How to Format Disk without Losing Data?

Can I Change a Drive Format without Data Loss?

What Does Formatting Do?

Formatting a drive is the process of preparing it to store data by setting up a file system. It essentially tells your computer how to organize and manage files on the disk.

• Sets up a file system: Common file systems include NTFS, FAT32, and exFAT on Windows. The file system determines how files are stored, named, and accessed.
• Erases existing data (usually): On a "quick format," the files aren’t immediately erasedand they’re just hidden. On a "full format", the data is overwritten, which makes recovery harder.
• Prepares the drive for a fresh start: A formatted drive behaves like a new storage device, ready to store files efficiently.

How to Format Disk Without Losing Data?

As mentioned earlier, formatting usually deletes all data on a drive. If you want to format a drive without losing files, you need to take precautions or use specialized tools. Here are two reliable methods:

Method 1. Make A Backup before Formatting Disk

Best for: Drives that are healthy, accessible, and not in RAW state.

Before you format a drive, the safest way to protect your data is to create a complete backup. If your drive is in a healthy state and can be accessed normally, Windows 10 and 11 provides a built-in tool called File History that allows you to back up your important files quickly and efficiently.

By using File History, you can ensure that all critical documents, photos, videos, and other files are securely copied to another storage device before performing a format. This method is ideal if you want to format a drive without losing data, because it eliminates the risk of accidental file loss.

Step 1: Connect your drive to your Windows PC and make sure it is recognized and accessible.

Step 2: Enable File History by pressing "Win + S", typing "File History", and selecting "Backup settings". In the opened window, toggle "Automatically back up my files" to "ON" to activate File History.

Step 3: Click "Add a drive" and select the backup drive as the destination for your backup.

Step 4: Choose the folders you want to back up, then click "More options" and select "Back up now" to create a full backup of your important files.

Step 5: Verify the backup by opening the backup drive and ensuring that all your important files have been successfully copied.

After confirming the backup, go to This PC, right-click the drive you want to format, and select "Format". Choose the desired file system, such as NTFS or exFAT, and start the formatting process.

Once the format is complete, copy the files back from the backup drive to the original drive. Your files are now safely restored, and the drive has been reformatted without any data loss.

Method 2. Perform Recovery After Formatting Disk

Best for: Drives that are RAW, inaccessible, or when you forgot to back up before formatting.

In some cases, drives may be in RAW status or otherwise inaccessible, making it impossible to create a backup before formatting. Additionally, when you try to access the drive in Windows File Explorer, you may see the message: "You need to format the disk in drive X before you can use it."

Thus, you have to directly format the disk. But don’t worry since you can still format the drive without losing data by recovering files from the RAW or inaccessible drive after format. To handle with such difficulte data recovery task, it is wise to apply a professional tool like MyRecover.

Step 1: Install MyRecover on a different drive from the one you want to recover. This ensures that no data is overwritten on the formatted drive.

Step 2: Open MyRecover, select the drive you formatted, and click "Scan". The software will perform a deep scan to locate all recoverable files.

Step 3: Preview the scanned files and select the ones you want to recoverand click "Recover".

Step 4: Choose a safe location on a different drive.

Step 5: Verify the recovery by checking that all important files have been successfully restored.

Bonus Tip for Exceptional Cases (FAT32 to NTFS)

Usually, changing disk format from one to another will erase the data. However, this is an exception: change drive from FAT32 to NTFS. Namely, if you have a healthy, accessible drive formatted as FAT32 and want to switch to NTFS, there is a way to finish it without wiping inside data: using Windows built-in "convert"command.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt with administrative privileges. Press "Win + S", type "cmd", right-click "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2: Identify the drive letter of the FAT32 drive you want to convert. For example, if the drive is "I:", you will use that in the command.

Step 3: Enter the command: convert I: /fs:ntfs

Replace "I:" with the actual drive letter of your FAT32 drive. Press "Enter".

Wait for the conversion to complete. The command will convert the file system or formatting the USB drive, SD card or other storage device from FAT32 to NTFS while keeping your data intact. Please remember you cannot use the similar convert command to change NTFS back to FAT32 without losing data.

Summary

No matter you just want to switch a file system, or repair the corrupted or unreadable disk by force formatting, you can format disk without losing data by either creating a prior backup or using data recovery methods. Additionally, in exceptional cases such as converting a FAT32 drive to NTFS, you can even change the file system without wiping any data using the built-in Windows convert command.