Leave the allocation size set to default. If it's an internal hard drive, you'll want to use NTFS. Type a name for the drive next to Volume label, and choose which file system you'd like the drive to be formatted with. Sometimes a partition will use up the entire disk, but there may be several partitions on one disk. Right-click on the drive you want to wipe and click Format.Īs you can see below, this will only affect the portion (called a partition) of the disk that you select. That's the easiest way to launch Disk Management, but you'll also find it in the Control Panel if you search for 'disk' and select the 'Create and format hard disk partitions'.ĭisk Management isn't as powerful as a standalone partition management tool such as Paragon Hard Disk Manager, but it is still capable of formatting drives. Type diskmgmt.msc or Disk Management into the search box, or if you have Windows 10 press Win+X then K. The right way to format a hard drive or in Windows is as follows, but if you do have an SSD, then check its manufacturer's website as there might be a specific tool available for formatting it. Although deleted files can be recovered in some situations, it's best to assume that no files will be accessible once you have used the techniques below. Warning: make sure you have backed up any photos, videos, music and other documents from your drive before you format it. In fact, if you are disposing of the drive or passing it on to someone else it's worth securely erasing the contents to make sure no personal information can be recovered. It's just a fast way of wiping the drive which is fine if you're going to reuse it yourself, but not if you're disposing of the disk or giving it to someone else. Beware of 'Quick Format' which leaves all your data in place and makes the drive appear to be empty. But there are a different types of formatting. When you format a drive, it frees up space for new files. In order to do this you will need to boot your PC from a Windows installation disc, a USB flash drive or another bootable drive. You can't, for example, format the hard drive on which Windows is running. Note that the process can be different depending on whether it's your only hard drive and whether you have a spare PC or not. We explain how to use tools built in to Windows to completely wipe a PC or laptop drive. Formatting a computer's hard drive is an important step if you're disposing of it and wish to remove all your personal data, and also if you want to completely remove an old Windows installation.
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