How To Format A Hard Drive - 8 Steps

Written By Dan Quinones

How to Format an External Hard Drive (8 Steps)

⚠️ Warning: Formatting erases everything on the drive. Back up anything important first.

1. If the drive is in use and has files on it, back up your files first

Copy any important data from the external drive to another location (your computer, cloud storage, or another drive).

2. Connect the external hard drive

  • Plug the drive into your computer using the USB or USB‑C cable.

  • Wait a few seconds for your computer to recognize it.

3. Open the disk / drive utility

  • Windows: Press Windows + X → click Disk Management

  • Mac: Open Disk Utility (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility)

4. Select the external drive

  • In the left list, find your external drive (not your main system drive).

  • Double‑check the drive name and size so you don’t accidentally format the wrong one.

5. Choose to erase / format

  • Windows: Right‑click the external drive’s partition → click Format…

  • Mac: Select the drive → click the Erase button at the top

6. Pick a file system & name

  • Give the drive a name (e.g., BackupDrive)

  • Choose a format:

    • Windows‑only: NTFS

    • Mac‑only: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

    • *Recommended // Works on both Mac & Windows: exFAT*

  • Leave allocation / unit size as Default, unless you have a special need

7. Confirm and format

  • Double‑check you selected the correct drive

  • Click OK / Erase / Format to start

  • Wait until the process completes — do not unplug the drive while it’s working

8. Verify the drive

  • Once finished, the drive should appear in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) with the new name

  • Copy a test file to confirm everything works properly

Dan Quinones
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