Posted by Do you want to partition your hard drive on Windows 11? Depends upon the HDD or SSD size, you can create several partitions on your Windows 11 PC. All you need to use is a built-in disk management tool to resize or create a new partition. That means there is no need to install a third-party tool on your PC for partitioning your hard drive.
Partitioning of a hard disk drive is just like ABCD. That means there is no technical knowledge is required for it. Any novice person can make partitions by reading this post.
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Why is partitioning needed?
When you buy a new Windows computer or laptop, it may ship with SSD or HDD. Mostly the hard disk will have a single partition, and it isn’t easy to organize your files and folder in different categories. Single partition also has its own disadvantage. If your Windows OS got corrupt due to some reason, you have to do a lot of work to recover your data. If you have more than one or multiple partitions created on your PC, you can simply delete the Windows drive, and the rest of the stored data will be safe. That means, without any fear of data loss, you can operate your PC.
To organize your files into different categories, you might want to partition hard disks and create multiple drives. As said above, Windows 11 also comes with a default option to manage hard disks that help you to create, delete, extend, shrink and resize partitions. To partition a hard disk in Windows 11, you need to open the Disk Management tool. Let’s see in detail how partitioning on Windows 11 works.
How to Shrink a Partition in Windows 11?
As said above, when you purchase a new PC, in most cases, you will find a single drive where your OS will be installed. Suppose your computer has 2TB of hard disk; you will find a single drive “C” under “This PC.” Since your PC has a single drive that has occupied all the spaces on your computer, first, you need to free up space. To free up space on the HDD or SSD, you need to Shrink it.
Step 1. Click on the
The above action will open the “Disk Management” window.
Step 2. Right-click on the partition that you want to shrink and free up space to create a new partition. Select the
Step 3. A new pop-up window will appear. Here, next to the “Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB” option, type the size (in MB) that you want to free up from the select drive and then click on the
Step 4. Now selected volume size will be decreased, and you will see an Unallocated space next to the selected drive.
How to Create a New Partition in Windows 11?
If you see some unallocated space and disk management window or you have free up some space by shrinking any partition and want to create a new drive or partition, do the following steps:-
Step 1.Click on the
Step 2. After doing the above steps, you will see the “Disk Management” window. Right-click on Unallocated space and then select
Step 3. Click the
Step 4. In the next window, if you want, you can decrease the size of the partition by modifying its default value next to “Simple volume size in MB.” By default, Windows 11 will allocate all the free space. Once you have set the desired size of the partition, click on the
Step 5. Now, Windows will automatically assign select a free drive letter for your partition. If you wish to change, click on the “Assign the following drive letter” drop-down and pick your desired drive letter for your partition. Once done, click on the Next button.
Step 6. Click the Next button.
Step 7. Finally, click on the
Now, Windows 11 will create your new partition and format it for you. You can access your newly created drive under File Explorer or This PC.
How to Delete an Existing Partition in Windows 11?
For some reason, if you want to delete a partition or drive on Windows 11 PC, it can be performed using the Disk Management tool.
Step 1.Click on the
Step 2. After doing the above steps, you will see the “Disk Management” window. Right-click on the volume or partition you would like to remove from your PC and select the
Note: Deleting a partition will erase all the data from that drive. Make sure you have taken the backup of existing data in case you have stored some important data.
Step 3. Click on the Yes when you are prompted.
After executing the above steps, the selected drive and its data is permanently eliminated from your computer.
How to Extend an Existing Partition in Windows 11?
If you find that an existing drive or partition is running out of space or, for some reason, you want to increase its size, you can extend the space using the Disk Management tool. But this feature is available only if you have free space available after that partition or drive. Suppose you have a “G” drive that you would like to extend. Unallocated space should be just after the “G” drive; otherwise, you can not increase the “G” partition size.
Step 1.Click on the
Step 2. After doing the above steps, you will see the “Disk Management” window. Right-click on the volume or partition you would like to extend on your computer and then select the
Step 3. In the next window, click on the Yes button.
Step 4. On the next window, Windows 11 will automatically allocate all the free space next to your selected drive that you would like to extend. If you wish, enter the size according to choice next to the “Select the amount of spaced in MB” option. Once the size is entered manually, click on the
Step 5. Finally, click on the
