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How to initialize your SSD for Windows®

Posted on  20-March-2020 | Updated 22-August-2025 in SSD support - Articles and FAQ

You may have noticed when first installing a new computer storage drive that Windows will not automatically detect the new drive. A newly installed solid state drive (SSD) will need to be initialized and partitioned before you can put it to use. This process typically includes assigning the storage drive a letter and name before being partitioned and initialized. 

A finger holds down one end of a Crucial T500 NVMe SSD installed in the M.2 slot on a motherboard.

The difference between initializing, partitioning and formatting

Initializing, partitioning and formatting are all similar terms and seem like they’re all the same process at a quick glance. Each of the three are separate processes involved in managing storage drives on your computer. Let’s break each one down by its purpose.  

  • Initialize: prepares a drive for use by an operating system. This typically involves setting up a partition table and is done before the partition and format steps 
  • Partition: divides the physical disk into partitions (or volumes), each of which can be treated as a separate drive. You can create multiple partitions on one disk and each partition can be formatted with a different file system 
  • Format: sets up a file system (NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, APFS) on a partition so the OS can store and retrieve data 

Steps to initialize an SSD for Windows

It’s not necessary to follow the steps below if you’re performing a clean Windows installation or cloning to the SSD.   

Note: If you simply need to format or reformat a drive, only follow steps 5 - 9 if your SSD has been previously initialized.   

  1. Connect the SSD as a secondary drive. 
  2. On Windows 10/11, right-click the Windows Start icon on the taskbar and select Disk Management. 
  3. Right-click the drive you want to initialize and select Initialize Disk.  
  4. In the window that appears, select GUID Partition Table (GPT) and click OK.  
    • MBR (Master Boot Record) is best for certain legacy software compatibility.
    • GPT is better for modern systems with UEFI firmware and higher capacity storage devices 
  5. Right-click in the Unallocated area and select New Simple Volume. 
  6. The New Simple Volume Wizard will open. Click Next. 
  7. Leave the Specify Volume Size as the maximum (default value) and click Next. 
  8. Select a Drive Letter and click Next. 
  9. In the Format Partition screen, enter a volume label (drive name) and click Next.   

Your drive is now formatted and ready for use. 

How to change a drive letter

Note: Changing the drive letter of a drive with Windows or installed apps can cause them to malfunction or become inaccessible. Use caution when changing a drive letter.   

  1. Open Disk Management and expand the Storage section.  
  2. Locate the applicable volume, right-click it and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. 
  3. Click Change in the pop-up window.  
  4. Select Assign the following drive letter, select a letter from the dropdown and click OK.  
  5. Click Yes to complete the process.  

FAQs

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