Disks can't be formatted

Cause

It may be because a system file such as pagefile.sys is stored in the disk that needs to be formatted and cannot be deleted.

Solution

You can use the following method to remove the restriction and then format the disk:

1. Press Win+E to enter File Explorer, right-click This PC, and go to Properties > Advanced system settings.

   

2. In the displayed System Properties window, click Advanced, click Settings under Performance, and go to Advanced > Change. Deselect Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, select the C drive and System managed size, click Set, and click OK to set Paging File Size of the C drive to System managed.

   

3. In the Performance Options window, go to Advanced > Change, select Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, and click OK.

   

4. Restart the computer and format the disk again.