Quick Navigation:
- What Causes Windows Unable to Complete Format Error?
- Fix Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Error on Windows 10/11
- How to Recover Data from “Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format” Flash drive?
Encountering the ‘Windows unable to complete the format’ error while trying to format a USB or SD card can be frustrating, as it prevents you from formatting or accessing the drive. This issue can occur for various reasons. Here are some common causes:
What Causes Windows Unable to Complete Format Error?
Here are a few reasons why Windows was unable to format the drive:
Physical Write Protection: Physical lock switch that could be locking the device against writing. If this switch is in the ‘locked’ position, Windows cannot format the drive.
Bad Sectors: A drive containing bad sectors can prevent it from being formatted successfully.
Corrupted File System: If the file system on the drive is corrupt, there will be an error in formatting.
Insufficient Permissions: Permission issues can prevent the format process causing Windows unable to format disk error.
Malware or Virus Infection: Malicious software can interfere with formatting. Malware can also cause file system corruption or create persistent data that prevents formatting.
Fix Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format Error on Windows 10/11
- Check for Lock or Physical Write Protection
- Verify the Read-Only Status
- Command Prompt (Diskpart)
- Scan for Disk Errors
- Check for Viruses and Malware
Solution 1: Check for Lock or Physical Write Protection
Check the position of the physical switch and ensure it is set to ‘unlock.’ Then, try formatting the drive again to see if the Windows unable to complete the format issue persists.
Solution 2:Veirfy the Read-Only Status
Check if the drive attribute is in a read-only state this could be causing Windows was unable to complete the format, to fix this:
- Open Disk Management > Right-click the drive > select Properties
- Uncheck Read-only (if it’s checked)
- Click Apply and OK.
Now format the drive
- Right-click on the drive and choose Format
- Choose either NEFS or exFAT file system and click on OK
Solution 3: Command Prompt (Diskpart)
- Open Command Prompt as Administrator
- Type diskpart and press Enter.
- Type list disk to view all connected disks and find the disk number of the drive showing the error.
- Type select disk X (replace X with your drive’s number).
- Type clean to erase all data and partitions from the drive.
- Then type create partition primary, followed by Enter.
- Next, type format fs=ntfs (or format fs=fat32) and press Enter.
- Once complete, type exit to close Diskpart.
Solution 4: Scan for Disk Errors
Use the built-in tool to fix the drive errors that cause Windows was unable to complete the format, here are the steps:
Open File Explorer> right-click on the drive >Properties > Tools > Check
Once the checking is completed, check if the write-protected USB is fixed by formatting it.
Solution 5: Check for Viruses and Malware
Malware and viruses can prevent drives from formatting. Use your antivirus software to perform a full system scan and try formatting the USB drive.
If you cannot format the USB or SD card even after trying the above solutions then it is recommended to recover data from the drive (If there is important data), using data recovery software like SFWare Data Recovery Software.
How to Recover Data from “Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format” Flash drive?
Though there are several freeware, We recommend trying SFware Data Recovery Software as it is efficient in recovering data from corrupt drives easily in a few clicks.
Additional Features:
- Free preview
- 24/7 Support
- Works offline
- No sign-up required
Step 1: Launch the tool, select the SD card or USB, and click on Start Scan.
Step 2: After quick scan completion, check the folders (Deleted Files and Lost and Found Files) for the drive data.
Step 3: Choose the data that you wish to recover.
(Use search box and Filter options to make it easy)
Step 4: Double-click to Preview the files.
Step 5: Select the folders and files and click on Save to restore them on your device.
NOTE: Save the recovered files in a new location to ensure the safety of the files.
Conclusion:
We hope this article helped you fix the Windows was unable to complete the format issue, if you notice any severe physical damages on your SD card or USB drive you can try Profession data recovery services to retrieve the data.
In case the drive is relatively new and is malfunctioning, consider reaching out to the manufacturer for a warranty claim or return.
Frequently Asked Questions
1: How to fix Windows’ unable to complete the format using CMD?
Using the command prompt (CMD) you can fix the issue Windows was unable to complete the format error. You can first fix the bad sectors using CHKDSK D: /f/r/x commands and format the drive or directly by giving the command Format D: /fs:NTFS.
2: How do I fix a USB drive that won’t format?
To resolve the USB drive that won’t format issue:
-
- Verify if the USB drive is write-protected
- Check if the USB drive is affected from virus and make use of an Antivirus
- Try using the command prompt to format the USB drive
- Make use of Disk Management to format the USB drive
3: Why can’t I format the USB on Windows?
Windows stops the formatting process due to many reasons. One of the most common reasons is drive being write-protected and bad sectors on the drive. Try to switch off the lock to format Disk protected USB. and use command prompt or scan and repair utility to fix bad sectors on the drive.
