Updated by

Tracy King

Written by

Sherly

Last updated on April 22, 2024

Have you encountered the "Can't Format SSD in Disk Management" issue? Don't worry; this article will provide you with an effective and straightforward solution. But first, let's understand why this error occurs.

Why is there no format option for SSD in disk management?

What is SSD? Due to its excellent and stable performance, SSD has become a popular storage device among computer users. However, you may find the format option missing in Disk Management at times.

Format option grayed out

Here are some possibilities:

    • You're formatting an SSD with the operating system on it.
    • Disk Management fails to recognize the SSD.
    • Your SSD is uninitialized.
    • Your SSD has physical damage.

These conditions will lead to the “Can't format SSD” error. To address the issue of "Format option greyed out in Disk Management", we have some solutions for you. Let's get into the details of these methods.

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Solution 1: Format the SSD with the operating system on it.

Applies to: The format options become grayed out when formatting an SSD with an operating system.

Tool Partition Master Free is a utility for Windows users to format SSD, manage disks, and check disks. This formatting tool can effectively help you fix the "Cannot format SSD" error. With just a few clicks, you can format the SSD with its assistance.

If you're formatting an SSD with an operating system on it, create bootable media first so that you can manage your drives and partitions in case your computer won't start up normally. If you format the SSD with the operating system on it, you won't be able to turn your computer back on.

Guide 1: Creating bootable media

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

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

Step 3: If you have a USB or CD/DVD drive, select one of those. If you don't have any storage devices available, you can also save the ISO file to your hard drive and burn it to media later. When you're ready, click the Create button to start the process.

    Review the warning, and then click Yes.

Step 4: When it's done, a message will ask you if you want to restart your computer from the bootable USB drive.

  • Boot now: This means you want to restart your computer immediately and boot from the live media, without involving the operating system to manage partitions on your disk.
  • Finish: This means you do not want to restart your computer now, but rather use the live USB on a different computer.
Select to boot the computer from the bootable USB

Note: To use the bootable disk 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 disk as the first boot device.

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

Next up, we just need the translation for American English: "Booting into the WinPE desktop

Next up: Guide 2: Formatting an SSD with an Operating System

After creating the bootable media, boot the computer from it, and then you can use the following steps and the Partition Master tool to format the SSD.

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

Step 2. In the new window, assign a label to the partition, choose a file system, and a cluster size, then click OK.

Step 3: You will see a warning dialog; click “Yes” to proceed.

Step 4: Click on the “Perform 1 Task” button and then click “Apply” to start formatting the hard drive partition.

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By the way, this professional formatting tool can solve many issues. Let's learn more about it.

Features of the Partition Master tool:

As a disk partition tool, Partition Master helps you to solve many disk partition problems. If you are tired of dealing with these issues, download it for assistance.

Solution 2: Reconnect the SSD and Check for File System Errors

Question: Disk Management is not recognizing the SSD.

If Disk Management doesn't recognize your SSD, try reconnecting it to your device. If that doesn't work, you might need to check for file system errors. Partition Master Tool can also assist with checking file system issues on your SSD. Download it now and follow the steps.

Step 1: Right-click on the problematic target partition.

Step 3: Confirm whether to hide the partition.

Step 4. In the Check File System window, select the option to attempt to repair errors if found.

Click “Start” to begin checking for partition errors.

Then check whether the problem has been resolved; if not, fix it.

Fix 3: Initialize the SSD before formatting

Your SSD was not initialized before formatting. Applies to: Windows 10

If your SSD is uninitialzed, Disk Management won't be able to create a new partition or format the SSD. In this case, you need to initialize the disk first before doing anything else.

< strong > Step 1. < /strong > In Disk Management, right-click on your SSD.

Initialize SSD

Step 2. Run the wizard to initialize the SSD as MBR or GPT.

Step 3. Then, you can right-click on the target disk and choose to format it.

During the process, you may encounter issues like SSD not showing up, and you can reinstall or reconnect it to fix the error.

Solution 4: Contact the manufacturer for repair

The problem is that your SSD has suffered physical damage.

If it was dropped or exposed to bad conditions, it may be damaged. Physical damage to the storage device will not be fixable with the solutions in this article, but you can contact the manufacturer or take it to a repair center for help with that.

Conclusions

This article summarizes the reasons for being unable to format an SSD and the corresponding solutions, along with introducing Partition Master as a better alternative tool. It enables you to create a bootable disk, directly format or delete disks or partitions right through the operating system. If you're not tech-savvy, this tool will be a great help.

By the way, the next section has some frequently asked questions, keep reading if you need them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formatting an SSD: 1. 为什么我无法格式化我的SSD? Why can't I format my SSD? 2. 如何解决格式化SSD时出现的错误? How do I fix errors encountered while formatting my SSD? 3. SSD格式化选项中FAT32、NTFS和exFAT有什么区别? What's the difference between FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT in terms of formatting options for an SSD? 4. 如果我丢失数据,如何在格式化前恢复SSD? How can I recover data from my SSD before formatting if I've lost it? 5. SSD需要定期格式化吗? Is it necessary to format an SSD regularly? 6. 格式化会影响SSD的寿命吗? Does formatting affect the lifespan of an SSD? 7. 如何在Windows中安全地格式化我的SSD? How do I safely format my SSD in Windows? 8. 在Mac上如何格式化我的SSD? How do I format my SSD on a Mac? 9. SSD格式化后速度会变快吗? Will formatting my SSD increase its speed? 10. 格式化SSD时应该选择什么文件系统? Which file system should I choose when formatting my SSD?

Do you know how to fix the "无法格式化SSD" error? This section lists some other issues related to this error, which might be helpful for you.

**1. Why can't I format my SSD?**

The reasons could include the following:

    • Bad sectors
    • Damaged SSD
    • File system errors

Please check if these are the cause. If so, you can send the device in for repair.

Why are the formatting options grayed out?

Sometimes, you might not be able to format because the "Format" option is grayed out. The reasons could be:

The volume has damaged or bad sectors.

This volume contains an operating system.

< strong > 3. Why Can't I Format SSD to FAT32?< / strong >

There are two main reasons for this.

Your SSD might be larger than 32 GB.

2. Your SSD drive is damaged.