How to Format a CD or DVD: Step-by-Step Tutorial for Windows & Mac

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Quickly delete the data on a CD or DVD using your computer

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 29, 2024 Tested

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Using a Windows PC

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Using a Mac

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Warnings

Trying to format a CD or DVD? You can easily do so using your desktop or laptop! This wikiHow teaches you how to format a CD-RW or DVD-RW that is having problems playing or loading information using your Windows or Mac computer. You cannot format a CD-R or a DVD-R that has already been burned or otherwise written to. Note that formatting a CD will erase all files on it.

Formatting a CD-RW or DVD-RW

On Windows, open File Explorer, click This PC, select the disc, and click the Manage tab. Click Format, select your preferences, and then click Start.
On a Mac, open Finder, click the Go menu, then go to Utilities > Disk Utility. Select the disc, click Erase, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Windows PC

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1
Insert the CD-RW or DVD-RW into your computer. The CD goes into your computer's CD tray with the label facing up.
- If your computer doesn't have a CD drive, you'll have to buy an external one.
Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

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Click the folder-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the Start window.
It's a computer-shaped tab on the left side of the File Explorer window.
You'll find this grey drive icon below the "Devices and drives" heading that's in the middle of the page.
It's a tab in the upper-left side of the File Explorer window. Clicking it prompts a toolbar to appear below the Manage tab.
This icon is on the far-left side of the toolbar. It resembles a grey drive with a red, circling arrow on top of it. The Format window will open.
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Select a file system. Click the "File system" drop-down box, then click one of the following file systems. UDF stands for "Universal Disk Format", which means any of the following file systems can be used for media (such as music or movies) or for files:
- UDF 1.50 - For use on XP and older.
- UDF 2.00 - For use on XP and older.
- UDF 2.01 (default) - Usable with most current operating systems.
- UDF 2.50 - Usable with most current operating systems. Supports Blu-ray.
- UDF 2.60 (Recommended) - Usable with most current operating systems. Supports Blu-ray.
Doing so will begin formatting your CD for your selected file system.
This will complete the formatting process.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Mac

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1
Insert the CD-RW or DVD-RW into your computer. The CD goes into your computer's CD tray with the label facing up.
- Most modern Macs don't come with CD drives attached, meaning you'll need to buy an external CD drive for your Mac.
- You can't format your disc on a Mac the same way you would on a Windows computer, but you can erase and re-format it to resolve errors.
2
Click Go. This menu item is on the left side of the menu bar, which is at the top of your Mac's screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
- If you don't see this menu item, click the desktop or open Finder to force it to appear.
It's at the bottom of the Go drop-down menu.
You'll find this app, which resembles a drive with a stethoscope on it, in the Utilities folder.
Click the disc's name in the "External" section that's on the left side of the Disk Utility window.
It's at the top of the Disk Utility window. Doing so will open the disc's properties window.
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Click Completely. This option will allow you to completely erase and re-format the disc.
- You can also click Quickly here to erase the disc faster than the Completely option, though any errors you're encountering may not be resolved.
Doing so will begin erasing and reformatting your disc. Once the process is complete, you'll be able to burn music or video to your disc.

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Question

How do you clear a CD?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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You can only erase a CD-RW, not a CD-R, so first make sure that is what you are working with. For the details you'll want to check out How to Erase a CD RW.

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How do I format a DVD RW?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

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It's a similar process to formatting a CD, but a little different. Check out How to Format DVD RW for the details.

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How do I format a disc to use on a DVD player?

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Here's how to format a DVD disc: 1. Insert the DVD-RW disc into a DVD burner drive. 2. Erase the existing data. 3. Access the "Burn files to disc" window. 4. Give your disc a name. 5. Select the format you want to use. 6. Finish the formatting process. 7. Add your files to the disc.

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Tips

Using a third-party program, such as Roxio CD Creator or Nero, can simplify the CD formatting process.

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You can reformat a CD-RW as many times as you need, because the RW means re-writable.

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