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Select a file system (NTFS for Windows, exFAT for Windows and Mac, etc.) and check “Quick Format.” Specify the size of the new partition and give it a drive letter.Right-click the unallocated space and click “New Simple Volume” to create a new volume.Enter how much space you want to shrink from the partition.Right-click on the external hard drive.In the search box, type “ diskmgmt.msc” and press “Enter.”.It’s like having multiple drives in one physical device. Partitioning the Drive for Use With Different Systemsīut what if you need to use the drive with multiple operating systems, such as Windows and Mac? No problem You can easily split the drive into two or more partitions, each with its own format. With that, you’ve successfully formatted your external hard drive for Windows. Once formatting is complete, a pop-up saying “Format Complete” will appear, signifying your hard drive is ready for action. FAT32 – An old but highly compatible format that almost every device in the last couple of decades could recognize.exFAT – As the jack-of-all-trades, this format is compatible with Windows (XP SP3 and later), Linux, and Mac (10.6.5 or later), making it great if you need to use the drive interchangeably between systems.NTFS – This is the default system for Windows NT systems, ideal for drives only used with Windows.In the formatting window, you will have several file system options, such as: Click “Start” and let Windows work its magic.You can also do a full format if you want to make any old data unrecoverable, but this can take a very long time. Pick a format, and check the “Quick Format” box.Right-click on the drive and select “Format.”.Connect the external hard drive and navigate to “This PC” (“My Computer” on Windows 7 and earlier), and find your external hard drive.Let’s look into the nuts and bolts of how to format your external hard drive for Windows.