Summary:Do you want to create or modify a hard disk partition? Read this blog for help on how to partition a hard drive in Windows 10. You can also recover data from deleted or formatted drive partitions using reliable data recovery software like Stellar Data Recovery for Windows. Download the trial version below!
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- How to partition hard disk in Windows 10?
- Final note
Typically, a hard disk comes with a single interleaved storage memory that you can logically divide into separate partitions. People often partition a hard drive to organize or manage their data into multiple volumes of virtual drives.
Partitioning a hard drive is undoubtedly a great way to make the most of all the space you have. You can create, reduce, enlarge, format or even delete hard drive data in Windows 10. And it's very easy.But be careful! If you get it wrong, you could end up losing your data forever..
Of course, you don't want that to happen. So, before you start, back up your essential data to avoid data loss. You can use an external storage media drive such as SSD, HDD, USB, etc. to create the backup.
Once the job is done, start partitioning your hard drive with easy DIY methods shared in this blog.
How to partition hard disk in Windows 10?
A. Steps to Create a Hard Drive Partition
You can create a new partition by shrinking an existing one. However, it may appear as 'Unassigned'. You can convert unallocated disk space into a healthy usable partition with the following steps:
a. Locate the unallocated disk space, right-click and selectnew simple volume. (View image 1)
b.Click Next on the New Simple Volume Wizard.
C.Now specify the size of the volume you want to create or accept the default size. Then click Next. (See image 2)
d. Now, assign a drive letter to the hard disk partition from the drop-down list and click onNext. (See picture 3)
mi.Now select 'Format this volume with the following settings:' to chooseNTFSoREFSwith other details and clickNext. (See Image 4)
F.finally clickfinalizeto successfully partition a hard drive.
grama.A new hard disk partition is ready to use.
B. Steps to Shrink a Hard Drive Partition
Suppose you need an additional partition to manage your data, but you don't have any additional disks. In that case, you can shrink the existing partition from the end of the volume to create an "unallocated" disk, which can then be created as a new partition. Follow the given steps to shrink an existing disk volume:
a.PressWindows + Rto open theRundialog box, type 'diskmgmt.msc'and click 'ACCORDINGLY'or pressTo enterto open Disk Management. (See image 5)
b.Hedisk managementA window will open with a list of all hard drives connected to your system.
C.Right-click on the hard drive you want to partition and select'Shrink'of the available options. (See image 6)
d.Now, enter the amount of space to shrink in MB and click onShrink. (View image 7)
mi.The space will appear as "Unallocated" in Disk Management. Now make it a functional hard drive partition.
C. Steps to Extend a Hard Drive Partition
If you want to add more space to an existing disk partition, you can extend it, but only if there is a partition available with storage but no assigned drive letter or file system. Follow the given steps to extend a volume into the space directly after the partition on the drive:
Note: The partition you want to extend must also be formatted with NTFS or ReFS file system.
a.Open Disk Management with administrator rights.
b.Select the volume to which you want to add more space and click 'Expand volume...'. (See image 8)
C.give a clickNextand then onselect the diskswizard, enter the size you want to enlarge or use the default size and clickNext. (See picture 9)
d.give a clickfinalizeto complete the process and close the wizard.
D. Steps to Delete Hard Drive Partition
Sometimes you may want to increase the size of another disk volume or get rid of partitions that are no longer in use. To do this, you can clean up storage by deleting the hard disk partition.
Important note:Deleting the drive volume can erase all data stored on it. If there are important files that you want to save, first backup or recover them using reliable data recovery software. Once you have your files, you can delete the hard drive volume.
Follow the steps indicated:
a.OpenDisk Management and select the drive volume you want to delete.
b.Right-click the volume and clickDelete volume. (See picture 10)
C.give a clickSimto delete the partition.
d.Once that's done, you can use the available storage space to create a new disk partition or extend the existing partition to add more storage to it.
E. Steps to format hard drive partition
You may encounter various disk errors with your hard drive such as 'You must format the disk in the drive before using it.,''SMART Hard Disk Error: 301, ''I/O error', etc. And to fix this error, you can format the drive. Formatting the drive can help to get rid of this error but it will eventually cause data loss. You can recover lost data using efficient data recovery software.
To format the drive volume, follow the given steps:
a.OrDisk Management, find the disk partition you want to format.
b.Right-click the volume and chooseFormathe.(See Image 11)
C.now clickOK > OKagain to complete the process.
d.When the process is complete, close the window.
Remember, after formatting the drive you will end up losing data. We recommend using powerful data recovery software such as Star Data Recovery for Windows.
This DIY data recovery tool can help you recover all your files, folders etc from all data loss scenarios like deletion, drive formatting, corruption and more. You can refer to the video to know how to recover data from deleted, formatted or deleted disk partitions:
[Careful: Do not save recovered files to the exact location or drive to avoid overwriting data. Always choose a separate storage drive or partition to save files, folders, photos, etc. restored]
Final note
Undoubtedly, creating or modifying your hard disk partitions helps you to manage your files, folders, photos, videos and much more. But before partitioning a hard drive, please backup your data first so as not to lose access to your data.
If you forgot to back up your files, don't worry. You can use efficient data recovery software likeStar Data Recovery for Windows. This DIY software can recover data from deleted, formatted or even corrupted hard drive partitions.
About the author
Mansi
Mansi Verma is a technology writer atStellar®. She is a technology enthusiast with more than 7 years of experience in data recovery, IoT, artificial intelligence and robotics technology domain. He loves researching and providing DIY solutions and tips and tricks to solve Windows technical issues. In his spare time he likes to read novels and poetry. He also enjoys traveling and trekking.
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Very efficient data recovery software. This DIY software can recover data from deleted, formatted or even corrupted hard drive partitions.
respondents
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Hi Mason,
Thanks for the answer. Much appreciated.respondents
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Hello Mansi,
I formatted my hard drive and lost some of the crucial data. Will Stellar Data Recovery help me recover my data? Please help me.respondents
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hello no,
Don't worry, you can use efficient Stellar Data Recovery for Windows data recovery software. Yes, this DIY software can recover data from deleted, formatted or even damaged hard drive partitions.respondents
(Video) Windows 10- How To partition Hard Drives [new volume/shrink/extend/delete]
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FAQs
How do I shrink and extend a partition in Windows 10? ›
Begin -> Right click Computer -> Manage. Locate Disk Management under Store on the left, and click to select Disk Management. Right click the partition you want to cut, and choose Shrink Volume. Tune a size on the right of Enter the amount of space to shrink.
How do I shrink and extend a partition? ›- Right-click Computer and select Manage.
- Double-click Storage.
- Double-click Disk Management.
- In the list, right-click the partition to expand and select Extend Volume.
- Follow the prompts to resize the partition and click Finish. ...
- Close the Computer Management window.
Solutions for Not Enough Space Available on the Disk
In most of the cases, you can simply right click on disk management and select Rescan Disks under Action tab to fix this problem. After the partitions and volumes are reloaded, you will be able to shrink the volume.
Windows won't let you shrink the volume because there are immovable system files at the very end of the volume, like page file, hibernation file, or system volume information folder. The fix is to temporarily disable hibernation, the Paging file, as well as the System Restore feature.
Why can I not extend my C drive? ›Make sure you have free or unallocated space on your computer. Make the unallocated space adjacent to the target partition: Unallocated space is not immediately behind the disk partition you need to extend, so that partition cannot be extended. And the Extend volume option will be greyed out.
How do I force a partition to extend? ›To extend a partition:
At a command prompt, type diskpart. At the DISKPART prompt, type select disk 0 (Selects the disk.) At the DISKPART prompt, type select volume 0 (Selects the volume.) At the DISKPART prompt, type extend (If you do not set a size, then diskpart will use all available space on the disk.)