How to Format a Hard Drive on Windows 11/10 and Mac [2024 Guide]

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Written by

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Last updated on April 19, 2024

When dealing with a hard drive, there might be occasions when you wish to restore your hard drive or external hard drive to its factory settings to start afresh. But before you proceed, it's essential to back up your disk to ensure the safety and integrity of all its contents.

Windows Hard Disk Backup [Beginner's Guide]

Looking for a complete and easy tutorial to create a hard drive backup? Stay here and follow this beginner's guide, you'll learn how to back up computer hard disk data effortlessly on your own.

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Even if you're not entirely sure of the answers, follow this guide to learn how to successfully and safely format your hard drive.

When should I format or reformat a hard drive?

There are several reasons why one might need to format or reformat a hard drive at some point. Check the list below. If any of these apply to you, you may need to format a hard drive on your Windows or Mac computer:

• Your hard drive is full, but you don't have many files saved on it.
• Your hard drive or computer has slowed down and you want to start over by formatting it.
• You're formatting the hard drive to return it to factory settings before selling it.
• You want to quickly format the hard drive to wipe everything off of it.
• You want to change the file system format of the hard drive.
• You're formatting the hard drive from BIOS to reinstall the operating system.
• And more…

Read more: [Format Hard Drive from BIOS in Windows 10](/partition-master/format-hard-drive-from-bios-windows-10.html)

Which format or file system should I format the hard drive to?

When formatting, you need to reset the file system format. Do you know what format you should set it to?

Here's a list of file systems you might consider for your HDD, SSD, or external hard drive, encoded in UTF-8: 1. **FAT32**: A widely compatible file system, supported by most operating systems. Good for sharing files between different devices, but has limitations on file size (maximum 4 GB) and lacks advanced features. 2. **NTFS**: The default file system for Windows since Windows XP. Offers better performance, security, and support for larger file sizes compared to FAT32. Not natively supported by macOS, but read-only access is possible. 3. **exFAT**: Designed to overcome the limitations of FAT32 while maintaining wide compatibility. Supports larger file sizes and is compatible with Windows and macOS (with additional software). Best for flash drives and smaller external drives. 4. **HFS+**: Historically used on Apple's Macintosh computers. Read/write support for HFS+ is available on Windows with third-party software. Not recommended for non-Mac users. 5. **APFS (Apple File System)**: Apple's modern file system, introduced with macOS Sierra. Offers improved performance and security features, but primarily intended for macOS devices. Limited compatibility with Windows. 6. **ext4**: Commonly used on Linux systems. Not natively supported by Windows or macOS, but file system readers are available. 7. **XFS**: Another popular file system for Linux, known for its scalability and performance in large storage scenarios. Similar compatibility considerations as ext4. When choosing a file system, consider factors such as compatibility with your devices, performance requirements, and the need for advanced features like encryption or journaling.

• NTFS – The New Technology File System, which is the default modern Windows file system.

This is especially true if you're planning to reinstall the operating system and format the drive, use it as a data drive in Windows, store large files on it, or format the drive as NTFS.

• FAT32 – A smaller disk format for disks under 64GB, or the format required by some game discs.

If you plan on resetting a USB or external drive to a new format, or want to set up the drive to store games, choose this format.

• exFAT – The ideal format for large external hard drives.

If you plan on using a large USB drive or SD card, you can format it as this type, as it is faster and more stable when transferring files. It's also faster at reading and writing than FAT32.

• Ext2/3/4 - File systems native to the Linux operating system.

To create a Linux-formatted disk, set up your disk as follows.

• HFS/HFS+/APFS – macOS formats.

If you want the drive to be usable on a Mac, format it as HFS, HFS+, or APFS.

So how to format a hard drive on Windows or Mac? First, make sure to check and follow these tips. You'll get a complete guide on formatting a hard drive on both Windows and Mac computers right here. Let's get started.

How to Format a Hard Drive in Windows 11/10/8/7

If you're using Windows, you can successfully change the format of your hard drive by following the steps in this article.

Tip 1: Format the hard drive, with or without an operating system

If you are looking for a simpler or more reliable solution to help you format your hard drive, or even the operating system, you can't miss Partition Master, a professional disk partition management tool. It specializes in managing hard disks and switching between disk partition formats.

It allows you to format a hard drive with or without an operating system installed on it. Let's look at the details.

1. Reformat the data hard drive in a few easy steps

Step 1: Run Partition Master, right click the hard drive partition you want to format and choose "Format".

Step 2. In the pop-up window, set the "Volume Label," "File System" (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and "Cluster Size" for the partition to be formatted, then click "OK".

Step 3: You'll see a warning; click “Yes” to proceed.

4. Click “Perform 1 Task” to preview the changes, then click “Apply” to start formatting the hard drive partition.

2. Reformat (OS) hard drive without starting Windows from BIOS

When you need to clean drive contents when reinstalling Windows or when the OS won't boot fully, Partition Master has you covered.

To do this, you first need to create a bootable WinPE disk on a blank USB drive, and then boot from it in BIOS to format the drive:

#1. Create a Bootable Disk

Step 1. To create a bootable utility disk, you need a storage medium such as a USB drive, flash drive, or CD/DVD disc. Connect the drive to your computer properly.

< strong > Step 2. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and then find "Create Bootable Media" on the left. Click it.

Step 3. If you have a drive available, you can choose USB or CD/DVD. If you don't have a storage device, you can also save the ISO file to your local drive and burn it to media later. Click on "Create" after you've made your selection to start the process.

• Read the warning, and then click Yes.

When it's done, you'll see a pop-up asking if you want to restart your computer from the bootable USB drive.

• Restart now: Restart your computer immediately to boot from the installation media and manage disk partitions without an operating system.
• Finish: Do not restart your computer, but use the bootable USB device on a different computer.

Note: To use the bootable drive on a new computer, you'll need to restart the target computer and press F2/F8/DEL to enter BIOS, then set the USB bootable drive as the first boot device.

Wait patiently for the computer to boot from the USB boot media and enter the WinPE tool desktop automatically.

Next, connect the bootable USB to your computer and restart the PC. Press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS, and then set the bootable disk as the boot drive.

Then save the changes and boot the PC from the boot disk created by Partition Master.

#2. Reformatted hard drive from BIOS

Step 1: Right-click the hard drive partition and select the "Format" option.

Step 2: In the new window, assign a volume label, file system, and cluster size for the partition, then click "OK."

Step 3: A warning will appear; click "Yes" to continue.

4. Click the “Perform 1 Task” button, then click “Apply” to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

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# Tip 2: Reformat the hard drive in File Explorer or Disk Management

If you want to quickly format available hard drives on your Windows computer for reuse, you can do so through File Explorer or Disk Management:

**Reformat the hard drive using File Explorer**

Step 1: Press Windows+E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Right-click on one of the partitions and select "Format."

Step 3: Set the file system to "NTFS" or another format, and check "Quick Format."

Step 4: Click “Start” to begin the process of formatting your hard drive.

Format hard drive via File Explorer

Repeat this process until the target disk has been formatted.

**Reformat the hard drive in Disk Management**

Step 1: Press Windows + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and click “OK” to open Disk Management.

< strong > Step 2: Right-click each partition on the target disk one by one and choose "Format Volume".

Step 3: Choose the NTFS (or another format) for the file system, check the "Quick format" box, and click "OK."

Repeat the process for every partition on the hard drive.

How to Format a Hard Drive on macOS

While Disk Utility is always the go-to choice for formatting a hard drive on a Mac for beginners, advanced users might also turn to Terminal for assistance.

Note: We also recommend that you back up important data on the drive before formatting.

If your drive is formatted as NTFS, you can first mount it on your Mac and then access its data with a reliable NTFS software for Mac, like TollBox NTFS for Mac. After that, you can follow this guide to make your NTFS drive readable on Mac.

After backing up all your data, you can refer to this guide to format your Mac's hard drive.

#Tip 1: Format a Hard Drive on Mac Using Disk Utility

Step 1: Click on “Applications,” then choose “Utilities,” and then double-click on “Disk Utility” to launch it.

Step 2: Select your hard drive in the left sidebar, then click “Erase” in the top panel.

Step 3: Choose the disk format, such as MS-DOS (FAT) or another format, and click “Erase” to confirm.

#Tip 2: Reformatting the Hard Drive on a Mac Using Terminal Commands

Step 1: Press “Command + Space” to open Spotlight search.

Step 2: Type terminal and press Enter to launch it.

Step 3: Type the following commands one at a time, followed by Enter to format the target disk:

Please use the following command to format the disk as FAT32 with an MBR partition style: sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2 This command requires administrator privileges and will erase all data on disk 2, formatting it with the FAT32 file system using the Master Boot Record (MBR) partition scheme. Make sure you select the correct disk, as this operation is irreversible and will result in data loss.

You can replace FAT32 with another format, as needed.

Step 4: Close the Terminal window when formatting is complete.

Reformatting a hard drive is easy enough to do yourself.

On this page, we discussed why and when one might need to format a hard drive on Windows or Mac. However, regardless of the method you choose, don't forget to back up your data beforehand.

You can simply format the drive using a reliable disk formatting tool on your Windows computer, such as File Explorer or Disk Management. However, to format the drive in BIOS, you would need to rely solely on the Partition Master tool.

Both Disk Utility and the Terminal can format a drive on a Mac, but Disk Utility is more user-friendly for Mac beginners.

Frequently Asked Questions on Formatting Hard Drives on Windows and Mac OS with UTF-8 Encoding

The process of formatting or reformatting a hard drive may differ slightly depending on the operating system, whether it's Windows or Mac. If you're curious about any steps, continue reading, and you'll find the answers here:

**1. How to Format a Mac Hard Drive on Windows?**

1. Eject and disconnect the Mac hard drive from your Mac.
2. Connect the Mac hard drive to your Windows computer as an external drive.
3. Launch Partition Master, right-click on the Mac hard drive, and choose "Format."
4. Set a new file system for the drive – NTFS – and check the "Quick Format" option.
5. Click "OK," then click "Execute Task."

< strong > 2. Can I format a Mac drive for PC? < / strong >

Yes, you can disconnect your Mac disk and reformat it to be used on a Windows PC. Here are two methods: Method 1: Using macOS's Disk Utility 1. Connect the Mac disk to your Mac. 2. Open "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Disk Utility." 3. In the list of disks on the left, select the one you want to format. 4. Click the "Erase" button. 5. In the pop-up window, choose "MS-DOS (FAT)" or "ExFAT," depending on whether you need compatibility with older versions of Windows. ExFAT is recommended as it supports larger file sizes. 6. Enter a new name for the disk (optional), then click "Erase" to start the formatting process. Method 2: Using Windows' Disk Management tool 1. Connect the Mac disk to your Windows PC. 2. Press `Win + X` keys and choose "Disk Management." 3. In the Disk Management interface, locate your Mac disk, which may appear as "Uninitialized" or "RAW" format. 4. Right-click the disk and select "Initialize Disk." 5. Choose the "MBR" partition scheme for compatibility with older Windows versions or "GPT" to leverage UEFI firmware advantages (suitable for newer Windows systems). 6. After initialization, right-click the new "Unallocated" space and select "New Simple Volume." 7. Follow the wizard's instructions to complete the formatting process, choosing "FAT32" or "NTFS" as the file system. If the disk is large, choose "NTFS" as FAT32 doesn't support single files larger than 4GB. 8. Once done, the disk will be formatted and ready for use on your Windows PC. Please note that formatting will erase all data on the disk, so make sure to back up important files beforehand.

One approach is to format the hard drive on a Mac and set the file system to exFAT. Then, connect the drive to your PC, and it should be usable directly. Alternatively, you can connect the Mac hard drive to a Windows PC and use a professional disk formatting tool, such as Partition Master, to format it as NTFS.

3. How do I format a drive for use with both Mac and Windows?

To make the drive compatible with both Macs and Windows, you'll need to format the drive as FAT32 or exFAT. NTFS is only supported by Windows operating systems.

To do this, connect the drive to your Windows computer and open File Explorer. Right-click the partition you want to format, select "Format," and then set the file system to either FAT32 or exFAT. Check the "Quick Format" box, and then click "OK" to begin the formatting process.