Using the Disk Management tool built into Windows 10 is the simplest way to partition a hard drive. The standard tool is more than capable of creating new partitions, but you can utilise third-party software that offer more functions than the built-in utility.
This post will demonstrate how to partition a hard disc for Windows 10, but the procedures are equally transferable to Windows 8.1 because the procedure is essentially the same in both operating systems. Let’s get going!
Partitioning A Hard Drive For Windows 10 In 10 Steps
Step
Disk Management, Create And Format Hard Disk Partitions
Use the Windows search box to look for Disk Management.
Choose Hard Disk Partitions: Create and Format.
Or, you can choose Disk Management from the Windows Power User menu (Windows key + X).
Step
Select The Hard Drive You Wish To Partition
The drives will be listed. The hard drive you want to partition should be chosen. Go straight to step 5 if you want to partition a fresh drive.
You must make some space available on the drive before partitioning it if it already has files on it or is where your operating system is installed.
Choose Shrink Volume from the drop-down menu that appears when you right-click.
Step
Configure Hard Drive Before Clicking Shrink
How much space you can set up for the new partition will depend on your computer. Your computer will ask you how much space you need after determining how much space you have available.
Click Shrink to make use of the hard drive’s available space. Before choosing Shrink, enter the space in megabytes if you want to customise the partition size.
Step
Wait For The Process To Finish
Depending on how quickly your drive is, the process can take a minute.
On the lower half of the Disk Management pane, next to the matching physical disc, you will notice new unallocated space once the process is finished.
Step
Select New Simple Volume
Simply perform a right-click on the free space and choose Create Simple Volume from the menu that displays.
Step
Select Size
Follow the on-screen instructions to choose the volume size (the default size will consume all available space) and drive letter.
To make sure a drive is clear and ready for usage, it’s a good practise to format both new and used drives when making a new partition. Hence, if you have the choice, we advise you to take this action.
Step
choose File System.
Choose NTFS as the File System. ExFAT is a commonly chosen choice for portable devices.
Step
Configure Hard Drive Data
You can even include a volume label if you’d like (a name). The allocation unit size can also be left at its default value.
But if you’re short on time, choose Quick Format. A complete format is not usually necessary.
Step
Click Next repeatedly before finishing.
Continue selecting Next buttons until you reach Complete to create the volume. A new partition with its own name has now been added to your hard drive.
Now, you can view it and get to all the data on the Disk Management page.
Final Thoughts
For performance and security reasons, partitioning a hard disc is advised if you want to set up an extra operating system (like Linux) on your computer. Conversely, if you want to divide the data to make sure it is more secure in the event of corruption.
Windows 10’s hard drive partitioning feature enables you to divide your hard drives into identifiable sections that your computer may use. At least one partition on any hard drive is typically referred to as C. On a single disc, you can create additional partitions, though.
Certain third-party hard drive partition tools, or having a professional partition your drives, may be easier if you want to perform something more complicated than creating, deleting, or reducing new partitions (let’s say, cloning a drive or partition).