Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the app. To format a hard drive with an existing partition with Disk Management, use these steps: Using the legacy Disk Management utility, you can format a drive with or without a partition.
#Fat format external hard drive windows 10 windows#
Format hard drive on Windows 11 via Disk Management In this case, you can use the new “Disks & volumes” settings or the legacy “Disk Management” utility to format the storage. If the hard drive doesn’t have a partition or drive letter, it won’t appear in File Explorer. Once you complete the steps, the drive will be available in File Explorer. In the “Volume label” setting, confirm the name for the drive. Under the “Devices and drives” section, right-click the drive, and select the Format option.
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#Fat format external hard drive windows 10 Pc#
To format an internal or USB drive through File Explorer, use these steps:Ĭlick on This PC from the left navigation pane. Format hard drive on Windows 11 via File Explorer (Optional) Check the Enable file and folder compression option if you want to save space when storing files.Īfter you complete the steps, a new partition will be created and formatted using the specified settings. If you don’t select this option, the operation could take a long time. (Optional) In the “Size” setting, specify how much storage to assign the drive.Ĭheck the Perform a quick format option. In the “File System” setting, select the NTFS option.
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In the “Drive Letter” setting, select the drive letter to make available on File Explorer. In the “Label” setting, confirm a label for the drive. Select the “Unallocated” space and click the Create volume button. To format a new drive without a partition, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will format the drive and make it available through File Explorer. Quick note: Unless you will be storing files that will benefit from compression, you don’t need to enable this feature. (Optional) Check the Enable file and folder compression option if you want to save space when storing files. Quick note: You can also use the FAT32 file system, but if you will be using the drive exclusively on Windows, it’s recommended to use NTFS. Use the “File System” setting and select the NTFS option. To format an internal or external drive with an existing partition on Windows 11, use these steps:Ĭlick the Storage page on the right side. On Windows 11, depending on whether the HDD or SSD already has a partition or not, the format steps will be slightly different.