5 Ways to Fix "Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format" (2024)

Keep getting a "Windows was unable to complete the format" error while trying to format a drive on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC? You still have multiple ways to wipe off your drive's content and format it in your preferred file system. Here's how to do that.

Method 1: Format Your Drive Using Command Prompt

When you can't format your drive with Windows' File Explorer, use Command Prompt to format your drive in your preferred format. This achieves the same result as File Explorer.

To start, plug your drive into your PC and open File Explorer. Note the letter of your drive, as you'll use it in CMD to format the drive.

Then, open the "Start" menu, find "Command Prompt", and select "Run as Administrator."

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In the "User Account Control" prompt, select "Yes."

To now format your drive in FAT32 file system, type the following command replacing A with your drive letter, then press Enter.

format /FS:FAT32 A:

To format your drive in NTFS file system, use the following command. Again, replace A with the letter of the drive you want to format:

format /FS:NTFS A:

To format your drive in exFAT format, use this command replacing A with your drive's letter:

format /FS:exFAT A:

Wait for Command Prompt to finish formatting your drive. When it's done, your drive is ready.

Related: How to Format USB Drives Larger Than 32GB With FAT32 on Windows

Method 2: Use Disk Management to Format Your Drive

Another way to format your drive when you get a "Windows was unable to complete the format" error is to use Disk Management. This is a graphical utility you can use to format drives in various file systems on your Windows PC.

To use it for your drive, open the "Start" menu, find "Disk Management", and select the utility. On the Disk Management window, right-click the drive to format and choose "Format."

On the "Format" window, configure various options for your drive, like your drive's new file system. Then, click "OK."

Disk Management will begin formatting your drive. When that's done, you can use your drive however you want.

Related: How to Format a Hard Drive or SSD on Windows 11

Method 3: Remove Write-Protection From Your Drive

If you still can't format your drive, your drive may have write protection enabled. This security feature prevents your drive's data from being erased.

In this case, turn off your drive's write-protection feature to format the drive. On most drives, you'll find a physical toggle that you can flip to enable or disable the protection. Use this toggle on your drive, disable write-protection, and then use the above methods to format your drive.

Related: How to Remove Write Protection on Windows 10

Method 4: Fix File System Errors on Your Drive

One reason you can't format your drive is that your drive has bad sectors. These file-system issues can prevent you from erasing and adding new data to your drive. In this case, use a built-in Windows option to find and fix your drive's bad sectors.

To do that, open File Explorer, right-click your drive, and choose "Properties." Select the "Tools" tab and click "Check."

Choose "Scan and Repair Drive" to find and fix file-system issues with your drive.

When your drive's issues are fixed, try to format it.

Method 5: Scan Your Computer for Viruses

Sometimes, the issue isn't with your drive but with your computer. Your PC may be infected with a virus or malware, and that item may have blocked your access to your PC's format feature.

In this case, run a full virus and malware scan on your computer and find and remove all the threats from it. You can do this using any of your antivirus programs, but if you don't have one, use Windows' built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

First, open the Windows Security app on your PC. In the app, select Virus & Threat Protection > Scan Options.

Enable the "Full Scan" option and select "Scan Now."

Wait for the antivirus to find and remove all threats from your machine. When that's done, reboot your PC and try to format your drive.

What to Do If You're Still Seeing the Format Error

If you're still getting a "Windows was unable to complete the format" error, format your drive on another device and see if that works. If your drive itself is faulty, it won't format on other devices, which suggests you need to replace your drive.

Related: How to Erase and Format a USB Drive on Your Mac

You can use an external device like a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, or even an Android phone to format your drive.

If your drive fails to format on your other devices, consider replacing it with a new SSD drive or USB drive. This is because your drive has unresolvable issues, and you can't get rid of your data on it.