A Detailed Guide: How to Format SSD With OS on It

The SSD cannot be formatted in File Explorer running Windows operating system because the "Unable to format this volume" error occurs. This MiniTool tutorial will demonstrate how to format an operating system on an SSD that is installed , including booting media via the BIOS and using a PC.

If you try to format the SSD with Windows operating system installed in Windows Explorer, you will receive the error message " Unable to format this volume ". Windows prohibits this because formatting the SSD deletes all files on the disk, including the operating system, causing the computer to fail to boot.

So, is there a way to format the SSD with the operating system installed?

Is it possible to format an SSD with Windows installed?

The answer is yes. You cannot format the C drive through File Explorer or Command Prompt while Windows is running properly, but you can format the SSD using the command line via the BIOS.

Read on for detailed steps on how to format an operating system on an SSD with the operating system installed.

How to format it on an SSD with the operating system installed?

Method 1: Use CMD

First, we show you how to format SSDs through BIOS using CMD. To use this method, you need to prepare a blank USB drive or USB drive that does not contain any important files, as this USB drive will be formatted in the next steps.

Step 1: Insert the USB drive into your computer and create a bootable USB drive using the Windows Media Creation Tool.

Step 2: Start the computer from the created bootable USB drive. In the Windows Installation window, set the language, time, and keyboard, and click Next .

Step 3: In the next window, click Repair Computer Options.

Step 4: Next, click Troubleshooter > Command Prompt .

Step 5: In the command line window, type format c: /fs: NTFS and press Enter . After executing this command, your C drive should be formatted to NTFS.

Method 2: Use MiniTool Partition Wizard

If you are not familiar with the command line, you can choose professional disk management software to complete the SSD formatting task. The MiniTool Partition Wizard is highly recommended here. This partitioning tool can help you create bootable media to boot computers without Windows so that you can format the C drive on the SSD.

How to format an SSD for Windows installed using MiniTool Partition Wizard?

Step 1: Connect a blank USB drive to your computer.

Step 2: Download, install and start MiniTool Partition Wizard Free, and click the Register button to upgrade.

Step 3: Click the bootable media icon to create a bootable USB drive. Next, boot from the burned USB drive.

Step 4: On the MiniTool PE Loader page, click the MiniTool Partition Wizard to run it.

Step 5: Right-click on the C drive and select Format Options from the context menu.

Step 6: In the new warning window, click Yes to continue.

Step 7: Set the partition label, file system, and cluster size, and click OK .

Step 8: Preview the formatting effect and click the Apply button to complete the final SSD formatting process.

Further Reading: How to Recover Data from a Formatted SSD

If you forget to back up the files before formatting the SSD, your files will be permanently deleted from your drive. In this case, if you want to recover deleted/lost files, you can seek help from the professional file recovery tool MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

It is good at retrieving documents, pictures, videos, audio files, etc. from formatted SSDs, HDDs, USB drives, SD cards, etc. In addition to disk formatting, it is also good at handling other data recovery scenarios, such as disk inaccessibility, computer black screen, partition loss, etc.

in conclusion

All in all, if you want to know how to format on an SSD with the OS installed, you can follow the above method via BIOS or using the MiniTool Partition Wizard.

By the way, if you have any issues with using MiniTool software, feel free to email.

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