How to Cancel an Ongoing Format in Windows 11 When Unable to Stop -

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Have you ever encountered the problem that Windows fails to stop formatting when you regret doing it? Don't worry about losing your data. On this page, you will find 3 practical methods that can help you immediately stop the formatting process and recover lost files with a formatting recovery tool:

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Viable Solutions Step-by-step troubleshooting Solution 1: Use DiskPart Run Command Prompt as an administrator > Type diskpart > list disk > select disk X > offline disk...Full Steps Solution 2: Use Disk Management Open Disk Management > Right-click the disk you want to format > Select "Offline"...Full Steps Solution 3: Use File Explorer If formatting started in File Explorer, click the "Cancel" button to stop it...Full Steps Solution 4: Recover Formatted Data Run a data recovery wizard tool > Scan the formatted hard drive > Recover some lost data...Full Steps

How to cancel a currently ongoing format

"Hello, I have an issue with my WD Elements external hard drive. I'm trying to format it using Diskpart on Windows. However, after entering the command [format fs=ntfs], the process has been stuck for two hours and is only 12% complete! Can I interrupt the formatting and start over? It seems that Windows can't safely unformat it. Please help!"

When encountering some common hard drive issues, such as hard drive very slow suddenly, unable to open the hard drive normally, or bad sectors on the hard drive, people usually think formatting the hard drive is a good option. Microsoft Windows provides several ways to format internal hard drives and some external USB flash drives in File Explorer, Disk Management, and Command Prompt.

The time it takes to format a storage drive depends on how much is stored on it, usually ranging from a few seconds to hours. However, sometimes, people get stuck in the formatting process for an extended period, like more than 24 hours, and they need to stop the formatting urgently. When the hard drive formatting takes too long, two concerns may arise. Will stopping the formatting halfway damage the hard drive? What if Windows fails to cancel the formatting even after closing the formatting window?

How to Completely Unformat a Hard Drive in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7

There are different ways you can go about doing this. The most effective way to truly unformat is to set the hard drive you're formatting offline through Diskpart or Disk Management.

Method 1: Unformat with Diskpart

Step 1: Run the Windows Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: In the window, type the following commands in order: diskpart > list disk > select disk X > offline disk.

Step 3: Formatting is now canceled. Proceed to the Online Disk to use it.

How to Cancel Formatting via Diskpart

Method 2: Unformat through Disk Management

Step 1: Right-click on "This PC" and select "Manage."

Step 2: Enter “Disk Management”.

Step 3: Right-click the drive you want to format and select “Offline.” To bring the drive back online for use, right-click it again and select “Online.” (You can also choose “Cancel Format.”)

How to cancel formatting in Disk Management

Method 3: Format through File Explorer

If you started the formatting process through the Windows File Explorer, you would see a formatting window with a “Cancel” button. You could click this to stop the formatting. If that doesn't work, use one of the above two methods to cancel the format, which should definitely do the trick.

How to Recover Data from a Formatted Hard Drive

The risk involved here is that once the formatting begins, interrupting it carries a risk. If you stop the process in the middle, especially after it has been going on for some time, you end up with an inaccessible hard drive that appears as RAW drive.

For those who forget to back up the hard drive before formatting and then cancel the formatting, you can download and use Data Recovery Wizard to recover data from a partially formatted hard drive. Let this professional Data Recovery Wizard tool help you retrieve all the deleted data from the uncompleted formatted hard drive.

Note: To ensure a higher chance of data recovery, do not install the data recovery tool on the formatted disk.

Step 1: Launch AOMEI OneKey Recovery Wizard. Select the partition where you accidentally formatted and click “Scan”.

Select a drive and click “Scan”.

Step 2: The software will start scanning all the lost data and files. After the scan, you can click "Filter" to filter specific file types to quickly find the needed files. Or you can click "Search File or Folder" to select the data you want to recover.

Step 3: Preview the scanned files. Select the files you want to recover and click on “Recover.” Choose a new location to save your files and then click “OK.”