Bad spots can easily be repaired by a professional repair center, but the cost is not low at all.Īll the files stored on hard drives generally occupy multiple sectors. Physical damage is another reason that could lead to storage devices being inaccessible, and therefore Windows requires formatting it. As formatting is entirely based on partition instead of unallocated space, Windows is unable to complete the format. However, you'll find there is a drive letter for it. Try to copy something to the drive, and if you see the following message "The disk is write-protected," it means that the drive is write-protected, and hence Windows will not be able to complete the format.Īnother reason that can cause this issue is that there is no partition on the hard drive, and the drive is empty.
In general, five reasons may lead to the "Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format" error in Windows 11 PC that involves:įormatting the drive is a writing operation therefore, you need to remove the write protection first before formatting the drive. In this way, you'll be able to avoid the possibility of getting such an issue. So, let's start then! What Is "Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format" Error Message?īefore we get to the possible solutions to fix the "Windows Was Unable to Complete the Format" error, we would like to present the possible reasons that could cause this error. But one critical thing to note here is that, before opting for any of the methods, make sure to recover the data from the inaccessible disks. USB flash drive or SD card can store a large amount of data into it, but there are times when you need to format these devices, but an error pops up that reads like "Windows was unable to complete the format." If you are facing a similar issue, we are here with effective quick fixes that will help you solve this issue in minutes.