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Format-Volume
- Module:
- Storage Module
Formats one or more existing volumes or a new volume on an existing partition.
Syntax
ByDriveLetter (Default)
Format-Volume
[-DriveLetter] <Char[]>
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
ById
Format-Volume
-ObjectId <String[]>
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
ByPaths
Format-Volume
-Path <String[]>
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
ByLabel
Format-Volume
-FileSystemLabel <String[]>
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
ByPartition
Format-Volume
[-Partition <CimInstance>]
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
InputObject (cdxml)
Format-Volume
-InputObject <CimInstance[]>
[-FileSystem <String>]
[-NewFileSystemLabel <String>]
[-AllocationUnitSize <UInt32>]
[-Full]
[-Force]
[-Compress]
[-ShortFileNameSupport <Boolean>]
[-SetIntegrityStreams <Boolean>]
[-UseLargeFRS]
[-DisableHeatGathering]
[-IsDAX <Boolean>]
[-DevDrive]
[-CimSession <CimSession[]>]
[-ThrottleLimit <Int32>]
[-AsJob]
[-WhatIf]
[-Confirm]
[<CommonParameters>]
Description
The Format-Volume cmdlet formats one or more existing volumes, or a new volume on an existing partition. This cmdlet returns the object representing the volume that was just formatted, with all properties updated to reflect the format operation.
To create a new volume, use this cmdlet in conjunction with the Initialize-Disk and New-Partition cmdlets.
Examples
Example 1: Quick format
PS C:\>Format-Volume -DriveLetter D
This example performs a format of the D volume.
Example 2: Full format using FAT32
PS C:\>Format-Volume -DriveLetter D -FileSystem FAT32 -Full -Force
This example performs a full format of the D volume using the FAT32 file system.
Example 3: Format all D drives across a cluster
PS C:\> Get-Volume -DriveLetter D
DriveLetter FileSystemLabel FileSystem DriveType HealthStatus OperationalStatus SizeRemaining Size
----------- --------------- ---------- --------- ------------ ----------------- ------------- ----
D Server1 NTFS Fixed Healthy OK 126.76 GB 126.87 GB
D Server2 NTFS Fixed Healthy OK 126.76 GB 126.87 GB
PS C:\> Format-Volume -DriveLetter D
DriveLetter FileSystemLabel FileSystem DriveType HealthStatus OperationalStatus SizeRemaining Size
----------- --------------- ---------- --------- ------------ ----------------- ------------- ----
D NTFS Fixed Healthy OK 126.76 GB 126.87 GB
D NTFS Fixed Healthy OK 126.76 GB 126.87 GB
Be careful, if using this cmdlet on a Windows Cluster, it would format all drives returned by the Get-Volume cmdlet.
Example 4: Full format using NTFS and allocation size 8192
PS C:\> Format-Volume -DriveLetter D -FileSystem NTFS -AllocationUnitSize 8192
This example performs a full format of the D volume using the NTFS file system and allocation size 8192.
Parameters
-AllocationUnitSize
Specifies the allocation unit size to use when formatting the volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | UInt32 |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
| Aliases: | ClusterSize |
Parameter sets
-AsJob
Runs the cmdlet as a background job. Use this parameter to run commands that take a long time to complete.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-CimSession
Runs the cmdlet in a remote session or on a remote computer. Enter a computer name or a session object, such as the output of a New-CimSession or Get-CimSession cmdlet. The default is the current session on the local computer.
Parameter properties
| Type: | CimSession[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
| Aliases: | Session |
Parameter sets
-Compress
Enables compression on all files and folders created on the specified NTFS volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | False |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
| Aliases: | cf |
Parameter sets
-DevDrive
Formats the volume as a dev drive. A dev drive is optimized for performance of developer scenarios and gives administators control over what minifilters are attached to the volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | False |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-DisableHeatGathering
Indicates that the cmdlet does not gather file activity on the specified tiered volume. You can override file placement based on the desired storage tier. This parameter is only valid for tiered volumes.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-DriveLetter
Specifies the drive letter of the volume to format.
Parameter properties
| Type: | Char[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-FileSystem
Specifies the file system with which to format the volume. The acceptable values for this parameter are:NTFS, ReFS, exFAT, FAT32, and FAT.
Parameter properties
| Type: | String |
| Default value: | None |
| Accepted values: | FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, ReFS |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-FileSystemLabel
Specifies the label to use for the volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | String[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-Force
Specifies the override switch.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-Full
Performs a full format. A full format writes to every sector of the disk, takes much longer to perform than the default (quick) format, and is not recommended on storage that is thinly provisioned.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-InputObject
Specifies the input object that is used in a pipeline command.
Parameter properties
| Type: | CimInstance[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-IsDAX
Formats a volume as a DirectAccess (DAX) volume.
DAX provides applications with direct access and byte-addressability options via memory mapping on storage class memory (SCM) devices, such as NVDIMM-N.
If you do not specify the IsDAX parameter, the cmdlet defaults to a regular, non-DAX volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | Boolean |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-NewFileSystemLabel
Specifies a new label to use for the volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | String |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-ObjectId
Specifies the ID of the volume to format.
Parameter properties
| Type: | String[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
| Aliases: | Id |
Parameter sets
-Partition
Specifies the partition object on which to create the new volume. Enter a Partition CIM object, which is exposed by the Get-Partition and New-Partition cmdlets.
Parameter properties
| Type: | CimInstance |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-Path
Specifies the path of the volume to format.
Parameter properties
| Type: | String[] |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-SetIntegrityStreams
Enables integrity streams on the volume to be formatted.
Parameter properties
| Type: | Boolean |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-ShortFileNameSupport
Specifies that support for short file names should be enabled on this volume.
Parameter properties
| Type: | Boolean |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-ThrottleLimit
Specifies the maximum number of concurrent operations that can be established to run the cmdlet.
If this parameter is omitted or a value of 0 is entered, then Windows PowerShell® calculates an optimum throttle limit for the cmdlet based on the number of CIM cmdlets that are running on the computer.
The throttle limit applies only to the current cmdlet, not to the session or to the computer.
Parameter properties
| Type: | Int32 |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-UseLargeFRS
Specifies that large File Record Segment (FRS) should be used.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | None |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
Parameter sets
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.
NOTE: The WhatIf switch does not work with this cmdlet.
Parameter properties
| Type: | SwitchParameter |
| Default value: | False |
| Supports wildcards: | False |
| DontShow: | False |
| Aliases: | wi |
Parameter sets
CommonParameters
This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, -InformationAction, -InformationVariable, -OutBuffer, -OutVariable, -PipelineVariable, -ProgressAction, -Verbose, -WarningAction, and -WarningVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters.
Inputs
CimInstance
You can use the pipeline operator to pass an MSFT_Volume object to the InputObject parameter.
CimInstance
You can use the pipeline operator to pass an MSFT_Partition object to the Partition parameter.
Outputs
CimInstance
This cmdlet returns an object that represents the newly formatted volume.
Notes
- Be careful, if using this cmdlet on a Windows Cluster, it would format all drives returned by the Get-Volume cmdlet.
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