How to Fix “Windows Could Not Complete The Format” Error

In this article, you will find the reasons why the error message “Windows could not complete the format” appears and learn the solutions. best ways to solve this problem for all Windows users for their drives USB and SD cards.

So, finish this article till the end and format your external drives with ease. Before getting to the solution, look at the reasons why Windows fails to forma tear usb drives, memory cards, hard drives and other storage devices storage.

You can also read: Solution: “These Files Cannot Be Opened Error In Windows 10”

Why Windows fails to format USB drives, flash drives, and hard drives

There are many reasons for this problem, some of which are listed below. Let's go through them one by one:

• Virus infection: This is one of the main reasons that can easily damage your storage device. If your storage device is damaged or infected by a virus, the data stored on it will get corrupted and many operations like reading data or formatting will not be able to be performed.
• Bad sector on storage devices: Storage devices have small sectors, which are the smallest unit of data storage. Bad sectors mean that the sector is damaged and read and write operations cannot be performed. Therefore, the presence of a bad sector can be one of the reasons why Windows cannot format a drive.
• Damaged media: Another reason is physical damage that makes the data on the media inaccessible. A computer may fail to format a storage medium if it is unusable due to physical damage, for example, a faulty circuit or chip, etc.
• Write-protected storage devices: If the storage device is write-protected, you may get the error message “The disk is write-protected.” Remove the write protection or use a different drive when trying to transfer files from this drive. You should know that formatting is a type of writing operation, so you should remove the write protection from the SD card.

So, here are some of the most common reasons why Windows cannot format a storage device. Fortunately, there are some solutions that can help you get rid of the error. "Windows could not complete the format."

How to Fix “Windows Could Not Complete The Format” Error on SD Cards and USB Drives

If you are unable to properly format storage media such as memory cards, USB flash drives, USB flash drives, and SD cards, Please try the following solution to resolve the issue.

1. Formatting via disk management

The first method you can use to resolve the “Windows format failed” error is the Disk Management tool. Here are the simple steps to format the device using Disk Management.

• Starts with connect the storage device to the system that you want to format.
• Right click on “This PC” >> Click on “Manage” >> select Disk Management.
• Locate the external drive and right click >> select Format.
• Here you set the file system (FAT32 o NTFS) for the hard drive >> Select “Quick Format” >> Click “OK” to continue.

However, if there are any partitions on the drive, they must be deleted before proceeding.

2. When using Diskpart to recover Windows, the format failed.

Another solution you can use to try to fix a USB format in Windows is to use the command line commands Diskpart. Follow these steps to format the memory card using Diskpart:

• Right click on the Windows icon.
• In the search box, write Symbol of the system.
• Then right click on Command Prompt >> select “Run as administrator”.
• Now, in the command prompt, type disk part and press Enter.
• Now enter the following command lines in DiskPart, one by one, and Press Enter after each command
  • LIST OF ALBUMS
  • Select hard drive 2 (you must replace the number 2 with the number of your hard drive).
  • LIST OF VOLUMES
  • Select volume 10 (you must replace the number 10 with the volume number)
  • Format fs = ntfs quick (if you want to format the drive to exFAT or FAT32, replace NTFS with exFAT, FAT32, etc.).
• Finally, type exit >> Press Enter to close the program after DiskPart informs you that the volume formatting is complete.

3. Format in safe mode and solve the problem of “Windows could not complete the format”

If the above two methods do not work, try to format the memory card or the USB drive in safe modeTo start your computer in safe mode, follow these steps:

• Simply Click on the Start menu, then go to Settings.
• Select Update & Security >> Restore.
• Next, go to Advanced Startup and click Restart now.
• Your computer will restart and a “Choose an option” screen will appear.
• Click on Troubleshooting and then Advanced Options.
• In step 6, click Startup Settings and then click Restart.
• After rebooting the system, press the «F4» key to start the computer in safe mode.

Once the computer has booted into safe mode, follow the same steps and reformat the storage device.

4. Check and fix hard drive errors

In this solution, I will show you how to fix Windows if USB drive formatting fails using Hard Disk Checker.

Follow these instructions:

• Firstly, open file explorer and connect the drive to your computer.
• Then right click on the problematic device >> select Properties.
• Under “Tools,” click “Check for errors” >> then “Scan.”
• Then Select the scanning device if the problem is detected. At this point, wait for the process to complete.
• Finally, right click on the device and complete the format using File Explorer.

5. Remove write protection

Sometimes Windows will display a “Windows could not complete the format” error message if the drive is write-protected. Some memory cards and USB flash drives have a write-protect switch.

Firstly, Check if it has such a switch and make sure it is unlocked. The first thing you can do to disable write protection in Windows is:

• Firstly, click the Start button, type gpedit.msc in the search box, and then press the Enter key.
• Then Select “Administrative Templates” in “Computer Configuration” and then click “System.”
• Here select access to removable media.
• Now find the removable media in the list that appears: Deny write access.
• Then select “Deactivate” of the three options that appear.
• Then click “Apply” and restart Windows.

NOTE: If the system reboots with the new settings, try formatting the device.

6. Remove viruses and complete the format

If your memory card, hard drive or USB flash drive is infected with malware or virus and you can't format the drive, antivirus storage software can help. Learn how to use antivirus software here:

• Connect a storage device, such as an SD card or USB flash drive, to Windows.
• In the second step, run antivirus software on your computer and select a target drive to remove any existing malware or viruses.
• Next, try to format the device using the Disk manager, Windows File Manager, Diskpart or other formatting programs.

7. Repair a corrupted sector that prevents formatting the storage device

This usually happens when damaged sectors on the storage device prevent it from being formatted. In this situation, repair and recover sd card with corrupted sectors or another device executing the command DCM:

Try the following and then run the chkdsk command to fix the fact that Windows cannot properly format the USB storage device.

Run CHKDSK to recover bad sectors

• First enter cmd in the search box.
• Next, right click on the command line and select “Run as administrator”.
• Next, type chkdsk E: /f /r /xy hit enter (replace E with the letter of your storage drive).

Format the storage device for reuse.

• Firstly, open file explorer, locate the damaged hard drive and right-click it.
• Select Format >> Restore file system as FAT32 or NTFS.
• Now Check the “Quick Format” box >> Click on “Start”.

Recover data from media after formatting

After formatting a damaged media, all data on it will be lost. However, if you have a backup, you can recover these items from it.

If you don't have a backup, the only thing you can do to recover data from an external storage device is Use hard drive recovery softwareUsing external storage data recovery software, you can recover your data:

1. Recover media files from media that cannot be formatted due to “Windows formatting failed to complete formatting” error.
2. Recover deleted, lost, formatted or virus-infected media files such as photos, videos and audio files from memory cards, hard drives, external hard drives and USB flash drives.
3. The software is read-only, 100% clean, safe and easy to use.

Just download and install this SCHEDULE on your Windows operating system or Mac and then follow the step-by-step instructions. In this way, you can easily recover data from formatted hard drives.

Download for Windows

Download for Mac

Why can't I format my flash drive?

There are many reasons why you cannot format a flash drive. These are some of the main reasons and any of them could be the reason why I cannot format my flash drive.

• virus infection
• Bad sectors on flash drive.
• Physical damage to the flash drive
• Incompatibility issues
• If the drive is write protected, etc.

How can I prevent Windows from not completing the formatting process?

You can use Disk Management or Diskpart to troubleshoot Windows not completing the formatting process. Note: Step-by-step instructions for Disk Manager and Diskpart can be found in the previous section of this post.

How do I get Windows 10 to format my hard drive?

You can format your hard drive To format Windows 10 with Disk Management, follow these steps:

• First connect the hard drive to your computer.
• Then right click on Start >> select Disk Management.
• Select the hard drive you want to format >> right click on it.
• Select the format.

Conclusion

So, here are the best solutions to help you solve your formatting problem WindowsIf you are facing the error of not formatting your USB hard drive or memory card, these solutions will also help you.

You can try these solutions one by one or try them all to see which one works best for you. We are confident that these solutions will solve the problem. when Windows does not format the hard drive completely.

You can also read: Fix: “The Drive Is Not A Valid Backup Location”