How to Format Seagate One Touch HDD or SSD: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Seagate One Touch HDDs and SSDs (Seagate One Touch external hard drive, Seagate One Touch SSD and Seagate One Touch Hub) are popular external storage devices known for their reliability and portability. However, whether you've just purchased a new one or need to erase an existing drive, formatting is often necessary.

Formatting a Seagate One Touch drive can help:

• Optimize it for specific operating systems (Windows, Mac, or both).
• Resolve file system corruption issues.
• Prepare it for specific use cases like gaming consoles or media storage.
• Delete all sensitive data before you sell or donate it.

This guide covers everything you need to know about formatting Seagate One Touch HDDs and SSDs on Windows and Mac, choosing the right file system, troubleshooting issues, and more.

💡 Note: Before format or wipe your Seagate One Touch drive, ensure you have backed up important files to another drive. Formatting deletes everything from the drive.

How to Format Seagate One Touch HDD/SSD on Windows?

Here are three easy methods for formatting a Seagate One Touch drive on Windows PC:

Method 1. Format Your Seagate One Touch Drive Via File Explorer

Step 1. Connect your Seagate One Touch external hard drive or SSD to your Windows PC.

Step 2. Open File Explorer (Win + E).

Step 3. Right-click on the Seagate drive and select Format.

Step 4. Choose a File System:

• NTFS for Windows-only use.
• exFAT for cross-platform compatibility.
• FAT32 for legacy support (small files only).

Uncheck "Quick Format" if you want a full format (slower but better for error-checking).

Step 5. Click Start, then OK to confirm.

Method 2. Format Your Seagate One Touch Drive Using Disk Management

If File Explorer doesn't work or you need to manage partitions, use Disk Management:

Step 1. Choose Disk Management after pressing Win + X.

Step 2. Locate your Seagate One Touch drive.

Step 3. Right-click the drive and choose Format.

Step 4. Choose a file system for the drive. Select Perform a quick format if you want to quickly format the Seagate One Touch drive.

Step 5. Click OK to start reformatting the drive.

Note:

• If the drive is not initialized, just right-click the drive and choose Initialize Disk.
• If the disk space is unallocated, just right-click the space and choose New Simple Volume to create a new volume on the Seagate One Touch drive.

Method 3. Use Command Prompt to Format Your Seagate One Touch Drive

For advanced users, DiskPart can help when the drive doesn't show up properly.

Step 1. In Windows search box, type cmd and press Enter, then select the Command Prompt, run it as administrator.

Step 2. Type:

diskpart
list disk
select disk X (Replace X with your Seagate drive number)
clean
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick (Replace ntfs with exfat or fat32 as needed)
assign
Exit

This method is helpful when dealing with corrupted drives.

How to Format Seagate One Touch HDD/SSD on Mac?

You can use Disk Utility or Terminal to help you format a Seagate One Touch drive on your Mac.

Method 1. Use Disk Utility to Format Your Seagate One Touch Drive

Step 1. Connect your Seagate One Touch drive to your Mac.

Step 2. Open Disk Utility (Search via Spotlight or go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).

Step 3. Select your Seagate drive from the left panel.

Step 4. Click Erase at the top.

Step 5. Choose a file system:

• APFS for modern macOS (not Windows-compatible).
• Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for older macOS versions.
• ExFAT for Windows & Mac compatibility.

Step 6. Click Erase and wait for the process to finish.

Method 2. Use Terminal to Format Your Seagate One Touch Drive

For users comfortable with the command line:

Step 1. Open Terminal (Command + Space > Type "Terminal").

Step 2. Type:

diskutil list
diskutil eraseDisk APFS Seagate /dev/diskX

(Change APFS to ExFAT or HFS+, replace Seagate with the new name of the drive, replace X with your disk number, such as 4)

Step 3. Wait for the process to complete.

Choose a Right File System for Your Seagate One Touch HDD or SSD

Before formatting, it's crucial to choose the right file system, as it determines how the drive interacts with different devices. Here's a breakdown of common file systems:

▪️ NTFS (New Technology File System)

• Best for Windows-only environments.
• Offers security features like file permissions.
• Supports large files (over 4GB).
• Not fully compatible with macOS (read-only without third-party drivers).

▪️ exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)

• Best for cross-platform compatibility (Windows and Mac).
• Supports large files and modern storage needs.
• Ideal for external drives used with multiple devices.

▪️ FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32-bit)

• Universal compatibility (Windows, Mac, Linux, gaming consoles, etc.).
• 4GB file size limit (not ideal for large files).
• Best for older devices or smaller storage needs.

▪️ APFS (Apple File System) / Mac OS Extended (HFS+)

• APFS is best for Mac computers running macOS High Sierra or later.
• Mac OS Extended (HFS+) is suitable for older macOS versions.
• Neither is compatible with Windows without third-party software.

Format Seagate One Touch for Specific Use Cases

▪️ Formatting for Windows-only Use

• NTFS is recommended.
• Mac will require third-party drivers to write to it.

▪️ Formatting for Mac-only Use

• APFS for modern macOS.
• Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for older macOS.

▪️ Formatting for Windows & Mac Compatibility

• exFAT is the best choice.

▪️ Formatting for Gaming Consoles (PS5, Xbox, etc.)

• exFAT (for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S).
• FAT32 (for older consoles like PS3).

Please note that the formatted data is not lost for good. Data recovery software can easily recover lost data from a formatted Seagate One Touch drive.

Step 1. Download and install Donemax Data Recovery on your computer and connect the Seagate One Touch drive to your computer.

Step 2. Open Donemax Data Recovery, then select the formatted Seagate One Touch drive to start data recovery.

Step 3. Click on Scan button. Donemax Data Recovery will deeply scan the formatted Seagate One Touch drive and find all recoverable files.

Step 4. After scan, you can preview the found files. Then select the wanted files, click on Recover button to save them.

How to Wipe a Seagate One Touch Drive Before Selling or Donating the Drive?

Formatting deletes everything from your Seagate One Touch drive. However, data recovery software can easily recover deleted/formatted or lost data from the drive. Before you sell or donate your old Seagate One Touch drive, you'd better permanently wipe all private data from the drive.

Donemax Data Eraser is a powerful disk wipe program. It can help you securely wipe the Seagate One Touch drive and permanently erase all data, making data recovery be impossible. Just choose a data erasure standard for secure erasure (such as HMG Infosec Standard 5, NIST 800-88, Peter Gutmann's algorithm, DoD 5220.22-M, U.S. Army AR380-19, DoD 5220.22-M ECE)

Step 1. Download and install Donemax Data Eraser on your computer.

Step 2. Open Donemax Data Eraser, choose Erase Hard Drive mode.

Step 3. Select the Seagate One Touch drive, click on Erase Now button to securely and permanently erase all data from the drive.

Conclusion

Formatting your Seagate One Touch HDD or SSD is simple once you understand the different file systems and methods. Here's a quick recap:

• Windows users should use NTFS (Windows-only) or exFAT (cross-platform).
• Mac users should use APFS (modern macOS) or exFAT (cross-platform).
• For gaming consoles, use exFAT or FAT32 (older consoles).

Before formatting, always back up important data to avoid accidental loss. If you encounter issues, tools like Disk Management, Disk Utility, or DiskPart can help resolve them.

Now that you know how to format your Seagate One Touch HDD or SSD, you're ready to optimize your drive for the best performance!

💡 Note: If you are going to sell or give your Seagate One Touch drive to others, you can use disk wipe software - such as Donemax Data Eraser to wipe the drive. Once the data is erased by Donemax Data Eraser, the data is lost for good, cannot be recovered by any method.

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