Top 9 Best Free Hard Drive Format Software to Download

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Tracy King 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Key Takeaways of the Best Hard Drive Formatting Software:

What is the best formatting software? How can I format my hard drive for free? Follow this page, and you'll learn:

So, what is the best hard drive format software? Move on to the next section, and you'll find an outstanding list of the top 9 best hard drive formatting software for 2024.

What Is the Best Hard Drive Format Software? Top 9 Recommendations

When you attempt to find a reliable hard drive formatting software, searching the tool on Google, Bing, or other download websites will yield a list of thousands of disk formatting software and tools for Windows, macOS, Linux, Ubuntu, and other platforms.

But which tool is the best fit for you? From a selection of 20 hard drive formatting software and tools widely used by users globally, we've narrowed it down to 9 top choices that can effectively reset your disks. Below is a detailed overview of our testing process for these software programs:

Let's explore the top 9 best hard drive formatting software in 2024 right here:

Here are the translations of the provided text into English:
1.  #1. Tools Partition Master - Best Choice for Beginners
2. #2. HDD LLF
3. #3. Windows File Explorer
4. #4. Disk Management
5. #5. Command Prompt
6. #6. HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool
7. #7. FAT32Format
8. #8. Disk Utility - [For Mac]
9. #9. Terminal - [For Mac]

If you find the above list of best hard drive formatting software useful, please share it to help more of your friends find reliable disk formatting tools online.

Please note, if your current operating system is Linux or Ubuntu, you can follow the upcoming tutorial for assistance.

Roundup Review of the Top 9 Best Hard Drive Formatting Software in 2024

Which software is the most suitable for your needs? Follow along and review the overview of all 9 top recommended hard drive formatting tools, and you'll discover the best option based on your requirements:

#1. tools Partition Master - Best Choice for Beginners

tools Partition Master is a disk partition software that enables users to manage hard disk drives or solid-state drives on 32-bit or 64-bit Windows PCs and Windows Servers. It offers comprehensive disk and partition management solutions for all Windows users and storage device owners. Apart from helping with creating, merging, expanding, and resizing partitions, it also allows users to quickly format and reset a disk to any file system format with just a few clicks.

#Features:

With it, you can perform the following operations on your storage devices:

• Quickly format HDDs/SSDs, USBs, SD cards, external disks, etc.
• Format devices to NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, EXT2/3/4.
• Convert NTFS to FAT32, and vice versa without formatting.
• Convert MBR to GPT, dynamic to basic, primary to logical.
• Clone disk, migrate operating system to HDD/SSD.
• Repair corrupted file systems and bad sectors on storage devices.
• Extend the C drive with or without unallocated space.
• 1-click to partition a new disk all at once.

Pros and Cons:

# Editor's Review:

# User's Comment:

# Reason to Choose It:

Applying the formatting feature with Partition Master Free is completely free, and you can receive instant technical support whenever you encounter issues using this software. It also serves as an excellent hard disk formatter for Windows 11, allowing you to set up any device on the Windows 11 operating system.

# Hard Drive Format Software Download: Click the button here to download this software for immediate disk formatting.

Tutorial: Formatting Disks with Partition Master Tools

You can follow this video for a detailed guide on formatting disk drives:

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#Hard Drive Format Software - #Hard Drive Formatting Software #Format Software for PC - #PC Formatting Software #Partition Manager Software - #Partition Management Software #Disk Formatting Utility - #Disk Formatting Tool

If you think AOMEI Partition Assistant is exactly what you need for formatting disk partitions and various storage devices, feel free to share it with more of your friends online and help them manage disk drives like an expert:

#2. HDD LLF - Your Trustworthy Low-Level Format Utility

HDD LLF, also known as HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool, is also a freeware that allows users to perform a Low-Level format on hard drives, thus marking cylinders and tracks on a disk as blank. This utility functions to reset SATA, IDE, and SCSI hard disk drives back to their original state.

To learn more details about Low Level Format, you can follow this link for help: High-Level Format vs Low-Level Format.

#Features:

Here are the translations for the provided languages: 1. Free to use. 2. Low-level format hard drives, USBs, and external hard drives. 3. Clear partitions, MBR, and every bit of user data. them translated into.

Pros and Cons:

Note: While a low-level format tool is effective in resetting a hard drive to its original factory settings, it's not recommended to use this tool too often. Low-level formatting can shorten the lifespan of storage devices. If you only need to erase data and reset the file system format, a reliable high-level format tool like tools Partition Master can suffice.

# Reason to Choose It:

HDD LLF is a professional and free tool for performing low-level formatting on internal and external hard drives, SSDs, USBs, and SD cards. It simplifies the low-level formatting process for average users, making it user-friendly. When you need to reset a disk drive to its original factory settings, this tool is worth considering.

# Editor's Review:

# User's Comment:

# Hard Drive Low Level Format Software Download: You can open this link in your browser, and you'll be able to download HDD Low Level Format Tool from Download.cnet.com: https://download.cnet.com/HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool/3000-2094_4-75544788.html.

Please provide the list of languages you need translated into American English.

These tags translated into American English are: #Low Level Hard Drive Format Software #Software for Low-Level Formatting PCs #Low Level Format Tool for Disks #Windows Operating System

Tutorial: Formatting Hard Drives with HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool

#3. Windows File Explorer - Best Free Windows Formatting Utility Translation: #3. Windows File Explorer - The Best Free Formatting Tool for Windows

Windows File Explorer is more like a swift access tool for files and disk partitions, allowing Windows users to locate their saved files and hard drive divisions on their computers. It also doubles as a free formatting tool when users need to format their storage devices and alter the file system format.

#Features:

• Support formatting hard drive and SSD partitions to NTFS.
• Format USB or SD cards, as well as external hard drives to FAT32 or exFAT.
• Support both quick format and full format of storage devices. Learn more: Quick Format vs Full Format.

Pros and Cons:

# Reason to Choose It:

Windows File Explorer is an accessible and free tool for all Windows users to easily access and manage their storage devices and data on their computers. Users can utilize this tool to format disks for free with just a few simple clicks. It offers quick disk formatting options for beginners.

# Download File Explorer for Formatting Hard Drives: Note that you don't need to download and install File Explorer on your PC. This software comes pre-installed on Windows computers. To access it, simply press the Windows + E keys, and you can open the tool to format existing hard drive partitions on your computer.

#Windows Formatter#Format Hard Drive for Free#Free Disk Formatter#Windows These tags translate to: #Windows Formatter - #Windows Formatter #Format Hard Drive for Free - #Format Hard Drive Free #Free Disk Formatter - #Free Disk Formatter #Windows - #Windows

Tutorial to Format Hard Drive Partitions with File Explorer

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#4 Disk Management - Windows Built-in Disk Utility for Formatting Disks Disk Management is a built-in utility in the Windows operating system that allows users to manage and format disks on their computers. It provides a range of functions to organize and optimize storage space, including creating, deleting, formatting, and resizing partitions. Here's an overview of how to access and use this tool: ## Accessing Disk Management 1. Press `Windows + X` on your keyboard to open the Quick Link menu. 2. Click on "Disk Management" or right-click on the Start button and select "Disk Management" from the context menu. Alternatively, you can also access it through the Control Panel or the newer Settings app: - **Control Panel**: Open "Control Panel," then choose "System and Security" > " Administrative Tools" > "Create and format hard disk partitions" (or search for "Disk Management"). - **Settings app**: Click on the Start button, type "Disk Management" in the search bar, and select "Create and format hard disk partitions" from the results. ## Key Features of Disk Management 1. **Format a disk**: This feature allows you to erase all data on a disk and prepare it for use with a new file system. Right-click on the partition or unallocated space you want to format, then select "Format." Choose the file system (e.g., NTFS, FAT32, exFAT), allocation unit size, and give the volume a label if desired. Click "OK" to start the formatting process. 2. **Create a partition**: If you have unallocated space on a disk, you can create a new partition by right-clicking on it and selecting "New Simple Volume." Follow the prompts in the New Simple Volume Wizard to set the size and location of the new partition. 3. **Resize/Extend a partition**: To increase or decrease the size of an existing partition, right-click on it and choose "Extend Volume" (if there's adjacent unallocated space) or "Shrink Volume" (to create unallocated space). Follow the instructions in the Extend Volume or Shrink Volume wizard. 4. **Delete a partition**: To remove a partition and make its space available for reuse, right-click on the partition and select "Delete Volume." Be cautious, as this will permanently delete all data on that partition. 5. **Change drive letter**: If you need to assign or change the drive letter assigned to a partition, right-click on it and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths." Choose a new letter or remove the current one, then click "OK." 6. **Initialize a disk**: Before using a new or uninitialized disk, you must initialize it. Right-click on the uninitialized disk and choose "Initialize Disk." Select either the MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition style based on your system requirements. 7. **View disk properties**: Right-click on any partition and select "Properties" to view information such as the partition's file system, size, free space, and more. Remember to exercise caution when manipulating disk partitions, as some actions can lead to data loss. Always back up important files before making significant changes.

Disk Management is a free disk utility offered by Microsoft in Windows operating systems to help Windows users manage disk partitions on their own. Among its various disk management features, formatting disk partitions is a popular and useful function that many experienced users frequently employ.

#Features:

• Format internal hard drives and SSDs to NTFS.
• Create partitions and format them to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.
• Format USBs, SD cards, and external hard drive partitions to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.

In addition to formatting disk partitions, Disk Management can also be used to extend, shrink, and delete volumes, initialize disks as MBR or GPT, and more.

Pros and Cons:

# Reason to Choose It:

Disk Management is a free utility that functions to format hard drives and storage devices on all Windows computers, aiding in the management of disk partitions.

# Download Disk Management for Formatting Hard Disks: Similar to File Explorer, Disk Management is another built-in Windows tool that aids users in directly managing their disk drives. You can also easily access Disk Management by right-clicking the Start icon and choosing "Disk Management."

Please provide the list of languages you need translation for, and I'll assist you in translating them into English.

#Windows Formatter#Format Utility for PC#Partition Formatting Tool#Windows These tags can be translated to English as: #Windows Formatter#Formatting Utility for PC#Partition Formatting Software#Windows Operating System

Tutorial on Formatting Hard Drives using Disk Management

#5. Command Prompt - Advanced Disk Formatter for Administrators The Command Prompt is a powerful tool for administrators to perform advanced disk formatting tasks. It provides a text-based interface to execute commands and manage computer systems, particularly in managing disks and partitions. Here's a brief overview of using the Command Prompt for advanced disk formatting: 1. **Opening the Command Prompt:** - Press `Win + X` on your keyboard and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" for Windows 10 and later. - Alternatively, search for "Command Prompt" in the Start menu, right-click on it, and choose "Run as administrator." 2. **Disk Management Commands:** - **diskpart:** This command launches the built-in DiskPart utility, which allows you to manage disks, partitions, and volumes interactively. - **list disk:** Lists all available disks on your system. - **select disk *n*:** Selects the disk with number *n* to perform operations on. - **clean:** Erases all data on the selected disk, preparing it for new formatting. - **create partition primary:** Creates a primary partition on the selected disk. - **format fs=*file_system* quick:** Formats the selected partition with the specified file system (e.g., NTFS, FAT32, exFAT) and performs a quick format. - **assign [drive_letter]:** Assigns a drive letter to the formatted partition. - **active:** Sets the current partition as active, which is required for bootable partitions. 3. **Examples:** - Formatting Disk 0 with NTFS: ``` diskpart list disk select disk 0 clean create partition primary format fs=ntfs quick assign letter=C exit ``` 4. **Caution:** Be careful when working with the Command Prompt and disk formatting commands, as they can permanently delete data without the possibility of recovery. 5. **Alternative Tools:** - For non-administrative users, graphical tools like the built-in Disk Management utility in Windows or third-party software like MiniTool Partition Wizard can provide an easier interface for disk formatting tasks. Remember to always backup important data before performing any disk formatting operations.

Here's the translation of the text in the image: "Command Prompt" And for the image description: "A screenshot of the Command Prompt window in Windows 11, displaying a command-line interface with a user input prompt."

Command Prompt is also a disk utility similar to Disk Management provided by Microsoft. It helps advanced Windows users process command lines to the operating system for creating, extending, shrinking, and formatting hard drive partitions. Though complicated, the Command Prompt tool is more commonly used by advanced and professional administrators.

#Features:

• Format internal and external HDDs/SSDs to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.
Format internal and external hard disk drives/solid-state drives to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.
• Format SD cards, USBs to NTFS/FAT32/exFAT.
Format SD cards and USB drives to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.
• Create and format partition on a hard drive.
Create and format partitions on a hard drive.

Pros and Cons:

# Reason to Choose It:

Command Prompt allows administrators to access and execute operations through command lines on their computers free of charge. It's an immediate and familiar method for most professionals, albeit somewhat complex. However, it is indeed efficient.

It would be wise for ordinary users to seek assistance from File Explorer, Disk Management, or a user-friendly third-party hard drive formatting software.

Tutorial on Formatting Hard Drives using Command Line

#CMD Formatter#Command Line Format Software#Disk Formatting Utility for PC#Windows

#6. HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - Portable USB Disk Formatter

Here is the translation of the text in the image: "HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool" The image shows a screenshot of the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, which is a utility for formatting USB storage devices. The specific details in the image, such as buttons or text, are not provided for translation.

< a href="/partition-master/hp-usb-disk-storage-format-tool-review.html" target="_blank">HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is a utility developed by HP, functioning as a complimentary and portable USB formatting tool for users. Despite HP discontinuing its development and support, some users still regard it as one of the top best USB format tools available in the market. Although initially intended for USB users, it can also be utilized for formatting external HDDs and external SSDs.

#Features:

So what's in this HP USB format tool that attracts so many people loving using it? Check the list of features here:

These two lines are already in English. Here they are in American English:
• Automatically detect and display USB drives.
• Format any USB drive to NTFS or FAT32.
They mean:
• Automatically detect and show USB drives.
• Format any USB drive to either NTFS or FAT32.

Pros and Cons:

# Editor's Review:

# Reason to Choose It:

The HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is compatible with Windows 10/8/7 and XP operating systems and does not necessitate software installation. It enables you to format USB drives by running its .exe file.

For users looking to format their internal disks or external hard drives, the tool Partition Master Free can fully meet your requirements. For a step-by-step guide, please refer to the following link:

How to Format SSD in Windows 11

This article will guide you through various methods to properly format SSDs on Windows 11.

#USB Disk Formatter#Software for Formatting USB#Windows

Tutorial on Formatting USB Drives using HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

Step 1. Connect a USB drive to the PC.

Step 2. Double-click the HPUSBDisk.exe file to open the HP USB format tool.

Step 3. Once it detects your USB, select the target USB and click "Start".

#7. FAT32 Format

Similar to HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, FAT32 Format is also a free software that supports formatting large USB drives (32GB and above) to FAT32. FAT32 Format, also referred to as FAT32Format, overcomes the limitation of Windows' FAT32 file system format, which only permits setting FAT32 format on storage devices smaller than 32GB.

#Features:

Here are the translations for the provided language snippets in English: 1.
• Free to use.
This translates to:
• Free to use.
2.
• Format large USBs (32GB+) to FAT32.
This translates to:
• Format large USB drives (32GB or more) to FAT32.

Pros and Cons:

Editor's Review:

# Reason to Choose It:

The reason why we recommend it is because this is a free utility that breaks the limit of FAT32 on Windows computers, allowing users to simply format their USB drives larger than 32GB to FAT32 format.

Suggestions you might like: Format 128GB USB to FAT32

These phrases translated into American English are: #FAT32 Formatter#Software for Formatting Removable Drives#Windows Operating System

Tutorial to Format Large USB Drives with FAT32Format

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to the Windows computer.

Step 2: Double-click fat32format.exe to launch FAT32Format.

Step 3. Select the USB drive in the drive section, tick "Quick Format" and click "Start".

Step 4: When finished, click "Close" to exit the formatting process.

#8. Disk Utility - Free Mac Disk Formatting Tool

Disk Utility is a macOS built-in disk management tool that enables all Mac users to manage and partition their hard drives for free. Like Disk Management in Windows, this tool also allows people to create, delete, format hard drive for Mac with a few simple clicks.

#Features:

Here are the translations in English:
• Available on all macOS systems.
• Create and delete partitions.
• Repair and fix hard drive errors using Disk Utility's First Aid feature.
• Format hard drives to APFS, HFS, FAT, and exFAT formats for free.

#Pros and Cons:

# Reason to Choose It:

There are two disk formatting utilities available on Mac. One of them is Disk Utility. For ordinary Mac users, Disk Utility is more user-friendly and easier to apply for managing disk partitions.

Tutorial: How to Format Hard Drives with Disk Utility on Mac

Step 1: Go to "Applications" and click on "Utilities." Double-click "Disk Utility" to open it.

Step 2: Select the hard drive partition you want to format and click "Erase".

Step 3. Set the file system format for the drive as either APFS or HFS, then click "Erase".

#9. Terminal - Command Line Disk Formatting Tool for Mac The Terminal is a powerful command-line interface tool on macOS that allows users to perform various system-level tasks, including disk formatting. Here's how to use it: 1. **Open Terminal**: To access the Terminal, you can either search for it using Spotlight (press `Command` + `Space`), or find it in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. 2. **List Disks**: First, let's list all available disks connected to your Mac. In the Terminal, type the following command and press `Enter`: ``` diskutil list ``` 3. **Unmount the Disk**: Before formatting, you need to unmount (not eject) the disk you want to format. Replace `/dev/diskX` with the actual identifier of the disk you found in step 2 (e.g., `/dev/disk2`). Type the following command and press `Enter`: ``` diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskX ``` 4. **Format the Disk**: Now, you'll create a new file system on the unmounted disk. Choose a suitable format (e.g., APFS for modern macOS systems, or HFS+ for older ones). Replace `/dev/diskX` and `format_name` with the appropriate values. For APFS, the command would be: ``` sudo diskutil apfs format /dev/diskX format_name "Volume Name" ``` For HFS+, the command would be: ``` sudo diskutil mkfs -t hfs+ /dev/diskX "Volume Name" ``` Don't forget to replace "Volume Name" with the desired name for your formatted volume. 5. **Enter Password**: When prompted, enter your Mac's admin password to execute the command with elevated privileges. 6. **Verify Formatting**: Once the formatting process is complete, you can use the `diskutil list` command again to verify the new file system and volume name. Remember that formatting will erase all data on the selected disk, so make sure to back up any important files beforehand.

The Terminal is a command line interface program, similar to DiskPart, which allows Mac users to process commands to the macOS for performing disk management or other operations. It can also be used to format hard drive volumes on Mac for free.

#Features:

• Free
• Wipe (format) hard drive or external storage devices to APFS, HFS, FAT, or exFAT.

#Pros and Cons:

# Reason to Choose It:

The reason some Mac users prefer to use this command-line tool – Mac Terminal – to manage disk partitions on macOS-based devices is that it offers more control. However, for beginners, we recommend using Disk Utility instead of the Terminal.

Tutorial: Formatting Hard Drives using Terminal on Mac

Step 1. Go to Finder, and click "Go" > "Utilities".

Step 2: Double-click to open Terminal.

Step 3. Type diskutil eraseDisk FILE_SYSTEM DISK_NAME DISK_IDENTIFIER to erase and format the target hard drive on Mac.

Translate the following text into English: - Replace FILe_SYSTEM with APFS, HFS, or FAT32, depending on the file system you plan to format the disk to. - Replace Disk_Name with the label of your disk, and Disk_IDENTIFIER with the disk number.

For example: sudo diskutil eraseDisk FAT32 MBRFormat /dev/disk2.

What is Hard Drive Format Software?

To understand what hard drive formatting software is, let's first grasp the meaning of "formatting a disk". You can learn more about it in this article: What Does Format Disk Mean?

Hard drive format software is a third-party disk formatting utility developed by software manufacturers and service providers to aid regular users in formatting their storage devices. This software aids users in erasing data, resetting file system formats, and efficiently rectifying internal errors caused by viruses or other factors on their hard drives, SSDs, external disks, USB flash drives, and SD cards, among others.

How to Choose the Perfect Hard Drive Formatting Software? Your Checklist Here

So, how do I choose the perfect or most powerful hard drive formatting software to help me effectively format or reformat a hard drive on my own? Here's a checklist you might find useful to guide you in selecting and identifying the right hard drive formatting tool for your needs:

"Hard Drive Format Software: Free Downloads Available Here"

On this page, we've scoured and tested over 20 hard drive formatting tools for both Windows and Mac users. After more than half a month of testing, we've narrowed it down to 9 top-notch options that are excellent for formatting hard drive partitions or storage devices to your preferred file system format.

Now, they're available above for you to follow and learn the details, as well as find the official online access for a free download. For a quick overview, check out our list of the best hard drive formatting software here:

Best hard drive format software for Windows beginners - Partition Master tools.

Here are the translations:
• Easiest Windows hard drive formatting tool - File Explorer.
• Best low-level format hard drive tool - HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool.
• Best Mac hard drive formatting tool - Disk Utility.

Also, as formatting is a process to get rid of all existing data from your storage devices, it's vital that you create a backup of valuable files from your disk to another safe location. For an all-in-one and easy way, you can turn to free backup software like tools Todo Backup for help.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Hard Drive Formatting Software

If you still have questions about hard drive formatting software, check here to find answers:

< strong > 1. What is the best free formatting software? < /strong >

On Windows, File Explorer is a good option for beginners to try. For a free and comprehensive hard drive formatting software, the tool Partition Master Free Edition can meet your needs.

On Mac, Disk Utility is the go-to option for Mac users.

**2. Can I format a hard drive for free?**

Yes, on a Windows computer, you can use File Explorer to format hard drive partitions:

1. Open File Explorer, right-click on the target hard drive, and select "Format." 2. Set a new file system and click "Start." 3. Click "OK" when the formatting process is complete.

On a Mac, you can use Disk Utility to format a hard disk volume:

1. Open Disk Utility, select the target drive, and choose "Erase." 2. Set a new format, then click "Erase" to confirm the hard drive formatting.

< strong > 3. Is there a tool that can format the hard drive to FAT32? < /strong >

Yes, in Windows, you can use File Explorer or Disk Management to format a hard drive partition smaller than 32GB to FAT32. If your disk is larger than 32GB, you can utilize tools like Partition Master to successfully format the large drive to FAT32.