Diskpart:
Format a Hard Drive Using the Command Prompt
Formatting a hard drive or SSD is the same as buying a new hard drive
since the process erases all the data in one fell swoop. When you format
your hard drive, you can clean internal as well as external storage media.
In this tutorial, we explain how you can format a hard drive using the
command prompt. Before proceeding further, make sure you backup all available
data to prevent data loss. Follow the steps below to format a drive:
STEP 1: Open Command Prompt As Administrator
Opening the command prompt.
Search for command prompt, right click and run as Administrator.
STEP 2: Use Diskpart
Using diskpart
Once command line is open, type 'diskpart' and press Enter.
STEP 3: Type List Disk
Using list disk
The above command will open a Diskpart window. In this window, type
'list disk' and press Enter. It will list all the available drives.
STEP 4: Select the Drive to Format
Formatting a drive.
Now type 'select disk (disk number)' as shown above. Specify the drive
number which needs to be formatted.
STEP 5: Clean the Disk
Using the clean function.
In this step, type 'clean'. This command will permanent delete all files and
folders, and successfully clean up the disk.
STEP 6: Create Partition Primary
Creating primary partition.
To make the drive again accessible, type 'create partition primary'.
STEP 7: Format the Drive
Formatting a drive.
Now format the drive with FAT or NTFS file system. Type 'format fs=ntfs'
and press Enter.
STEP 8: Assign a Drive Letter
Assigning a drive letter.
To assign a drive letter, you can type 'assign' as shown below.
Mount drive with DiskPart
Alternatively, you can also accomplish the task using DiskPart with these
steps:
1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the**
Run as administrator** option.
3. Type the following command to start the tool and press Enter:
diskpart
4. Type the following command to list all the available volumes and
press Enter:
list volume
5. Confirm the volume you want to mount.
6. Type the following command to select the drive and press Enter:
select volume VOLUME-NUMBER
In the command, replace VOLUME-NUMBER with the number of the
drive (volume) you want to mount.
For example, this command selects volume number four:
select volume 4
Source: Windows Central
7. Type the following command to mount the drive on Windows 10 and
press Enter:
assign letter DRIVE-LETTER
In the command, replace DRIVE-LETTER with the letter you want to
mount and access the storage.
For example, this command mounts the drive and assigns the e drive
letter:
assign letter e
How to unmount drive on Windows 10
Unmount drive with DiskPart
You can also dismount a drive with DiskPart using these steps:
1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the**
Run as administrator** option.
3. Type the following command to start the tool and press Enter:
diskpart
4. Type the following command to list all the available volumes and
press Enter:
list volume
5. Confirm the volume you want to unmount.
6. Type the following command to select the drive and press Enter:
select volume VOLUME-NUMBER
In the command, replace VOLUME-NUMBER with the number of the
drive (volume) you want to mount.
For example, this command selects volume number four:
select volume 4
Source: Windows Central
7. Type the following command to unmount the drive on Windows 10 and
press Enter:
remove letter DRIVE-LETTER
In the command, replace DRIVE-LETTER with the letter of the storage
you want to unmount.
For example, this command dismounts the e drive:
remove letter e
