How Do I Format an SSD in Windows 10?
There are two ways to format an SSD on Windows 10. The easiest is to right-click the drive in File Manager and select Format. However, this isn’t an option if the drive hasn’t been formatted yet, as it won’t show up in File Explorer. In that case, you need to format the drive using Disk Management.
Here’s how to format an SSD on Windows 10 using Disk Management:
Install your new internal SSD, or connect your new external SSD via USB. Type diskmgmt. msc in the taskbar search box, press Enter, then select Create and format hard disk partitions. Right-click the drive you want to format, and click Format. If the drive doesn’t appear, or you don’t see the Format option, that means it hasn’t been partitioned yet. In that case, partition your new drive before returning to these instructions. Next to Volume Label, enter a name for the drive. In the file system box, select NTFS. NTFS is the best option for Windows PCs. If you need to use your drive on both Windows and macOS, choose exFat. In the allocation unit size box, select Default. Remove the checkmark from Perform a quick format, and click OK. Make sure you’ve selected the correct drive, and click OK. This is your last chance to make sure you don’t format the wrong drive. Windows will format your SSD.
How Do I Format an SSD in macOS?
You format SSD drives on macOS through the Disk Utility app. If you have a new internal SSD or an SSD that wasn’t explicitly formatted for macOS, then you’ll want to format it.
Here’s how to format an SSD on macOS:
Install your new internal SSD, or connect your new external SSD via USB. Open Disk Utility, and click the SSD you want to format. Access Disk Utility by searching with Spotlight, or navigate to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Click Erase. Enter a name for the drive. Select a file system. If you don’t know which to choose, use one of these:AFPS: Use this if you have a post-2017 Mac and won’t share the drive with a Windows machineMac OS Extended (Journaled): Use this if you have a pre-2017 Mac and won’t share the drive with a Windows machineexFAT: Use this if you need to share the drive with a Windows machine. Click Erase. Wait for the process to finish, then click Done.
Do You Need to Format a New SSD?
Whether or not you need to format a new SSD depends on a handful of factors. If the drive isn’t formatted at all, then you need to format it. If the drive is formatted with the file system you want, then formatting is optional. If it’s formatted but it has the wrong file system, then you need to format it.
AFPS: Use this if you have a post-2017 Mac and won’t share the drive with a Windows machineMac OS Extended (Journaled): Use this if you have a pre-2017 Mac and won’t share the drive with a Windows machineexFAT: Use this if you need to share the drive with a Windows machine.
Internal SSDs are typically unformatted, while external SSDs are usually already formatted when you buy them. However, the drive may not be formatted with the correct file system. If you only use Macs and buy an SSD that’s formatted for use with Windows, you’ll want to format it with the AFPS file structure, even if it’s already pre-formatted.
