WD External Hard Drive Won't Format? How to Solve the Issue?

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Sherly 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Are you facing issues while formatting your WD external hard drive? Don't stress; we've got you covered. In this article, our tools will assist you in resolving the "WD External Hard Drive Won't Format" error. Let's delve into the duration of the issue, its complexity level, the causes, and the solutions. We'll also explain the reason behind this error in simple terms, enabling you to grasp the underlying problems quickly.

The WD External Hard Drive fails to format due to various reasons. The most common causes include file system corruption or errors, incorrect drive initialization, write protection, or physical damage to the Western Digital external hard drive.

These issues can prevent you from formatting your WD external hard drive, rendering it inaccessible or unusable. By understanding the underlying causes, you can effectively diagnose the problem and find suitable solutions.

Solve WD External Hard Drive Not Formatting Error - with Partition Master Tool

If you're faced with the frustrating problem of unable to format your WD external hard drive, Partition Master is here to rescue the situation. This powerful tool provides a user-friendly solution to rectify this error with just a few effortless clicks.

tools Partition Master comes with various features tailored to address common disk-related issues. When it comes to your WD external hard drive, this tool can easily remove the write protection, check for file system errors, and format the drive to restore it to a functional state.

To assist in resolving the "WD external hard drive won't format" error, the tool Partition Master can perform the following:

• Guide 1. Check File System Errors on WD External Hard Drive

• Guide 2. Format WD External Hard Drive

• Guide 3. Remove Write Protection From WD External Hard Drive

Follow these steps to check file system errors on a WD external hard drive using the tools from Partition Master:

Guide 1: Check File System Errors on WD External Hard Drive

Step 1. Open AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer. Then, locate the disk, right-click the partition you want to check, and choose "Advanced" > "Check File System."

Step 2. In the Check File System window, select the "Try to fix errors if found" option and click "Start".

Step 3. The software will start checking your partition file system on the disk. When it's done, click "Finish".

Guide 2: Format WD External Hard Drive

Follow these steps to format WD external hard drive using tools Partition Master tools:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card that you wish to format and select the "Format" option.

Step 2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size to the selected partition, and then click "OK".

Step 3. In the Warning window, click "Yes" to continue.

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting your external hard drive/USB/SD card.

Guide 3. Remove Write Protection From WD External Hard Drive

Let's learn how to use Partition Master to remove write protection from a Western Digital external hard drive:

Step 1. Download and install Partition Master. Proceed to the Toolkit section and click on "Write Protection."

Step 2. Choose your write-protected USB drive, external hard drive, or SD card and click "Disable."

Click "Remove Write Protection"

tools Partition Master is a reliable solution for addressing formatting errors on WD External Hard Drives, thanks to its user-friendly interface and powerful capabilities. Let's delve into its key features.

KEY FEATURES

tools Partition Master 提供了以下主要功能：

• One-Click Write Protection Removal: Easily remove write protection from your WD external hard drive.
• File System Error Checking: Detect and fix file system errors on your WD external hard drive.
• Effortless Drive Formatting: Format your WD external hard drive with a user-friendly interface, such as formatting WD My Passport for PC and Mac.
• Disk/Partition Management: Resize, move, merge, split, copy, and recover partitions on your WD external hard drive.
• Data Migration and Disk Clone: Seamlessly transfer data to a new drive or clone your existing drive.
• Secure Data Wiping: Permanently erase data from your WD external hard drive to protect privacy.
• Run Disk Surface Test: Locate bad sectors on WD external hard drive.

Download the tool Partition Master, the simplest solution for fixing the "WD External Hard Drive Won't Format Error." Follow the steps outlined above to regain full control over your WD external hard drive.

Solve WD External Hard Drive Not Formatting Error - Using CMD

CMD, or Command Prompt, is a command-line interpreter in Windows that enables users to interact with their computers through text-based commands. When faced with the problem of a Western Digital (WD) external hard drive not formatting, one can leverage CMD to access the Diskpart utility. Diskpart provides advanced disk management features, which allow users to cleanse the drive, remove write protection, and prepare it for formatting. By utilizing CMD and Diskpart, users can overcome formatting issues and regain control over their WD external hard drive, thus enabling them to format it successfully and use it as needed.

Guide 1: Format the WD External Hard Drive

Step 1: Connect the WD External Hard Drive.

Step 2: Launch Command Prompt with administrative privileges.

Step 3: Launch Diskpart, a tool for advanced disk and partition management. Type "diskpart" in the Command Prompt window.

Step 4: Format the WD External Hard Drive. Type "list disk" and press Enter. Identify the disk number that corresponds to your WD external hard drive from the list.

Step 5: Type "select disk X" (replace X with the disk number) and hit Enter. This command selects your WD external hard drive.

Step 6: Lastly, type "clean" and press Enter. This command will消除所有现有分区和选定磁盘上的数据，实际上将其完全擦除。

To learn more solutions for formatting WD hard drives, click the link: Format WD My Passport Windows 10

Guide 2: Remove Write Protection from WD External Hard Drive

Step 1: Open Command Prompt (CMD) as an Administrator.

Step 2: Launch the Diskpart utility from the Command Prompt window.

Step 3: Within Diskpart, type 'list disk' and press Enter to display a list of all connected disks. Identify the disk number associated with your WD external hard drive. Then, type "select disk X" (substitute X with the disk number) and press Enter to select the WD external hard drive.

Step 4: Type 'attributes disk clear read-only' and press Enter. This command removes the write protection attribute from the disk. Now, exit Diskpart.

Follow these steps, and you should be able to format your hard drive or perform other read/write tasks without issue.

< strong >Read Also:

Why Won't My WD External Hard Drive Format?

Why can't you format an external hard drive? Here are some common reasons that might lead to the "WD External Hard Drive Won't Format" error:

• File system error: A file system issue is one of the most common reasons why a WD external hard drive fails to format. File systems organize and manage the data on the drive. If the file system becomes corrupted or damaged, the formatting process might not complete successfully. This can happen due to incorrect drive removal, power interruptions, or software issues.
• Write protection: Another possible cause of the formatting failure is write protection. Write protection is a security feature that stops modifications to the drive's data. Checking the drive for malware or viruses can help identify any malicious software that could be causing the write protection.

Further Reading: Remove Write Protection from Pen Drive / SD Card

• Viruses: Viruses and malware can wreak havoc on your computer system and external devices. If your WD external hard drive is infected with a virus, the formatting process might be hindered. To detect and eliminate malicious programs, conduct a thorough scan using reliable antivirus software. Afterwards, attempt to format the drive again.

If you found this article helpful, please share it as it might assist in resolving someone else's issues. You can also inform them about why they might be unable to format an external hard drive from brands like WD, Toshiba, Seagate, and so on.

Conclusion

Encountering the "WD External Hard Drive Won't Format" error can be irritating, but this article has presented efficient solutions. Be it repairing the file system, removing write protection, or conducting antivirus scans, you can tackle formatting issues with your WD external hard drive. Share this article with those who are experiencing similar problems to aid them in troubleshooting and fixing the issue. Should the problem persist, don't hesitate to contact WD support or seek professional help.

To ensure smooth operation of your WD external hard drive, download the Partition Master tool and take advantage of its unique features today!

"WD External Hard Drive Won't Format" FAQs

We've covered how to resolve the issue of a WD external hard drive not formatting. For any further queries, refer to the following frequently asked questions.

< strong > 1. How do I format my write-protected Western Digital external hard drive?

If the WD external hard drive is write-protected, it won't be able to format successfully, and you might encounter an error message stating that "The disk is write-protected." To remove and disable the write protection on your WD external hard drive, you can either clear read-only attributes using Diskpart, or you can change the Value data of WriteProtect to 0 in the Registry Editor.

**2. How do I format my WD external hard drive?**

To format your WD external hard drive, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Connect your WD external hard drive to your computer.

Step 2. Open the Disk Management utility on Windows.

Step 3. Find your WD external hard drive. Right-click on it and choose the "Format" option. Select the desired file system format. Assign a volume label.

Step 4. Click "Format" to start the formatting process. Make sure you have a backup since it will erase the existing data.

Step 5. Wait for the formatting process to finish, and then safely remove the WD external hard drive.

3. How to reset WD Elements external hard drive?

To reset a WD Elements external hard drive on Windows:

Step 1. Connect the WD Elements drive to your computer. Next, open File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click on the WD Elements drive and select "Format."

Step 3. Select the desired file system format.

Step 4. Select the "Quick Format" option to format the drive more quickly. This process will erase any existing data, so make sure to back it up beforehand.

Step 5. Optionally, provide a new volume label.

Step 6. Click "Start" to begin the formatting process.

Step 7. Wait for the formatting to finish; your WD Elements external hard drive will be reset.