Easily Fix "The Format Did Not Complete Successfully" on Windows 11/10

Updated by

Tracy King 

Updated on April 19, 2024

Usually, formatting a partition on Windows 10 or Windows 11 through File Explorer is pretty straightforward.

1. Click "File Explorer" on your desktop, then click "This PC" from the left pane. 2. Right-click the partition you want to format, and select "Format" from the context menu. 3. Follow the prompts to complete the formatting process.

However, if you attempt to format the system partition, this operation will be invalid. What does this error message mean?

The next sentence only needs to be translated into American English: ""

Main content:

Error Message: The volume cannot be formatted
What could cause this error on Windows 10/11?
How to fix the "The volume cannot be formatted" error

Error message: Unable to format this volume.

Here's a similar case from Tom's Hardware: “Can't format this volume… I have only one SSD in my computer and I want to do a clean install of Win10. Since it was already running Win10, formatting the drive is not an option. What should I do?”

If you've ever tried to format a hard drive but encountered the error message "The disk is not formatted. Do you want to format it now?", you might wonder what causes this issue and how to fix it. In this blog post, we'll delve into the possible reasons behind this error message and explore practical solutions to resolve it.

What might cause this error in Windows 10/11?

There can be multiple reasons for the "The disk cannot be formatted" error. This usually occurs when Windows is unable to format a system drive. The file system might be in use by another process, such as an antivirus or indexing service. Alternatively, the drive you want to format might be in use by another program or service. You also can't format a system drive if it contains active page or hibernation files. These files are used by Windows and shouldn't be deleted. To format a system drive, you'll first need to disable these features and then attempt to format the drive.

If the disk is a system partition, you may see a message that says "The volume you have selected cannot be formatted." This partition contains important files needed to boot Windows, and deleting them can cause problems with the operating system. If you want to format this partition, you'll need to reinstall Windows first. After you've reinstalled Windows, you should be able to format the system partition without any issues.

Either way, it's important to make sure that all of your files are backed up before attempting to format the drive.

Backup the C drive before formatting.

Before formatting your system drive, make sure to back up all important files on the C: drive. This ensures that no essential data is lost during the formatting process. There are several different ways to back up your files, so choose the method that works best for you.

Try free file backup software - Todo Backup Tool: It allows you to back up files on the C drive for free. This will save you time which would otherwise take minutes.
• Copy the files to an external device - this might take longer if your system drive contains a large number of sensitive files.

With your files backed up, you can format the system drive with peace of mind, knowing your data is safe.

How to Solve the "The Volume Cannot Be Formatted" Error and Format C Drive

Here, we have two effective methods that can successfully fix the “The volume cannot be formatted” error on C drive and Windows. For Windows beginners, you can take Method 1 as a guide.

Method 1: Format Only C Drive - Use a Professional Partition Manager - AOMEI Partition Assistant

The “Can't format this volume” issue can be easily fixed with the Partition Master software. It can help you create a bootable USB drive with Partition Master installed, and then you can boot from it. Finally, you can format the specific partition at will.

#1. Download This Software for Free:

How to create a bootable device:

Step 1: To create a bootable Partition Master tool disc, you'll need a storage medium such as a USB drive, flash drive, or CD/DVD. Connect this drive properly to your computer.

Step 2: Launch Partition Master, and then find the “Bootable Media” feature on the left. Click it.

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

Check the warning, and then click Yes.

Step 4: When the process is complete, a window will pop up asking if you want to reboot your computer from the bootable USB.

• Boot now: This means you want to restart your current computer and boot into the tool's startup media without an operating system to manage your disk partitions.
• Finish: This means you don't want to restart your current computer, but instead want to use the live USB on a different computer.

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

Wait patiently, the computer will automatically boot from the USB boot media and enter the WinPE tool desktop.

How to format the C drive:

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

<Step2> In the new window, assign a "Volume Label," "File System," and "Cluster Size" to the partition, then click "OK."

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

4. Click on "Execute 1 Task," and then click "Apply" to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

Method 2: Format the System Volume/C Drive Using a Windows Install Disc

Using the Windows installation disc to format the system volume is a quick process that only takes a few minutes. However, be aware that the Windows installation disc will delete all the data on the disk. If you only want to format the system partition, then this method is for you.

Step 1: Insert the CD into your computer and boot from it.

Step 2: When you see the Windows Setup screen, choose the option to format the system volume.

Step 3. Choose the desired file system and allocation size, then confirm the formatting.

Step 4. Wait for the process to complete, and then restart your computer.

Using the Windows installation disc to format the system volume is an effective way to repair any damaged files or folders that might be causing issues with your computer.

Conclusions

When you try to format the system partition (drive C), you may get the error "The disk is not formatted. Would you like to format it now?" This article will show you how to format the drive using Partition Master or a Windows installation disc. If you only want to format drive C, Partition Master is a good choice.

"Frequently Asked Questions About 'The Volume Cannot Be Formatted' Error"

If you have more questions about the "The volume could not be formatted" error, refer to the following topic and find your answer there:

1. How do I force format the volume?

1. Open Disk Management, right-click on the volume you want to format, and select "Format." 2. Assign a new file system to the volume - NTFS or another format - and check the box for "Quick Format." 3. Click "OK."

**2. How to fix an unformattable hard drive?**

Follow these steps: 1. Run an antivirus program to remove viruses or malware. 2. Run CHKDSK to fix file system errors on the disk. 3. Use a partition master tool, right-click on the target hard drive, and select "Format." 4. Set a new file system format for the drive, check "Quick Format," and click "OK." 5. Click "Perform Tasks" and then "Apply."

3. Can I just format the C drive?

Certainly, but you cannot directly format the C drive using Windows Disk Management, File Explorer, or CMD commands. You'll need to rely on a reliable formatting software, such as a tool like Partition Master, to assist you. For a step-by-step guide on how to format your C drive, refer to this link: How to Format C Drive.