- Every hard drive has at least one partition, usually called "C:," but you can make more on a single drive.
- It's safer to put your personal files on a different partition than the one the Windows 10 operating system is installed on.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
ADVERTISEMENT
How to partition a hard drive in Windows 10, and keep your most important files separate from the rest
You can partition a hard drive in Windows 10 to create dedicated portions of the hard drive that your computer will recognize separately.
Microsoft Surface 3 laptop
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
Your Windows 10 PC has a C: drive, and it contains all of your programs, word documents, photos, personal files, which may seem a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket. And if your operating system becomes corrupted, all those eggs will get smashed.
Partitioning your hard drive adds dividers into the metaphorical basket, to keep everything neater. It also means that if something corrupts the operating system, you're more likely to be able to get all your other files off safely.
You can partition the drive using Windows' default disk manager, or third-party software but we'll focus on the built-in disk manager.
ADVERTISEMENT
Make sure to back up the data on the drive you're about to partition first, just in case.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
How to partition a hard drive in Windows 10
ADVERTISEMENT
1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run utility, or search for it in the Start menu.
2. Type "diskmgmt.msc" and press "OK." You can also copy and paste that from this article into the Run utility's text field.
Screenshot_2
Ross James/Business Insider
3. A menu will appear with a list of all your hard drives. Right-click on the drive you want to partition and select "Shrink Volume."
4. You'll be asked how much you want the drive to shrink. The amount you enter will be the amount of space left for your new partition. The "total size after shrink" will be the space left in the original partition.
ADVERTISEMENT
Screenshot_3
Ross James/Business Insider
5. Still in the disk management utility, right-click the new box that appears at the bottom of the window it should say much data you shrunk, and the word "Unallocated." In the right-click menu, select "New Simple Volume."
Screenshot_4
Ross James/Business Insider
6. Follow the instructions in the New Simple Volume wizard to create the partition. This will allow you to set the partition's size, and to select the letter it will be assigned.
Screenshot_5
Ross James/Business Insider
ADVERTISEMENT
7. You may be asked which format you want the partition to be in. In nearly all cases, you should select "NTFS." In some other cases, like if you're trying to partition a USB flash drive, you'll want to pick "FAT32."
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech :
- How to restart Windows Explorer using your computer's Task Manager tool
- How to search in Windows 10 to find a file, folder, or program faster, using 2 different methods
- How to password protect a folder in Windows 10, to keep your files safe from prying eyes
- How to find the Control Panel on a Windows 10 computer in 2 ways, or access the Settings app
See Also:
ADVERTISEMENT
SEE ALSO: The best keyboards you can buy
FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
ADVERTISEMENT
Recommended articles
How SafeHamsters unlocks the potential of crypto betting| Insider Tips
A look into the diverse tax reforms being implemented across Africa
Dubai firm to lend South Sudan $12.9 billion in exchange for 20 years oil repayment
China dethrones USA as the most influential global power in Africa: Report
Major African economies expecting inflation ease into next year, except Nigeria
10 African countries with the lowest price changes in household commodities
Dangote refinery outranks Europe's 10 largest refining facilities
Africa may just have the lowest level of cyber threats compared to other regions
