What is the difference between Quick Format and Full Format?
When you right click on a drive, you will see an option called Format. When you select it, a window opens allowing you to format the drive. The default value is Full Format. An option to select quick format is also available. In this post, we will try to explain the difference between Quick format and full format in short.
Quick format vs full format
A Quick format will rebuild the file system, volume name, and cluster size.
A Full format will delete the files, rebuild the file system, volume name, cluster size and scan the partition for bad sectors. Since Windows Vista, a full format writes zeros in all data sectors.
By default in Windows Vista and later, the format command writes zeros to the entire disk when complete formatting is performed, says Microsoft.
Storage devices such as the hard drive and SSD must have tracks and sectors so that data can be written to it. The addresses of the different data sets are stored in the file allocation table. If you create a new file, the storage devices store it in different sectors and write its address in the file allocation table. Operating systems must have access to these file allocation tables to function (read and write data).
When you quickly format a drive, it simply deletes the file allocation table and creates a new blank one. Thus, the addresses of all data on the drive are deleted. Data on disk continues to remain until the computer rewrites other data in its sectors. That’s all. Quick formatting means deleting and creating a new file allocation table so that the storage drive can be reused. This gives an air of freshness but the old data remains until it is overwritten. If they are not already overwritten, people can find out what was stored there, using one of the data recovery tools.
Like the Quick Format method, the Full Format method also deletes and creates a new file allocation table. Before doing this, it checks all sectors to see if there are any bad sectors. If found, it notes its address so that data is not stored on this bad sector.
What is low-level formatting
People often confuse low level formatting with fast formatting. Quick Format is intended to create a new file allocation table. Nothing more. Low-level formatting is done by manufacturers before shipping new storage devices. Low-level formatting creates tracks and sectors that will then be used for quick and complete formatting.
PS: The term File Allocation Table that I used in this post is not exactly the FAT and FAT32 system. I used it as a general phrase so that even novice users could understand. Windows 10, 8.1, 8 and 7 use the NTFS format to store information about files.
POINT: If you need to erase the drive, use third-party software to erase the storage devices. There are many on the Internet. Some of them are also free. This way you will be safer when erasing data.