Formatting a drive in Windows is a common task that can be accomplished using the Command Prompt (CMD). This process is useful for preparing a new drive for use or erasing all data from an existing drive to start fresh. Below, we'll guide you through the steps to format a drive using CMD, including practical examples and commands.

Examples:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

   • Press Windows + S to open the search bar, type cmd, and then right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator."

2. List Available Drives:

   • Before formatting, identify the drive you wish to format. Use the diskpart utility to list all drives.

     diskpart
     list disk

   • Note the disk number of the drive you want to format.

3. Select the Disk:

   • Replace X with the disk number you identified.

     select disk X

4. List Partitions:

   • To see the partitions on the selected disk:

     list partition

5. Select the Partition:

   • Replace Y with the partition number you wish to format.

     select partition Y

6. Format the Partition:

   • Use the format command to format the partition. You can specify the file system (e.g., NTFS, FAT32) and a label for the drive.

     format fs=ntfs label=NewDrive quick

   • The quick option performs a quick format, which is faster but does not check for bad sectors.

7. Assign a Drive Letter (Optional):

   • If you want to assign a specific drive letter:

     assign letter=Z

8. Exit Diskpart:

   • After formatting, type exit to leave the diskpart utility.

Important Notes:

• Ensure you have backed up any important data before formatting, as this process will erase all data on the selected partition.
• Be cautious when selecting the disk and partition to avoid accidental data loss.