This post shows students and new users how to format external USBs and other portable drives in Windows 11.
Sometimes, you must format or reformat an external or internal drive before it can be used in Windows 11 as a backup drive or to store files since operating systems have different filesystems.
Although most disk drives are formatted with Windows-compatible filesystems, some drives may need to be reformatted to work correctly in Windows 11. In most cases, a new thumb drive should work out of the box on Windows machines, except if you got it formatted with another operating or it’s a secondhand drive.
Formatting or reformatting your external or portal drive is easy; the steps below will show you how.
You should know that formatting a drive will erase all the stored content and may never be recovered or restored. So you might want to ensure nothing important is on the drive you want to format.
Also, formatting a disk is not a secure way of wiping all its data. A formatted disk will not appear to have files on it, but it is still possible that special recovery software could retrieve the files.
If you need to delete the files securely, you will want to use special software to erase data on the Disk.
To get started with formatting your external drives, follow the steps below:
How to format or reformat the hard drive in Windows 11
Again, the process of formatting drives in Windows is pretty easy. Formatting is a way to prepare a drive to be used in Windows for backup purposes or to store data. It should not be used to erase data on hard disk drives securely.
Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings. Everything can be done, from system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows from its System Settings pane.
To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings, as shown in the image below:
Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it.
Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. In Windows Settings, click System, and select Storage on the right pane of your screen, as shown in the image below.
On the Storage settings pane, click on Advanced storage settings to expand additional settings.
On the expanded settings pane, select Disk & volume, as highlighted below.
That will bring up disks and volumes on the computer. Select the correct external Disk or drive attached to Windows 11, then select Properties as highlighted below.
When the drive properties open, locate the Format button under Format, as highlighted below.
When you click Format, a new dialog box will appear, where you can label and format the drive. When ready, click Format to begin formatting the drive.
After a brief moment, depending on the size of the drive and the speed of your computer, the drive should be formatted and ready for use.
Once done, eject the drive from your computer, and you’re done.
Again, formatting a disk will wipe the Disk of all content, so you must be sure you want to format and want to select the correct Disk.
Conclusion:
- Formatting an external USB or portable drive in Windows 11 is a straightforward process.
- Ensure you back up any important data before formatting, as this action will erase all content on the drive.
- Use the Windows Settings pane to access advanced storage settings for efficient formatting.
- Make sure to select the correct drive to avoid accidental data loss.
- After formatting, always safely eject the drive from your computer to prevent data corruption.
Leave a Reply