The best ways to format an external drive for Windows and Mac Compare the different options for formatting an external hard drive to work with Windows and Mac.
., the hard drive manager included with all versions of Windows. Note: In Windows 10 and Windows 8, the gives you the quickest access to Disk Management. You can also in any version of Windows, but is probably easier unless you're really quick with.
See if you're not sure which of those several versions of Windows is installed on your computer. With now open, locate the drive you want to format from the list at the top. Important: Is the drive you want to format not listed, or does an Initialize Disk or Initialize and Convert Disk Wizard window appear? If so, it means you still need to partition the drive.
See and then return here to continue. Note: Formatting the C drive, or whatever letter happens to identify the drive that Windows is installed on, can not be done from Disk Management. Or from anywhere else in Windows. See for instructions on how to format your primary drive.
Once located, right-click or tap-and-hold on the drive and choose Format. A 'Format drive letter:' window should appear. Warning: Obviously, it's very, very important to choose the correct drive to format. Once started, you can't stop a format without causing problems.
If you're formatting a drive that has data on it, double-check that it's the correct drive by looking at the drive letter and then checking in Explorer that it is, in fact, the correct drive. If you're formatting a new drive, the drive letter assigned should be unfamiliar to you and the File System will probably be listed as RAW. In the Volume label: textbox, either give a name to the drive or leave the name as is. If this is a new drive, Windows will assign the New Volume.
I recommend giving a name to the drive so it's easier to identify in the future. For example, if you're planning on using this drive to store movies, name the volume Movies.
For File system: choose NTFS unless you have a specific need to choose another file system. is always the best file system option to use in Windows unless you have a specific need to choose.
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Other FAT file systems are only available as options on drives 2 GB and smaller. Set the Allocation unit size: to Default unless there's a specific need to customize it. There are very few reasons to change this.
In Windows 10, 8, and 7, the Perform a quick format option is checked by default but I recommend unchecking the box so a 'full' format is done. Yes, a quick format will format the hard drive considerably faster than a standard format, but the benefits usually outweigh the short-term cost (your time) of the full format. Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista: In a standard format, each on the hard drive is checked for errors (great for new and older drives) and a one-pass is also performed (great for previously used drives).
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A quick format skips the bad sector search and basic. Windows XP: In a standard format, each sector is checked for errors.
The quick format skips this check. Automatic data wiping during the format process isn't available in Windows XP. The Enable file and folder compression option is unchecked by default and I recommend keeping it that way. Note: can be enabled to save on disk space and you're welcome to enable it if you think you may benefit from it. However, most drives are so large today that the tradeoff between the saved space and lower drive performance probably aren't worth it. Tap or click OK at the bottom of the window. Tap or click OK to the 'Formatting this volume will erase all data on it.
Back up any data you want to to keep before formatting. Do you want to continue?'
. The hard drive format will begin. You can keep track of the drive format by watching the Formatting: xx% progress in the Status field. Note: Formatting a hard drive in Windows could take a very long time if the drive is large and/or slow. A small 2 GB hard drive might only take several seconds to format while a 2 TB drive could take considerably longer depending on the speed of the hard drive and the computer as a whole. The format is complete when the Status changes to Healthy, which will happen a few seconds after the format counter reaches 100%.
Windows does not otherwise notify you that the drive format is complete. You've just formatted or reformatted, your hard drive and you can now use the drive to store files, install programs, back up data. Whatever you want. Note: If you created multiple partitions on this physical hard drive, you can now return to Step 3 and repeat these steps, formatting the additional drive(s).
By Mar 03,2018 18:05 pm After you buy a new external hard drive which comes in with only one partition from the manufacturer, when you intall it in Mac or PC, you always would rather to partition external hard drive into separated partition to store different types of files. Partitioning your hard drive can help organize your data and make your life more convenient. But many users think it is an arduous task to partition hard drive, so in this tutorial, we will goes through the detailed steps of partitioning an empty external hard drive in Mac and PC. Part 1. How to Partition an External Hard Drive on Mac Step 1. Open a Finder Open the Finder by clicking on the icon on the dock. Alternatively, you can open the Finder through launching a Spotlight by tapping on 'CMD SPACE' and typing 'Disk Utility' then press the 'Return' key.
Highlight the External Hard Drive to be Partitioned On your left column, identify the hard drive you intent to partition then highlight. The hard drive you are looking for should be right above Macintosh HD. On the right side of the column, there is a row of tabs. Click on the one written 'Partition' and a 'Volume Scheme' section will appear. The blue area shows the space taken up by your hard drive.
The white area shows the free space that can be used for partitioning. Below the rectangular box, there are a '+' and '-' symbols, click on '+' sign to add a new partition.
How to do External Hard Drive Partition on Windows Yes, you can partition your hard drive into a couple of logical units you desire. Partitioning your hard disk, you reduce the chances of your vital data being corrupted, thus separate data from operating system. This is how to partition your hard drive using window. Select Disk Management Right click on the 'Computer' icon and select 'Manage'. Click on 'Manage' and select 'Disk Management' below the 'Storage' folder.
While on Disk Management, you will see all partitions and disks on your PC. Format Your New Partition Once again, go through the settings you made previously and then click on 'Finish' box. A pop-up window will appear on your screen, asking you to partition your new volume.
Click on the 'Format' disk first and make sure that you retain the previous settings and then click on 'Start' option. You will also receive a warning concerning formatting but go further and select 'OK'. If you followed the preceding steps correctly, you will notice that the new volume you created has been added to the Disk Management window.
Most people use external hard drives to store vital information and in a way keep it safe. The problem is such information can be loss due to virus infection, formatted hard drive, or files accidentally deleted. And people usually use external hard drive device in order to keep their important information safe and secure. But what to do when data loss happened due to varies reasons like deleted the files mistakenly, formatted the drive, virus infection.
Therefore, ensure that you at least have reliable software to be in the safe side. That is why you need iSkysoft. Related Articles & Tips.