When you purchase a new computer or connect a new hard drive to your computer, it typically comes with a single partition. However, it's always a good idea to have at least three partitions on your hard drive for several reasons. The more partitions you have, the larger the hard drive's capacity. Hard drive partitions are referred to as drives in Windows and usually have a letter associated with them as an indicator. Hard drive partitions can be created, reduced, or resized, among other things. We bring you a perfect guide that will teach you how to partition a hard drive in Windows 11. So, keep reading!
How to Partition a Hard Drive in Windows 11
Why Create partitions on a hard disk؟
Creating partitions on your hard drive can be useful in several ways.
- It's always best to keep your operating system and system files on a separate drive or partition. If you need to reset your computer, and if you have your operating system on a separate drive, you can save all other data simply by formatting the drive where the operating system is installed.
- Aside from the above, installing apps and games on the same drive as your operating system will eventually lead to Slow down your computer. Hence, keeping the two separate would be ideal.
- Creating sections with labels also helps organize files.
Therefore, we recommend that you partition your hard drive into multiple partitions.
How many disk partitions should be created?
The number of partitions you should create on your hard drive is determined solely by the size of the hard drive you have installed on your computer. Generally, it is recommended to create three partitions on your hard drive.
- One for Windows
- The second is for your programs like software, games, etc.
- The last section is for your personal files like documents, media, etc.
Note: If you have a small hard drive, such as 128 gigabyte or 256 gigabytes, no additional partitions should be created. This is because it is recommended that you install your operating system on a drive with a capacity of at least 120-150 gigabyte
On the other hand, if you are working with a 64-bit hard drive, 500 GB To 2 TB You can create as many hard drive partitions as you need.
To free up space on your Windows PC, you can choose to use an external drive to store most of your data instead. Read our list of the best external hard drives for PC gaming here.
How to create and modify hard drive partitions
Creating partitions on a hard drive is a systematic and straightforward process. It takes advantage of the built-in Disk Management tool. If your computer has two partitions, the File Explorer window will display two drives, each labeled with a letter.
Step 1: Shrink the partition drive to create unallocated space
To successfully create a new drive or partition, you must first shrink an existing drive to free up unallocated space. Unallocated space cannot be used on a hard drive. To create partitions, you must assign it as a new drive.
1. Click on the icon Search And type Disk Management.
2. Then click open To create and format hard disk partitions, as shown.
3. In the Disk Management window, you will find information regarding the existing disk partitions and drives installed on your computer named Disk 1 و Disk 2 etc. Click the box that represents the drive you want to shrink.
Note: The selected drive will have diagonal lines highlighting the selection.
4. Right-click the selected drive (for example, drive (D:)) and select Shrink Volume …from the context menu, as shown below.
5. In the dialog box Shrink D: Enter the size you want to detach from the current drive in megabytes (MB) and click OK. Shrink.
6. After shrinking, you will see newly created space on the disk labeled as Unallocated of the size you chose in step 5.
Step 2: Create a new drive partition from unallocated space
Here's how to partition a hard drive in Windows 11 by creating a new drive partition using unallocated space:
1. Right-click on the box labeled “Not assigned".
Note: The selected drive will have diagonal lines highlighting the selection.
2. Click New Simple Volume…from the context menu, as shown.
3. In the New Simple Volume wizard, click “Next".
4. In a window Simple Volume Size Enter the desired storage size in megabytes, and click OK. Next.
5. On the Assign Drive Letter or Path screen, choose a letter from the Assign the following drive letter drop-down list. Then, click Next , as shown.
6a. Now, you can format the partition by selecting Format the storage unit These are the following settings options.
- file system
- allocation unit size
- volume label
6b. If you do not want to format the partition, select the option Not prepared This storage unit.
7. Finally, click on “ending", as shown.
You can see the newly added partition indicated by the given letter and space as specified.
How to delete a drive to increase the size of another drive
If you feel that the system performance has slowed down or you do not need any additional partition, you can choose Delete section Also, here's how to modify a disk partition in Windows 11:
1. Click on the icon Search And type Disk Management.
2. Then select the option open To create and format hard disk partitions, as shown.
3. Select CD player which you want to delete.
Note: Make sure you have backed up the data for the drive you want to delete to a different drive.
4. Right-click the selected drive and select Delete storage unit …from the context menu.
5. Click “yes"In a wave"deleteSimple to confirm the storage unit, as shown.
6. You will see unallocated space the size of the drive you deleted.
7. Right-click the drive you want to expand and select Expand size ...as shown below.
8. Click “NextIn the Extend Storage Wizard.
9. Now, click on Next on the next screen.
10. Finally, click on “ending".
We hope you find this article interesting and helpful on how to: Partition the hard disk In Windows 11. You can submit your suggestions and questions in the comments section below. We'd love to hear from you!
