Partitioning your onerous drive makes managing the working system, information, and file codecs of every partition simpler. For instance, you possibly can set up Windows 11/10 on one partition and retailer motion pictures or music on one other. When you don’t need these motion pictures, you possibly can instantly format the present partition, which is not going to hurt your system and related knowledge on the opposite partition.
However, how to partition a hard drive? This article gives two methods with step-by-step guides for you.
How to Partition a Hard Drive?
Partitioning a tough drive in Windows just isn’t tough. This part will present you two disk partition instruments: Disk Management and EaseUS Partition Master. If you’re a newbie, EaseUS Partition Master is a better possibility.
Way 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master
EaseUS Partition Master is knowledgeable disk partition instrument. Its superior partitioning options can help you partition new and outdated disks for one of the best disk use. It is properly suitable with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP. Its clear interface and well timed prompts make it simple to make use of, even for inexperienced persons. You can partition exterior and inner onerous drives in just some easy clicks.
To make your partitioning course of smoother, learn the word earlier than beginning.
Note: If your disk is new, it should show as unallocated in EaseUS Partition Master. In this case, you must initialize your disk to MBR or GPT earlier than partitioning it, as proven in Guide 1. If you wish to partition an current onerous disk, skip to Guide 2.
Guide 1. Partition a New Hard Disk
Before partitioning the brand new disk, we have to initialize it. Here are the directions:
Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Partition Master on Windows and navigate to the “Partition Manager” part.
Step 2. Right-click the brand new onerous disk (proven as Unallocated) and select “Initialize to GPT” or “Initialize to MBR,” relying in your wants.
Note: If your new onerous drive is 2 TB or bigger, choose GPT. If it’s lower than 2 TB, select MBR.
Step 3. Click “Execute 1 Task(s)” after which “Apply.” Wait till the initialization completes.
Step 4. EaseUS Partition Master will reload the interface, and a brand new window will seem. Click “Partition this disk” and click on “Proceed” to proceed.
Step 5. Set the variety of partitions that should be created. You can settle for the default settings offered by EaseUS Partition Master. When completed, click on Continue.
Step 6. Click “Execute 1 Task(s)” after which apply to partition the brand new disk.
This is easy methods to carry out a tough disk partitioning on a brand new disk. Compared with Windows built-in instruments, EaseUS Partition Master can create a number of partitions without delay.
It can even partition outdated onerous drives. Let’s proceed.
Guide 2. Perform Disk Partitioning on an Existing Disk
In this information, we’ll present you easy methods to use EaseUS Partition Master to partition an current disk and create new partitions from the present partitions.
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master and go to the Partition Manager part.
Step 2. Right-click the partition with enough disk area and choose “Resize and move.” Then, drag the dots to set the partition dimension.
Step 3. Click “OK” to proceed. You will see the unallocated area in your disk. Right-click on it and choose “Create.”
Step 4. Set the file system, drive letter, and partition dimension on this window. Click “OK” and choose “Execute 1 Task(s).”
EaseUS Partition Master just isn’t solely a disk partitioning instrument, it additionally splits onerous drives into two partitions, comparable to dividing the C drive into D and E, extends C drive area from D drive, allocates more room to the C drive, and so forth. It’s a really perfect partition supervisor for Windows customers.
Way 2. Use Disk Management
Disk Management can also be a partition supervisor inbuilt to Windows. It can partition onerous drives and create or modify a partition. Here is easy methods to partition onerous disks utilizing Disk Management.
Guide 1. Partition New Hard Drive Using Disk Management
The first information applies to a brand new onerous drive. If your onerous drive is new, comply with the steps under to initialize the brand new disk and create partitions, or skip to Guide 2.
Step 1. To open Disk Management, right-click the Windows icon and choose Disk Management. Or sort “create and format disk partitions” within the search field and click on “Open.”
Step 2. If your disk is new, a window will pop up and ask you to initialize your disk to MBR or GPT. Typically, in case your disk is bigger than 2 TB, we advise GPT; select what you want in case your disk is not more than 2 TB.
Step 3. After that, the disk will probably be unavailable till partitions are created. To do that, right-click the unallocated disk and choose “New Simple Volume.” Follow the wizard to set the amount dimension, drive letter, and file system. Finally, click on Finish.
Note:
However, Disk Management doesn’t can help you set a partition to the ext 2/3/4 file system. If you must, flip to EaseUS Partition Master.
You can see a partition in your onerous drive and retailer knowledge now. However, what in case your disk just isn’t new? How to partition an outdated onerous drive with current partitions? Let’s proceed.
Guide 2. Shrink Existing Partition to Create New One
When there isn’t any unallocated area on the onerous drive, shrinking the present quantity is a fast answer. Here is easy methods to partition a tough drive from shrinking a quantity:
Step 1. Right-click the goal partition in Disk Management and select “Shrink Volume.” In this window, Set the quantity of area to shrink and click on “Shrink” to get unallocated area first.
Step 2. Right-click the unallocated area and choose the “New Simple Volume” possibility. Follow the wizard to set the Simple Volume Size, assign a drive letter, and choose the file system for the brand new quantity.
Step 3. Ensure the field beside the “Perform a quick format” is ticked. Click “Next” and “Finish” to proceed.
The information above applies to partitioning a disk with out unallocated area. If there may be enough unallocated area, you possibly can create a partition from unallocated or unpartitioned area with these steps:
- Right-click This PC and select Manage.
- Click and open Disk Management.
- Select the disk from which you wish to partition.
- Right-click the unpartitioned/unallocated area within the backside pane and choose New Simple Volume.
- Again, enter the scale and click on subsequent, and you’re accomplished.
This is easy methods to use Disk Management to partition a tough drive. However, Windows can solely carry out primary partition administration after creating the partition; for instance, chances are you’ll encounter the “extend volume gray out” error in Disk Management when the unallocated area and the goal partition are non-adjacent. In this case, free disk partition administration software program, EaseUS Partition Master, can assist.
Conclusion
A partition is a digital portion of a tough drive; the pc working system treats every partition as a separate storage space and assigns it a drive letter. We advocate customers create a number of partitions on the disk. Partitioning an HDD or SSD permits optimum area utilization of the onerous drive. Disk partitioning can carry the next advantages:
- Keep your knowledge secure: Separate working system knowledge and private knowledge
- Use a number of techniques on the identical time: set up Windows 10, Windows 11, or different on totally different partitions
- Convenient to again up knowledge: you possibly can create a partition particularly for backing up system/program knowledge/private information
This article gives two disk partition instruments with two final guides to onerous drive partitioning for Windows 10/11/8.1/8/7/XP. EaseUS Partition Master is dependable and makes disk partitioning and administration simpler.