If you just built a PC, or added a brand new hard drive or SSD to an existing computer, you have to format it before you can actually store data on it. This is called 'initializing' the drive.

You might need to format an external hard drive before you can use it with your computer. We have some tips to help the process go smoothly.

You can format an external drive quickly and easily in Windows, without the need of any third-party tools. But before you format your USB drive, you need to consider which file system to use.

Using Windows 11/100 Installation Media Reset Windows 11/10 PC Connect the Storage device to another computer Secure Erase SSD and HDD Format a Data drive. Do note that this is different from ...

4. In the Format window, choose the file system you want to use. Usually, you'll want NTFS, which is the default for Windows. Make sure there is a check next to "Perform a quick format." 5.