How to Format Hard Drive or SSD on Windows 11

In this article, we will share how you can format your hard disk or SSD drive on your Windows 11.

You can format both internal and external hard drives or SSD using our guide. Sometimes it is required to clean the entire HDD or SSD before you use it to store operating systems files. Windows 11 allow you to format your SSD or hard drive directly without any 3rd party tool. You can easily format HDD, SSD, or NVMe SSD storage devices using Windows 11 new storage options. Follow the below methods.

How to Format Hard Drive or SSD on Windows 11

Note that, the formatting process will remove every data stored on your device. So please take a backup of your important data before starting the process.

Method 1: Use Storage Settings

Using Windows 11 storage settings, you can easily format your hard drive. Follow these steps:

Step 1: First open Windows 11 settings with Windows + I button on your keyboard and then click on the system in the left sidebar.

Step 2: In System, find and click on storage settings.

Step 3: Then find and click on Advanced storage settings under the Storage Management section.

Step 4: Expand more options and click on Disks & Volume. Here you can see all installed and connected storage devices.

Step 5: Click on the drive that you want to format and then choose Properties.

Step 6: Find and click on the Format button. You can see the new format window. Just follow simple on-screen instructions

Method 2: Use File Explorer

You can also format your hard drive or SSD with file explorer.

Step 1: Open Windows 11 file explorer with the Windows + E button on your keyboard.

Step 2: Click on This PC in the left sidebar to see all devices on your computer.

Step 3: Select the drive that you want to format and then right-click on it. Choose the format option from the list.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the format process.

Note: It will take some time. So wait. Once done, you will get a message.

Restart your PC to apply new changes.

Method 3: Format a Hard Drive using Disk Management

Microsoft has introduced Disk Management to manage installed disk drives with Windows 7. You can find the Disk Management feature on Windows 11 too. Here is how to use Disk Management to format all hard drives and SSD.

Step 1: Open the start menu with the Windows button on your keyboard and then search for Run.

Step 2: In the Run command tool, type diskmgmt.msc command and press enter. You can also search diskmgmt in the start menu to access Disk Management.

Step 3: In the Disk Management, each drive shows as a block. Right-click on any block that you want to format and then choose the format option.

Step 4: A new dialogue will appear. Change the Volume label if you want to or just press continue.

Step 5: Click OK to complete the process. It will clean the entire drive.

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Conclusion

Sometimes it is required to format a Hard disk due to lags and system issues. The formatting process will clear all the data including temp files, cache, and other spam data.