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A solid state drive (or SSD) is a special type of drive that you can use to expand your computer’s memory. These drives are specially designed to allow you to access files much more quickly, which means they can help greatly speed up the performance of your machine.
However, before you can make use of your new solid state drive, you will need to format it, so it is compatible with your machine.
In this guide, we will give you some tips on how to safely format your SSD.
Safety Precautions To Consider Before Formatting An SSD
Formatting an SSD isn’t difficult, but you want to watch out for simple mistakes that could negatively impact the performance of your drive.
Step
Backup Your Data
If you want to reformat an old SSD to use in a new computer, then you will want to back up any files on it first. Formatting a drive will completely wipe its memory, meaning you will lose any files on it that aren’t stored elsewhere.
Backup any files that you want to keep in a separate folder, or on a different drive, before you begin the formatting process.
Step
Make Sure To Use ‘Quick Format’
Unlike other drives, you should only ever format a SSD with the quick format option. Doing a full format on an SSD may greatly diminish its lifetime and performance.
How To Format An SSD On Windows 10
Step
Type The Command ‘diskmgmt.MSC’
To format an SSD on Windows 10 you will need to open up Windows Disk Management. You can do this by opening up the CMD prompt and typing in the command ‘diskmgmt.MSC’.
Step
Create And Format Hard Disk Partitions
Alternatively, you can type the same command into the search box on your taskbar and then choose the option to ‘Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions’.
Step
Look For The SSD Drive
Once you have opened up Windows disk management, look for your SSD drive among the available hard disks. If it isn’t appearing, you may need to partition your drive before continuing to the next step.
Step
Perform A Quick Format
Right-click on your drive and select the ‘Format’ option. This will open up a new window with options for how you want to format your drive.
In the ‘Volume Label’ box, you can enter a name for your new drive. After this, click on ‘File System’ and select ‘NTFS’ from the drop-down menu, or ‘exFAT’ if you want to use your new SSD on both windows and apple operating systems.
Check the box labeled ‘Perform A Quick Format’ and press ‘Ok’ to format your drive.
How To Format An SSD On Mac OS
The process for formatting an SSD on a computer that runs on Mac OS is a little different.
Step
Open Disk Utility
From the start screen, open up ‘Disk Utility’ by using the search function in ‘Spotlight’ or by going through ‘Applications’ and opening ‘Utilities’.
Step
Enter A Name For Your Drive
Once you are in Disk Utility, click on your SSD and choose the ‘Erase’ option to wipe your drive of any existing files or file systems.
You can then enter a name for your drive and select a new file system for your SSD. Use the list below to decide which file format you should pick:
- AFPS: for all Mac computers built after 2017.
- Mac OS Extended [Journaled]: for all Mac computers built before 2017.
- ExFat: For an SSD that you want to be compatible with both Windows or Mac computers.
Step
Press The Erase Button
Once you have chosen the settings for formatting your drive, press the ‘Erase’ button again to start formatting your drive.
Conclusion
Once your drive is formatted, you will be able to use it for accessing files and software on your laptop. If you found this article helpful, then consider sharing it and checking out some of our other guides for mastering your PC.
