How to Format an External Hard Drive for Windows 10

While most external hard drives are already designed to work for Windows computers, there are times when you need to reformat one. You might want a drive that works with Macs and PCs, or maybe you want to partition it, which will split it up into two different formats. Here’s how to format an external hard drive for Windows 10 or partition it.

To properly format or partition any hard drive connected to your Windows 10 computer, you will use the Disk Management tool. Some hard drives may also include drivers, firmware, or format wizards, so be sure to check the user manual before formatting the hard drive. To access the Disk Management utility, click the Windows icon and type Disk Management.

When formatting or reformatting a hard drive on Windows 10, make sure to select the correct drive. If you aren’t sure, look at the available space listed under Capacity in Disk Management. Formatting an external hard drive for the first time is a two-step process; initializing, then formatting. Follow these steps to initialize and format the hard drive.

IMPORTANT: Formatting a working hard drive will erase everything, so you’ll want to pay attention to the disks listed. It should also be noted that unless you have a severe problem with the computer, do not format the C:\ drive at all, as this will erase all Windows files, forcing you to reinstall your Windows 10 operating system.

What’s the difference between GPT and MBR?

When you format a hard drive on Windows 10, you are prompted to choose GPT or MBR as the partition style. While GPT is often used for hard drives with more than 2 TB of space, there are other advantages, as well.

MBR (Master Boot Record) is an older partition style that has been around for quite some time. While older Windows PC’s (that have a BIOS) run perfectly fine, it’s becoming obsolete on new PC’s (which use UEFI). The BIOS/UEFI is what loads all of the primary drivers, hard drives, as well as your Windows OS.

GPT (GUID Partition Table) is the newer partition style that has become commonplace with more modern computers, which use UEFI instead of BIOS to boot your system. The only disadvantage with GPT is that only 64-bit versions of Windows can be on the system disk (the hard drive that Windows is installed on). The system disk must have the MBR partition style if you’re running a 32-bit version of Windows.

While there are a lot more in-depth, technical differences between the two you’d want to select GPT when formatting your hard drive for the following reasons:

To check and see what your current hard drives partition style is, follow these steps.