Use Disk Management instead of File Explorer to format the drive, as it provides higher-level access and can bypass permission issues that commonly cause the "Windows can't format this drive. Quit any disk utilities" error.

If you're seeing the error "Windows can't format this drive. Quit any disk utilities" when trying to format a USB drive, external hard drive, or SD card on a Windows PC, it usually means that the drive is in use by another process or utility, or there’s a system-level lock preventing formatting. Here’s how to fix it step by step.

1. Close Background Programs & Disk Tools

The message suggests another program is accessing the drive.

• Close any open File Explorer windows showing the drive.
• Exit third-party disk management tools, antivirus software, backup tools, or cloud storage apps (like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive) that might be scanning the drive.
• If you’ve used tools like MiniTool Partition Wizard, EaseUS, or Rufus, close them completely.

? Tip: Restart your PC to ensure no background process is holding onto the drive.

2. Use Disk Management Instead of File Explorer

Sometimes formatting via File Explorer fails due to permission or access issues.

Steps:

1. Press Win X and select Disk Management.
2. Locate your drive in the list (check size to confirm).
3. Right-click the partition on the drive and select Format.
4. Choose NTFS or exFAT (for drives over 32GB or cross-platform use), enable Quick Format, and click OK.

This method often bypasses the "disk utilities" conflict.

3. Use DiskPart (Command-Line Tool)

DiskPart gives you full control and can remove locks or errors.

?? Warning: Be very careful — selecting the wrong drive can erase data.

Steps:

1. Press Win R, type cmd, then press Ctrl Shift Enter to run Command Prompt as admin.
2. Type the following commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

diskpart
list disk

3. Identify your drive by size (e.g., "Disk 1" is your USB).
4. Select it:

select disk 1

(Replace 1 with your actual disk number.)

5. Clean and reformat:

clean
create partition primary
format fs=exfat quick
assign
exit

Use fs=ntfs if you're only using it on Windows. Use exfat for compatibility with Mac and Linux.

This usually resolves stubborn formatting issues.

4. Check for Write Protection or Hardware Locks

Some drives have a physical write-protection switch (common on SD cards). Make sure it’s not enabled.

Also, check for software write protection:

1. Open Command Prompt as admin.
2. Run:

diskpart
list disk
select disk 1
attributes disk

If it says "Read-only: Yes", remove it with:

attributes disk clear readonly

Then go back to formatting via DiskPart or Disk Management.

5. Try Formatting on Another PC or Use Manufacturer’s Tool

If the drive still won’t format:

• Plug it into another Windows PC to test.
• Use the manufacturer’s formatting tool (e.g., SanDisk Drive Formatter, HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, or Rufus).

These tools can override system-level restrictions.

Summary of Fixes (Quick Checklist):

• ? Close all apps that might be using the drive.
• ? Restart your PC.
• ? Use Disk Management to format.
• ? Use DiskPart (clean, format) as admin.
• ? Check for physical write-protect switches.
• ? Clear read-only attribute in DiskPart.
• ? Try another PC or a manufacturer’s formatting tool.

If none of these work, the drive may be failing or corrupted at a hardware level — consider retiring it. But in most cases, DiskPart clean format resolves the issue.

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