#FORMAT FOR PC AND MAC IN WINDOWS HOW TO#

When you're ready to format the drive, click 'OK.' © Dave Johnson/Business Insider Gallery: 7 Ways to Keep Your Home Wi-Fi Secure (Money Talks News)ĥ.

Make sure there is a check next to 'Perform a quick format.' Usually, you'll want NTFS, which is the default for Windows. In the pop-up menu, choose 'Format…'Ĥ. In the Format window, choose the file system you want to use. Dave Johnson/Business Insiderģ. In the list of hard drives, right click the drive you want to format.

#FORMAT FOR PC AND MAC IN WINDOWS HOW TO#

How to format a hard drive on Windowsġ. In the Start button search box, type 'Disk Management.'Ģ. In the search results, select 'Create and format hard disk partitions.' © Dave Johnson/Business Insiderįind the Disk Management utility in the Start button search results. Be careful with this command and always make sure you are choosing the right hard drive in the formatting utility. Keep in mind that when you format a hard drive, it erases all the files and it can be difficult or impossible to recover them. This is easy to do with built-in utilities for both Windows and Mac computers, and the process is the same whether you're formatting an internal drive installed on a desktop PC or an external drive plugged into your desktop or laptop.

If you're adding a hard drive to your computer, you probably need to format it to your computer's operating system before you can use it. Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.To format a hard drive in Windows, you'll use the Disk Management utility on a Mac, you'll use Disk Utility.You may need to format a hard drive to match your computer's operating system before you can use it.Thanayu Jongwattanasilkul /EyeEm/Getty Images You can format a hard drive on a PC or Mac using utility features. © Thanayu Jongwattanasilkul / EyeEm/Getty Images

Format for pc and mac in windows