How Long Does It Take to Format a 1 TB External Hard Drive?

I want to format a 1TB external hard drive. And I google how long it takes and am now under the impression this is a long project, though I'd still have to do it anyways. In your experience, how long can this take? And can you offer me a solid way to do this? Thanks.

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Roxanne· Answered on Oct 29, 2024

Depending on the external hard drive storage capacity and format method, formatting a 1TB external hard disk can take a few minutes to several hours.

  • It would take about 20 minutes to perform a quick format on a 1TB external hard drive.
  • The full format on the external hard drive could take up to 1 hour.

In addition, the speed of the computer or device being used, the kind of file system being utilized, and the number of bad sectors or other problems on the hard drive are all variables that might affect formatting time. However, you can choose the proper tool and refer to the detailed instructions to shorten the formatting time.

Regarding the reliable tool for formatting external hard drives, EaseUS Partition Master, is a professional disk format software that is also good at disk partition management, including resizing, deleting, merging, and creating partitions. With the help of its free Format feature, you can spend less time on disk formatting. Moreover, you can experience its fantastic interface, which is friendly to computer beginners. Download and explore more about EaseUS Partition Master.

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Steps to format a 1 TB external hard drive via EaseUS Partition Master:

Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the external hard drive partition you plan to format, and choose "Format."

Step 2. Adjust the Partition label, File system, and Cluster size, then click "OK."

Step 3. If you see a warning window. Click "Yes" to confirm.

Step 4. Click the "Execute 1 Task" button and then "Apply" to start the format process.

If you are familiar with this tool, you can also use Disk Management of Windows to format your external hard drive. Refer to the simple guide below:

Further Reading: Format an External Hard Drive with Disk Management

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