Master Boot Record (MBR) for hard drives smaller than 2TB in size.
- GUID Partition Table (GPT) for hard drives larger than 2TB in size.
- Click the OK button.
- Right-click the Unallocated space, and select the New Simply Value option.
- Click the Next button.
- Under the 'Simple volume size in MB' section, leave the default size if you're planning to use the entire hard drive to store files. Otherwise, specify the amount of space in megabytes that you want to allocate for the partition.
- Click the Next button.
- Use the 'Assign the following drive letter' drop-down menu to select a letter for the new hard drive.
- Click the Next button.
- Use the 'File system' drop-down menu, and select NTFS (recommended for Windows 10).
- Use the 'Allocation unit size' drop-down menu, and select the Default option.
- In the 'Value label' field, type a descriptive name for the drive.
- Check the Perform a quick format option.Quick Tip: If you prefer a full format, clear the quick format option. Just keep in mind that depending on the size of the drive, it can take hours to finish.
- Unless necessary, clear the Enable file and folder compression option.
- Click the Next button.
- Click the Finish button.
After completing the steps, the new hard drive will be initialized, partitioned, and properly formatted.
If you're having trouble using Disk Management to format a hard drive, because of data corruption or other severe issues, you can use the DiskPart command-line tool to fix the problem.
While we're focusing this guide on Windows 10, the steps outlined above will also work on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: