When you plan to switch the hard drive to a different computer or when you want to delete all the information from your hard drive, generally the hard drive is formatted. The process to format hard drive Windows 10 is not that easy for someone who is not well versed with a computer. Though the process sounds very difficult, it is really not that difficult. You just need to go through the entire process step-by-step.

The Process of How to format a hard drive Windows 10:

When it comes to a hard drive, there are two kinds, one is the internal hard drive and the other one is the external hard drive. The process to reformat hard drives is easy for both of them. 

Format Internal Hard Drive Windows 10

If you are looking to format your internal hard drive, then you can execute the process successfully by following the given steps:

  1. At first, you have to click on the Disk Management option. All the versions of Windows contain this hard drive manager. You can open it by writing “diskmgmt.msc” in the Start menu. Additionally, you can also open it by using the Control Panel.
  2. Then, you have to select the drive from the list that you want to format. The DIsk management shows a lot of information, and if you are unable to see that information, you can maximize the window. 
  3. After that, you have to right-click on the drive and select the Format option. Now, the disk-formatting wizard will appear on the screen. 
  4. Next, you have to write the name you want to give to your hard drive in the text box of the Volume label. If you want to keep the previous name of the drive, you can do it as well. 
  5. Then, you have to select the file system. Within the text box of the File system, you have to select the option of NTFS. This is the current file system and hence is the best option. There is another option of FAT32. You can only choose this option if you are asked specifically by a program that you are going to install on your computer. FAT32 is not a very common file system.
  6. After that, you have to select the Default option in the textbox “Allocation unit size”. This will help the system to choose the most appropriate allocation size according to the size of the hard drive. 
  7. Now, in the “Perform a quick format” checkbox, it will be checked by default. But, it is advisable to uncheck the box and perform a standard formatting procedure. In the standard procedure, all the sectors of the hard drive will be checked. This will remove all the errors from the disk and will replace it with zero. 

[Note: Though this is a very slow process, yet it will ensure that the disk is free of any errors and all the data are deleted permanently.] 

However, in the quick format, the search in the sector is skipped. Hence no error is removed and only the data are deleted. 

  1. There is another formatting option. This is “Enable file and folder compression”. By default this option is unchecked. This option is recommended and therefore you should go with it.  
  2. After this, you have to click OK to proceed with the formatting procedure. This process will take some time and when it is completed, you will see the message “Your Format is Complete” on the screen. 

Now, you have successfully completed the process of how to format hard drive Windows 10. 

Format External Hard Drive Windows 10

To format an external hard drive Windows 10 successfully, you can check out the steps provided in the section below:

  1. First of all, you have to connect your hard drive to your computer. 
  2. Then, you have to find your drive by going into Windows Explorer. Then click on “Computer”. You will be able to find your device in the sidebar of the “Computer” section.
  3. After that, you can choose “Format” by right-clicking on the drive. 
  4. Then, within the section of “File System”, you have to select the system of the file you want.   
  5. Now, you have to name the drive you are about to format. Then, you have to check the type of formatting process you want to do. 
  6. Lastly, you have to click the “Start” option to start the process of formatting. When the process of reformat hard drive will be completed, a notification will appear on the screen. 

Now you have successfully completed the process of how to reformat a hard drive.

Final Words

There is no doubt that with the help of the above-discussed steps, you can successfully format hard drive Windows 10 for both the internal and the external hard drive. By knowing how to format a hard drive, you can solve many of the problems related to a hard drive. 

Formatting helps to remove all the errors on the drive along with the data. You can also opt for the Quick Format option. This will only delete the data and will not scan for any problems with the hard drive.