Windows could not complete formatting

If you see a message on your computer that Windows could not complete formatting, there was a problem while trying to format a storage medium. Find out how to fix this and format the disk after all in our article.

This helps when Windows cannot complete formatting

If you receive the message "Windows could not complete formatting" when you try to format a storage device under Windows, this may be due to several reasons. To format the hard disk, SSD or USB stick anyway, try to solve the problem as follows.

1. Make sure that the storage medium is properly connected to the Windows PC before you open the Run dialog by pressing the key combination of "Windows key" + "R".
2. Type the command "diskmgmt.msc" there and confirm with "Enter" to open the Disk Management.
3. Make a right-click on the name of your storage medium in the Disk Management and set a new volume name and file system.
4. Then confirm twice with "OK" and try to perform the formatting again.

More possible solutions

If the error message still occurs, try to completely delete the volume of the storage medium via Disk Management and create it again. To do this, right-click the volume you want to format again and select the "Erase Volume" option. Then right-click on the unallocated space, select "New simple volume..." and follow the wizard's further instructions.