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How to Format An Internal Hard Drive Windows 10? [Latest Tip]

Wondering how to format an internal hard drive Windows 10? Through this post, you can learn a guide to format an internal hard drive in Windows 10.

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Updated by Daisy on Dec 15, 2023
Written by Tracy King

Key Takeaways:

  • 1st. Back up your important files before formatting the internal hard drive on Windows 10.
  • 2nd. Run the free CNET-recommended software or Windows built-in tools to format an internal HDD or SSD.

Quick Navigation

Option 1. How to Format Internal Hard Drive by Free Partition Manager
Option 2. Format Internal Hard Drive with Command Prompt
Option 3. Format Hard Disk by Disk Management

Try to Format Internal Hard Drive on Windows 10?

This article will address how to format an internal hard drive in Windows 10. No matter what needs you have, you can still here to start formatting:

Scene 1 - If you get a new hard drive, you must format a disk before storing data.

Scene 2 - If the drive becomes full and cluttered, formatting can help free up space and improve performance.

Scene 3 - If the drive is infected with malware or other malicious software, formatting it will remove the infection and allow the user to start with a clean slate.

Scene 4 - If the user plans to sell or dispose of the computer, formatting the hard drive will ensure that all personal data is erased and cannot be accessed by anyone else.

If you are encountering one of the scenes, keep reading!

Choose Your Format for Internal Hard Drive

When it comes to choosing a file system format for an internal hard drive, there are a few things to consider.

One is the operating system that will be used. For example, Windows uses NTFS, while macOS uses HFS+. Another factor is the file size. If the drive is used to store large files, such as video or audio files, then NTFS or exFAT may be a better option. Finally, it's worth considering the compatibility of the file system with other devices.

The best file system format for an internal hard drive depends on the specific needs and requirements of the user.

How to Format An Internal Hard Drive Windows 10 [3 Instructions]

Format a new internal hard drive - Choose EaseUS Partition Master (Recommend) or Disk Management.

Format an existing internal hard drive - Go to use a free formatting software and Diskpart command line.

Option 1. How to Format Internal Hard Drive by Free Partition Manager

EaseUS Partition Master is a comprehensive partition manager that can be used to format an internal hard drive. The software is very user-friendly and provides a step-by-step guide to help users through the process. In addition, EaseUS Partition Master can create, resize, and merge partitions. It also includes support for both MBR and GPT disk formats.

cnet.com: In actual use, EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition proved equal or superior to other freeware disk management utilities and quite a few premium ones, too.

Start with this excellent choice:

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Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the hard drive partition you intend to format and choose "Format".

Format Hard Drive Partition - Step 1

Step 2. In the new window, set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and Cluster size for the partition to be formatted, then click "OK".

Format Hard Drive Partition - Step 2

Step 3. Then you will see a warning window, click "Yes" in it to continue.

Format Hard Drive Partition - Step 3

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button to review the changes, then click "Apply" to start formatting the partition on your hard drive.

Format Hard Drive Partition - Step 4

Option 2. Format Internal Hard Drive with Command Prompt

How to format the internal disk using Command Prompt - Diskpart Commands:

Step 1. Click the Start icon, and type "Command Prompt" in the search box. And select Run As Administrator".

Want more options? Command Prompt Shortcut

Step 2. Type the command line and hit Enter - diskpart.

Step 3. Continue to type command lines and hit Enter.

  • list disk
  • select disk X (Change X with your drive number.)
  • list volume
  • select volume Y (Change Y with your partition number.)
  • format fs=ntfs quick (If you choose other file formats, you can replace ntfs with exFAT, FAT32. For example, format fs=fat32 quick.)

format hard drive with diskpart

Option 3. Format Hard Disk by Disk Management

To format new hard drive (Internal HDD or SSD):

Video Tutorial - How to Initialize and Format Hard Drive:

  • Use Disk Management from 0:41.

Step 1. Open Windows 10 Disk Management - Press the "Windows + R" shortcut and type diskmgmt.msc on the box. Click OK.

Step 2. Right-click the internal disk and select Initialize Disk.

initialize SSD

  • Initialize your disk as MBR or GPT partition style.

Step 3. Right-click the unallocated space and click the New Simple Volume. Click Next.

  • See the default simple volume size and click Next.
  • Check to assign the drive letter and click Next.
  • Check Format this volume with the following settings - Select File system, Allocation unit size, and volume label. Then check Perform a quick format. Click Next.

Step 4. Click Finish.

create new simple volume

Bottom Line 

This post discusses how to format an internal hard drive on Windows 10 with three straightforward methods. To safely format the device, we recommend EaseUS Partition Master Free.

Format Internal Hard Drive FAQs

Here are some short answers to the frequently asked questions.

How do I format a hard drive in Windows 10?

1. Right-click on the drive you want to format and select the Format button.

2. Enter the name, select the file system, and allocation unit size.

3. Click OK to continue.

Why can't I format my internal HDD?

One possibility is that the drive is currently in use by another program or process. Try restarting your computer and then formatting the drive. If that doesn't work, you can try using a third-party disk management tool (EaseUS Partition Master) to format the drive. If all else fails, it's possible that the hard drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

Another "Format" error you may be interested in:

How do I format my internal SSD Windows 10?

Disk Management can help you initialize and format partitions for a new internal SSD.

For an existing internal SSD, you can use a third-party partition manager and built-in utilities (Diskpart and Disk Management).

How Can We Help You

About the Author

Updated by Daisy

Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working at EaseUS for over ten years, starting as a technical writer and moving on to being a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over ten years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.

Read full bio

Written by Tracy King

Tracy became a member of the EaseUS content team in 2013. Being a technical writer for over 10 years, she is enthusiastic about sharing tips to assist readers in resolving complex issues in disk management, file transfer, PC & Mac performance optimization, etc., like an expert.

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Product Reviews

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  • I love that the changes you make with EaseUS Partition Master Free aren't immediately applied to the disks. It makes it way easier to play out what will happen after you've made all the changes. I also think the overall look and feel of EaseUS Partition Master Free makes whatever you're doing with your computer's partitions easy.

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  • Partition Master Free can Resize, Move, Merge, Migrate, and Copy disks or partitions; convert to local, change label, defragment, check and explore partition; and much more. A premium upgrade adds free tech support and the ability to resize dynamic volumes.

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  • It won't hot image your drives or align them, but since it's coupled with a partition manager, it allows you do perform many tasks at once, instead of just cloning drives. You can move partitions around, resize them, defragment, and more, along with the other tools you'd expect from a cloning tool.

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