Reformatting an external hard drive can be necessary in various situations, such as when you want to change the file system, erase all data from the drive, or troubleshoot errors. The process can be done on both Windows and Mac operating systems, and in this answer, we will discuss how to reformat an external hard drive on both platforms.
Reformatting an External Hard Drive on Windows:
Step 1: Connect the External Hard Drive to your Windows computer: First, you need to connect the external hard drive to your computer using a USB or Thunderbolt cable.
Step 2: Open Disk Management: Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “diskmgmt.msc” in the box and press Enter. This will open the Disk Management tool.
Step 3: Locate the External Hard Drive: In the Disk Management window, you will see a list of all the connected disks. Locate your external hard drive from the list.
Step 4: Delete the Partition(s): To reformat an external hard drive, you need to delete any existing partitions. To do this, right-click on the partition(s) on the external hard drive and select “Delete Volume”.
Step 5: Create a New Partition: Once you have deleted all partitions, right-click on the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume”. Follow the wizard to create a new partition.
Step 6: Choose File System: During the process of creating a new partition, you will be prompted to choose the file system. Choose the file system that suits your needs.
Step 7: Assign a Drive Letter: After creating the partition, right-click on the partition and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”. Click “Add”, and assign a drive letter to the partition.
Step 8: Format the Drive: Right-click on the newly created partition and select “Format”. Follow the wizard to format the partition.
Reformatting an External Hard Drive on Mac:
Step 1: Connect the External Hard Drive to your Mac: Connect the external hard drive to your Mac using a USB or Thunderbolt cable.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility: Open “Finder” and go to “Applications” > “Utilities” > “Disk Utility”.
Step 3: Locate the External Hard Drive: In the Disk Utility window, locate your external hard drive from the list of disks.
Step 4: Erase the Drive: Select the external hard drive and click on the “Erase” button.
Step 5: Choose File System: Choose the file system that suits your needs from the drop-down menu. You can choose between APFS, Mac OS Extended (Journaled), MS-DOS (FAT), or exFAT.
Step 6: Give the Drive a Name: Give the newly formatted drive a name.
Step 7: Erase the Drive: Click on the “Erase” button to erase and reformat the external hard drive.
Note: Reformatting an external hard drive will erase all data stored on the drive. Therefore, it is essential to back up any data you want to keep before proceeding with the reformatting process.