Reformatting external hard drives

Author: s | 2025-04-25

Solution: Reformat the corrupted external hard drive. If Disk Management fails to fix the external hard drive not recognized after accidental unplugging on Windows, the last resort is to reformat the corrupted external hard drive. But reformatting will clean all data stored on the external hard drive. Reformatting a Seagate External Hard Drive using Windows. To reformat a Seagate external hard drive using Windows, follow these steps: Step 1: Connect the External Hard Drive.

How to Reformat an External Hard Drive

Are you looking for a way to reformat your WD Elements external hard drive? Whether you’re using it as an additional storage device for your Mac, or trying to back up important data from your PC, the process of reformatting can be confusing. In this blog post, we’ll walk through the steps of reformatting WD Elements external hard drives, whether you’re using them on a PC or Mac.Reformatting WD Elements external hard drives for Mac is a bit different than formatting them for PC use. First, make sure that your Mac recognizes the drive by connecting it via USB or ThunderBolt cable and checking in Finder under Devices & Drives section (or in Disk Utility). Once you’ve verified that it’s connected properly, launch Disk Utility from your Applications folder or by searching for it in Spotlight Search (cmd+Space bar).Select your WD Elements external hard drive from the list of available disks and click Erase at the top of the Disk Utility window. Choose either Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS as your file system type (depending on what version of macOS you’re running), enter a name for your disk if desired, then click Erase at the bottom right corner of this window. Wait until Disk Utility finishes erasing everything before proceeding with any other tasks on this disk. Now you can start using your external hard drive with your Mac just like before!We hope that this post has been helpful in guiding you through reformatting WD Elements external hard drives for both PC and Mac devices! With these steps completed successfully, you should be able to get back up and running with minimal hassle!Formatting a WD Elements Drive for MacTo format a WD Elements drive for Mac, start by connecting the drive to your Mac device. Then, open the disk utility option from your applications. Once you have opened the disk utility, select the hard drive you want to format from the list of available drives. After selecting it, choose the appropriate format option for your drive and click ‘Erase’. This will start formatting your WD Elements drive for Mac. Once it is done, you can start using it for storage purposes.Initializing a WD External Hard Drive for MacInitializing your WD external hard drive for Mac is a simple process. First, make sure your computer is turned on, and then plug the external hard drive into your Mac. Once it Is complete ChromeOS shows a notification:Your device is not ready to use!To safely eject the SD card or USB drive from your Chromebook clicking on the eject icon next to the device in the Files sidebar (or right-click on its sidebar entry and select “eject” from the menu).Details on Chrome OS formattingDevices are formatted to a FAT32 file system. This is perhaps the most versatile and widely supported, with read and write support through most operating systems and devices (such as smartphones and digital cameras).But one of the biggest downsides to FAT is fragmentation that may occur over time. While this won’t be a big deal for your flash drive, traditional hard disk drives (such as many portable USB external hard drives) that have physical moving parts can be greatly affected by fragmentation, meaning read and write speeds can start looking rather paltry as time goes on. While Chrome OS lacks any “defragging” tools for your external drives, reformatting every so often can, in theory, help improve read and write times if one of your hard disk drives is underperforming.

How To Reformat External Hard Drive To

See if they can solve your problem.Solution 1: Repair this external hard drive with First AidIn some cases, a disk is unmountable and greyed out in Disk Utility because some minor disk errors are stopping your Mac from reading this drive. Fortunately, there is a built-in utility on your Mac called First Aid that can check and repair such minor file system errors.Go to Utilities, find Disk Utility, and run this program.Click Show All Devices > View option and select this external hard drive in the left sidebar.Click First Aid in the top menu of Disk Utility.Click Run to check and repair errors in this drive.Solution 2: Reformat this external hard driveSuppose First Aid failed on the external hard drive, and you still can't mount the USB drive. Disk Utility Mount greyed out could caused by its seriously corrupted file system. Reformatting can fix the file system corruption, but it also erases all data on it.Therefore, if you haven't backed up data before or this external hard drive is used as a Time Machine backup drive, the safe choice is to recover lost data first with reliable data recovery software, like iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac. If data loss is not a hassle, you can skip reformatting.iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a professional Mac data recovery software, which can recover lost data from unmountable/formatted/inaccessible external hard drives. It can recover lost data from APFS, HFS+, HFS, FAT32, and exFAT formatted external hard drives, USB drives, flash drives, SD cards, CF cards, memory cards, etc. This software also can undelete documents, pictures, emails, music, etc. from Trash.It supports Mac OS X 10.11 and later versions and works fine on M1/M2/M3/M4 and Intel-based Macs.Step 1: Recover data from the greyed-out external hard drive with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac1. Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your Mac.2. Select the external hard drive that is greyed out in Disk Utility and click Search for Lost Data to scan for data stored on this drive. 3. Once the scanning is done, you can open the Complete result on the [file system] folder to check the recoverable files. 4. Select a file and tap Preview to view the contents. 5. Check the box next to the wanted file and click Recover to save the file to another healthy storage device. Step 2: Reformat this external hard drive with Disk Utility• How to format external hard drives on Mac?If this method works to fix the greyed-out external hard drive in Disk Utility, share it with more people!How to fix Disk Utility Partition greyed out for external hard drive?An external hard drive may be greyed out in Disk Utility, so you. Solution: Reformat the corrupted external hard drive. If Disk Management fails to fix the external hard drive not recognized after accidental unplugging on Windows, the last resort is to reformat the corrupted external hard drive. But reformatting will clean all data stored on the external hard drive. Reformatting a Seagate External Hard Drive using Windows. To reformat a Seagate external hard drive using Windows, follow these steps: Step 1: Connect the External Hard Drive.

How To Reformat External Hard Drive For

How to Reformat a Seagate Hard Drive?Reformatting a Seagate hard drive is a process of erasing all the data on the drive and preparing it for use with a different operating system or file system. This process is also known as low-level formatting or disk initialization. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to reformat a Seagate hard drive.Before You StartBefore you begin the process of reformatting your Seagate hard drive, make sure you have taken the following precautions:Backup your data: Reformatting the hard drive will erase all the data on it, so make sure you have backed up all your important files and data to an external drive or cloud storage.Check the compatibility: Make sure the operating system you are using is compatible with the Seagate hard drive. You can check the compatibility on the Seagate website.Disable BitLocker: If you are using a Windows operating system and have BitLocker enabled, you need to disable it before reformatting the hard drive.Step 1: Connect the Hard DriveConnect the Seagate hard drive to your computer using a USB cable or SATA cable. If you are using a USB cable, make sure it is a high-speed USB 3.0 or higher.Step 2: Open Disk ManagementOpen Disk Management on your computer. You can do this by:Windows: Press the Windows key + R, type "diskmgmt.msc" and press Enter.Mac: Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.Step 3: Identify the Hard DriveIn Disk Management, you will see a list of all the hard drives connected to your computer. Identify the Seagate hard drive by its capacity and label.Step 4: Right-Click and Select "Delete Volume"Right-click on the Seagate hard drive and select "Delete Volume". This will erase all the data on the drive and prepare it for reformatting.Step 5: Reformat the Hard DriveOnce you have deleted the volume, you can reformat the hard drive. You can do this by:Windows: Right-click on the Seagate hard drive and select "New Simple Volume". Follow the prompts to complete the formatting process.Mac: Select the Seagate hard drive in Disk Utility and click on the "Erase" button. Select the "Quick Erase" option and follow the prompts to complete the formatting process.Step 6: Verify the FormattingOnce the formatting process is complete, verify that the hard drive has been successfully reformatted. You can do this by:Windows: Open File Explorer and check if the Seagate hard drive is listed with its new capacity.Mac: My Seagate external hard drive not showing up on my computer! What's going on?" “Seagate hard drive not detected, This is frustratingUsers rely on their external hard drives to store precious data, from cherished family photos and videos to important work documents and backups. When your Seagate external hard drive suddenly goes missing from the computer's file explorer, panic sets in.In this article, we have listed a variety of solutions to fix the “Seagate External hard drive not showing up” issue. They include checking the USB port and connections, unhiding devices, checking external drive in Disk Management, Updating drives, uninstalling and reinstalling Seagate external drive drivers and reformatting and partitioning Seagate hard disk.Let’s get started and explore simple fixes to troubleshoot the Seagate hard disk not detected issue.In this articleFix 1: Check the USB Port and ConnectionsFix 2: Show the hidden devicesFix 3: Check the Seagate External Drive in Disk ManagementFix 4: Update DriversFix 5: Remove Virus on the Computer and External DriveFix 6: Uninstall and Reinstall External Drive DriversFix 6: Reformat and Partition Seagate hard diskWhy is the Seagate external hard drive not showing up?There could be several reasons why your Seagate external hard drive is not working on your computer. Here are some common culprits:Faulty USB connection or cable.Outdated or corrupted device drivers.Disk formatting or partition issues.Hardware failure or physical damage.Software conflicts or system glitches.Power supply or compatibility problems.Virus or malware attack corrupting the system.Fortunately, in many cases, the Seagate external hard disk not detected issue can be resolved with some troubleshooting steps.Is Seagate External Hard Drive not showing up in Windows? Try these Fixes:In this section, we'll explore various fixes to help you get your Seagate external hard drive up and running again.Fix 1: Check the USB Port and ConnectionsOne of the most common reasons for a Seagate external hard drive not showing up is a faulty USB connection. Start by checking the following:Ensure that the USB cable is securely connected to both the external hard drive and the computer's USB port.Try a different USB port on your computer to rule out any issues with the specific port.If using a USB hub, connect the external hard drive directly to the computer's USB port.Replace the USB cable with a new one, as cables can wear out or become damaged over time.Fix 2: Show the hidden devicesSeagate HDD not detected? Well, sometimes, the external hard drive may be hidden from view in the file explorer due to system settings or software conflicts. Unhiding the device can help make it visible again. By enabling the display of hidden items in File Explorer, you can force the operating system to show any previously hidden drives, including your Seagate external hard drive.This

How to Reformat an External Hard Drive:

For whatever reasons you want to reformat hard drive, you can check the solutions in this post. Learn how to easily reformat hard drive (incl. external hard drive) with MiniTool Partition Wizard, Disk Management, Diskpart command.On This Page :Pay Attention to these 4 Things before Reformatting Hard DriveHow to Reformat Hard Drive for Free in Windows 10/8/7How to Reformat External Hard Drive for Free in Windows 10/8/7How to Wipe a Computer Windows 10?Common FAQs about Reformatting Hard DriveBottom LineReformatting a hard drive can be easily realized by using these three free ways in this post. Each method comes along with a step-by-step guide. Continue to check them.Pay Attention to these 4 Things before Reformatting Hard DriveBackup data before reformatting hard drive:No matter it’s the internal hard drive or external hard drive you’re gonna reformat, it’s suggested you backup your needed or important data in advance. You can use another hard drive or USB flash drive to backup data, upload needed files to cloud service, or use ShadowMaker to backup files in Windows 10/8/7.Reformat vs. Wipe Disk:If you want to sell or dispose the hard drive, you may turn to Wipe Disk to erase the data permanently. Reformatting hard drive doesn’t wipe the disk data thoroughly, and other people can recover data on it with some data recovery software like MiniTool Partition Wizard.Recover lost data before reformatting hard drive:If you want to reformat the hard drive for reuse because of a virus attack or a hard drive failure, you can first try to use the professional data recovery tool MiniTool Partition Wizard to recover the lost data.If you want to reformat a Windows (10) hard drive:To reformat the internal hard drive in Windows 10/8/7, please do not mistakenly reformat the partition with OS. If the OS partition is formatted, then your

How To Reformat A External Hard Drive

Most hard drives are incompatible with macOS out of the box, so searching “how do I reformat for Mac external hard drive?” is totally fine. If this is your situation, or if your external drive is slowing down or cluttered with old files and you need a fresh start, I'll walk you through the process of formatting Mac HD for proper file storage.How to choose file format and partition scheme when reformatting a hard driveA file or disk format is a term that describes the way in which data on the disk is organized and the manipulation options available for it. Meanwhile, a partition scheme determines how a partition is maintained by the operating system and what code is used to boot from the hard drive. Both file formats and partition schemes are settings you can adjust while formatting hard drives for Mac.Before getting into the steps of how to format a hard drive for Mac, here are the most popular disk formats and their key features to help you choose the best one for your needs:APFS (Apple File System). The latest file format from Apple available for Mac users running macOS High Sierra or later. This format can encrypt files and is overall the most efficient for Mac, but won’t open on Windows or Linux machines.HFS+ (macOS extended). A precursor for APFS, HFS+ is the default format for Macs running macOS older than High Sierra. Similar to APFS, HFS+ hard drives can be encrypted, but it won’t be the best option if you work with Windows or Linux devices as well.FAT32. This file format works with macOS, Windows and Linux, making it the best option for users who are often sharing files between devices with different operating systems. A few downsides of FAT32 type include lack of security features. Solution: Reformat the corrupted external hard drive. If Disk Management fails to fix the external hard drive not recognized after accidental unplugging on Windows, the last resort is to reformat the corrupted external hard drive. But reformatting will clean all data stored on the external hard drive.

How To Reformat External Hard Drive To FAT32

Want to reformat it and reuse it. You can follow the same ways and steps above to reformat external hard drive. Here we briefly introduce how to reformat external hard drive for free in Windows 10/8/7 with MiniTool Partition Wizard.MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & SafeStep 1 – Connect external hard drive to PCUse the USB cable to connect the external hard drive to your computer. And launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.Step 2 – Reformat external hard driveRight-click the partition on the target external hard drive and click Format. Repeat the operation above to format all the partitions on this drive. In the end, click Apply to execute all pending operations.How to Wipe a Computer Windows 10?Reformatting hard drive doesn’t wipe data for good. Some data recovery software can still retrieve data and files on PC or external hard drive even if you’ve made a reformat.If your intention is to clean all data on computer forever in Windows 10/8/7 and sell/throw away the old hard drive/computer, so as to keep private data secure, then you may use Wipe Disk function in MiniTool Partition Wizard, or type Clean All command line in Diskpart.Step 1. Run MiniTool Partition Wizard, and right-click the target disk in Disk Map. Click Wipe Disk.Step 2. Choose one disk wiping method and click OK.Step 3. Click Apply to start wiping the select hard drive.Common FAQs about Reformatting Hard DriveQ1. Will reformatting a hard drive erase it?A: It will delete all data on the hard drive, but the data can still be recovered. To permanently erase computer hard drive data, you can refer the guide about how to wipe a computer Windows 10 above.Q2. Can you reformat a hard drive without losing data?A: Normally you can’t. All the data on it will be lost. You’d better make a