Complete Guide: Format 4K Sector Hard Drive Partition in Windows 11/10

By

Sherly 

Written by

Linda 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

Can I format a 4K hard drive?

Of course, you can format a 4K hard drive. Though the task of formatting a 4K hard drive may seem vague or complicated, it's not that difficult. Follow our tutorial guide, and you'll learn three easy ways to successfully format a 4K hard drive.

What is a 4K sector hard drive?

4K Sector Hard Drive

Your hard drive is made up of many sectors. Sectors are units of space allocated on the hard drive for data storage. A 4K sector hard drive has physical sectors that are 4K or 4096 bytes in size. The larger sector size offers advantages over traditional 512-byte hard drives.

Differences Between 4K Sector Hard Drives and 512 Byte Hard Drives

• Error Correction Code (ECC): A 4K sector HDD has 100 bytes of ECC, while a 512-byte HDD only supports 50 bytes of ECC. This means that the larger ECC space of a 4K sector HDD provides higher reliability.
• Higher Density: With larger sectors, a 4K HDD has more space per sector than a 512-byte HDD, thus increasing the storage density for the 4K HDD.
• Sector Gaps Size: As hard disk capacities grow, there is more space between sectors. Traditional 512-byte sector formatting is not efficient with this. However, 4K sector HDDs reduce the gaps between sectors, making storage more efficient.

What is the best format for a 4K HDD?

On Windows, you have several options for file formats, such as NTFS, FAT32, and more. For a 4K drive, however, NTFS is the best choice.

Why Use NTFS Format for 4K Drives?

• It allows for quick processing of large files.
• NTFS uses file permissions and encryption to keep your data secure.
• It also uses log files to maintain data integrity.
• It automatically compresses files when your disk space is low.

These are just some of the advantages of using the NTFS format. This is why experts strongly recommend using NTFS for a 4K drive.

How to format 4KB sector hard drive partition?

There are three simple ways to format a 4K sector hard drive partition. These methods include:

Method 1: 4K Alignment Tool

Method 2: Through Disk Management

Method 3: Using CMD or PowerShell

Note: It is strongly recommended to back up all files from the 4K hard drive before proceeding with the following methods. This helps prevent data loss.

Method 1: Use a 4K Formatting Tool

AOMEI Partition Assistant is an easy-to-use software that can help you format a 4K hard drive with ease. With this software, you can freely create and format a 4K hard drive, and even do more.

After getting the software, follow these steps to format your 4K hard drive to NTFS on Windows 11/10/8/7:

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

Step 2: 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 the "Run 1 Task" button and then click "Apply" to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

This is the HTML code to embed a YouTube video. In a webpage, it will display a video player with a width of 700 pixels and a height of 410 pixels, allowing fullscreen playback, clipboard writing, encrypted media, gyroscope, and picture-in-picture features. The video ID is "VTBiHcpwR3o".

Advanced Partition Master Features

It has some unique features that set it apart from other partition management applications. You can download and install the software from its official website. Here are some advanced features that can help you manage and optimize the performance of your 4Kn HDD:

• 4K Hard Disk Cloning: With this software, you can easily clone and upgrade your 4K hard drive without losing any data.
• Windows Migration: In just one click, you can also migrate Windows from any hard drive to a 4K hard drive.
• Simplified Partition Management: With the Partition Master tool, all partition management issues are solved. It enables you to easily manage and expand partitions on a 4K hard drive. Additionally, it allows you to create, format, convert, merge, and split volumes on a 4K hard drive.
• Hard Drive Expansion: Without needing to convert to GPT, Partition Master lets you create or extend 4K MBR hard drive partitions to 3TB, 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, or even more space.

Method 2: Use Disk Management

The Disk Management tool in Windows can also assist you in formatting a 4K hard drive. Here's how to do it in Windows 11/10/8/7:

Step 1: Open the Disk Management tool.

Right-click **This PC** or **My Computer** in File Explorer or on the desktop, and then select **Manage > Storage > Disk Management**.

Step 2: Expand the “Storage” section and right-click the 4K hard drive partition you want to format.

Under “Storage,” right-click the 4K drive and select “Format…” from the drop-down menu that appears.

Step 3: Select NTFS from the File System drop-down list and check the Quick Format option.

When done, click on the “OK” button to format your 4K hard drive partition with the NTFS file system.

Method 3: Using CMD or PowerShell

If the above two methods don't work for you, don't worry. You can format your 4K hard drive using the diskpart command in CMD.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt on your Windows computer.

Step 2: Type diskpart in CMD and press Enter.

Step 3: Type in list disk and press Enter. This will show you all the hard drives connected to your computer.

Step 4: Type select disk 0. Replace the disk number with the 4K drive you want to format.

Step 5: Type list partition and press Enter, and you will see all the partitions on your 4K disk.

Step 6: Type select partition 1 to choose the partition you want to format. Replace the number with the partition number you want.

Step 7: Type in format fs=ntfs quick, which will format your 4K drive with the NTFS file system.

Easily Format 4K Hard Drive with the Right Method

The three methods displayed on the page to format 4Kn hard drive to NTFS can help you accomplish the task quickly. However, not all methods may be simple for you. You might be confused about which way is suitable for you, but don't worry about the simple choice.

The simplest way is to format your 4K sector hard drive with a disk formatting tool and set the correct file system format. Luckily, tools like Partition Master can easily and smoothly accomplish the formatting process for a 4K hard drive with just a few clicks.

Other methods might be more intrusive and require some technical expertise, but the Partition Master tool is very straightforward, and you can accomplish the job with basic steps.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting 4Kn Hard Drive Partitions

4K drives are now widely used in many new computers. If you have more questions about formatting a 4K drive, or need more information, read on and find your answers here.

1. What is a 4K sector?

4K sectors, also known as 4KB sectors, are an advanced technology that combines eight 512-byte sectors into a single sector with a length of 4096 bytes. This 4K sector allows the operating system to store surface media and data on a hard drive or storage device more efficiently and with faster read and write speeds.

2. How to format my 4K hard drive?

1. Launch Partition Master, right-click on the 4K hard drive's partition and select "Format". 2. Set a new file system for the 4K hard drive, then click "OK". 3. Execute the task.

How do I know if my hard drive is 4K?

1. Open the CMD and type **diskpart** then hit Enter. 2. Type **list disk** in Diskpart, then hit Enter. 3. Type **select disk 0** and hit Enter. (If the disk you want to check isn't Disk 0, replace "0" with the number of the disk you want to check.)

Then, look at the “Offset” section to see if your hard drive is 4K-aligned.