Search
  • For Individuals
      « Back
    • Windows Data Recovery

      Recovers lost or deleted Office documents, emails, presentations & multimedia files.

      Free Standard Professional Premium

    • Mac Data Recovery

      Recovers deleted files, photos, videos etc. on Mac.

      Free Standard Professional Premium

    • Photo Recovery

      Recover photos, videos, & audio files from all cameras and storage on Windows or Mac.

      Free Standard Professional Premium

    • Video Repair
    • Photo Repair
    • iPhone Data Recovery
  • For Business
      « Back
    • Email Repair & Converter

      Repair for Exchange Converter for EDB Converter for OST Converter for NSF Converter for OST MBOX Repair for Outlook

    • Database & File Repair

      Repair for MS SQL Repair for Access Repair for QuickBooks Software Repair for Excel Extractor for Windows Backup Repair for MySQL

    • Data Recovery & Erasure

      Data Recovery Professional Data Recovery Technician Mac Recovery for Technician Virtual Machine Recovery File Erasure Software Mobile Erasure Drive Erasure File Eraser Software File Eraser Software for Mac

    • Toolkit

      Exchange Toolkit Outlook Toolkit File Repair Toolkit MS SQL Toolkit Data Recovery Toolkit

    • Forensic

      Email Forensic Exchange Auditor Log Analyzer for MySQL Log Analyzer for MS SQL

  • Store
  • Partners
  • Services
  • Offers
  • Support

 

  • For Individuals
    DIY software for anyone who works with data.

    Windows Data Recovery Recovers lost or deleted Office documents, emails, presentations & multimedia files

    Free Standard Professional Premium

    Mac Data Recovery Especially for Mac users to recover deleted documents and multimedia files from macOS

    Free Standard Professional Premium

    Video Repair Windows Mac Repair multiple corrupt videos in one go. Supports MP4, MOV & other formats.

    StandardPremium

    Photo Recovery Windows Mac Recover photos, videos, & audio files from all cameras and storage on Windows or Mac.

    Standard Professional Premium

    iPhone Data Recovery Windows Mac Recover deleted photos, videos, contacts, messages etc. directly from iPhone & iPad

    Recover Erase Toolkit

    Photo Repair Windows Mac Repair multiple corrupt photos in one go. Supports JPEG & other formats.

    Standard Professional Premium


  • For Business
    • Email Repair
    • Email Converter
    • File Repair
    • Data Recovery & Erasure
    • Toolkit
    • Forensic

    Exchange Repair Repair corrupt EDB file & export mailboxes to Live Exchange or Office 365

    Outlook PST Repair Repair corrupt PST & recover all mailbox items including deleted emails & contacts

    OLM Repair Repair Outlook for Mac (OLM) 2011 & 2016 backup files & recover all mailbox items

    Exchange Toolkit Repair EDB & Exchange backup file to restore mailboxes, convert OST to PST, & convert EDB to PST

    Active Directory Repair Repair corrupt Active Directory database (Ntds.dit file) & extract all objects in original form

    EDB to PST Convert online & offline EDB file & extract all mailbox items including Public Folders in PST

    OST to PST Convert inaccessible OST file & extract all mailbox items including deleted emails in PST

    NSF to PST Convert IBM Notes NSF file & export all mailbox items including emails & attachments to PST

    MBOX to PST Convert MBOX file of Thunderbird, Entourage & other clients, & export mailbox data to PST

    OLM to PST Convert Outlook for Mac Data File (OLM) & export all mailbox data to PST in original form

    GroupWise to PST Convert GroupWise mail & export all mailbox items - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST

    EML to PST Convert Windows Live Mail (EML) file & export mailbox data - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST

    Office 365 to PST Connect to Office 365 account & export mailbox data to PST and various other formats

    DBX to PST Convert Outlook Express (DBX) file & export all mailbox data - emails, attachments, etc. - to PST

    SQL Repair Repair corrupt .mdf & .ndf files and recover all database components in original form

    Access Repair Repair corrupt .ACCDB and .MDB files & recover all records & objects in a new database

    QuickBooks Repair Repair corrupt QuickBooks® data file & recover all file components in original form

    MySQL Repair Repair MyISAM & InnoDB tables and recover all objects - keys, views, tables, triggers, etc.

    Excel Repair Repair corrupt Excel (.XLS & .XLSX) files and recover tables, charts, chart sheet, etc.

    BKF Repair Repair corrupt backup (BKF, ZIP, VHDX and .FD) files and restore complete data

    Database Converter Interconvert MS SQL, MySQL, SQLite, and SQL Anywhere database files

    PowerPoint Repair Repair corrupt PPT files and restore tables, header, footer, & charts, etc. like new

    File Repair Toolkit Repair corrupt Excel, PowerPoint, Word & PDF files & restore data to original form

    Data Recovery Windows Mac Recover lost or deleted data from HDD, SSD, external USB drive, RAID & more.

    Technician Toolkit

    Tape Data Recovery Retrives data from all types and capacities of tape drives including LTO 1, LTO 2, LTO 3, & others.

    Virtual Machine Recovery Recover documents, multimedia files, and database files from any virtual machine

    File Erasure Permanently wipe files and folders, and erase traces of apps and Internet activity.

    Standard Corporate

    Mobile Erasure Certified and permanent data erasure software for iPhones, iPads, & Android devices

    Drive Erasure Certified and permanent data erasure software for HDD, SSD, & other storage media Windows Mac

    Exchange Toolkit 5-in-1 software toolkit to recover Exchange database, convert EDB to PST, convert OST to PST, restore Exchange backup, and reset Windows Server password.

    Outlook Toolkit Comprehensive software suite to repair PST files, merge PST files, eliminate duplicate emails, compact PST files, and recover lost or forgotten Outlook passwords.

    File Repair Toolkit Powerful file repair utility to fix corrupt Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents created in Microsoft Office. It also repairs corrupt PDF files and recovers all objects.

    MS SQL Toolkit 5-in-1 software toolkit to repair corrupt SQL database, restore database from corrupt backup, reset database password, analyze SQL logs, & interconvert databases.

    Data Recovery Toolkit Software helps to recovers deleted data from Windows, Mac and Linux storage devices. Also supports recovery from RAIDs & Virtual Drives.

    Email Forensic Advanced email forensic solution for cyber experts to audit, analyze, or investigate emails & gather evidences.

    Exchange Auditor Exchange Server monitoring solution to automate audits, scans and generate reports ìn real-time.

    Log Analyzer for MySQL Analyze forensic details of MySQL server database log files such as Redo, General Query, and Binary Log.

    Log Analyzer for MS SQL Track & analyze MS SQL Server database transactions log files.

    Email Forensic
    STELLAR EMAIL FORENSIC

    Advanced email forensic tool to analyze and collect the mailbox data of email clients

    Learn More arrow


    All Products arrow

    All Products arrow

    All Products arrow

    All Products arrow

  • Our Partners
  • Lab Services
  • microphone-icon-android

    Trending Searches

    Data Recovery

    Photo Recovery

    Video Repair

    iPhone Data Recovery

    File Erasure Software

    Exchange Repair

    OST to PST

    PST Repair

    Raid Recovery

    MS SQL Repair

  • English Deutsch Français Nederlands Italiano Español 日本語 简体中文
  • Support
Windows Data Recovery - Standard 6 minute read

How to Create, Shrink, Extend or Delete a Hard Drive Partition on Windows 10

Updated on December 8th, 2021
Mansi Verma
Written By
Mansi Verma
Rohit Arora
Approved By
Rohit Arora

Summary: Do you want to create or modify a hard drive partition? Read this blog to get help on how to partition a hard drive on Windows 10. You may also recover data from formatted or deleted drive partitions using reliable data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery for Windows. Download the trial version below!

How to Create, Shrink, Extend or Delete a Hard Drive Partition on Windows 10

Contents

  • How to Partition Hard Drive in Windows 10?
    • A. Steps to Create Partition of Hard Drive
    • B. Steps to Shrink a Hard Drive Partition
    • C. Steps to Extend a Hard Drive Partition
    • D. Steps to Delete Hard Drive Partition
    • E. Steps to Format Hard Drive Partition
  • EndNote

Usually, a Hard Drive comes with a single collated storage memory that you may logically divide into separate partitions. People usually partition a hard drive to organize or manage their data into multiple virtual drive volumes.

Partitioning a hard drive is undoubtedly a great way to make the most of all the space you’ve got. You can Create, Shrink, Extend, Format, or even Delete the hard drive data on Windows 10. And, it’s pretty easy. But careful! If you do it wrong, you may end up losing your data forever.

Of course, you don’t want that to happen. So before getting started, take backup of your essential data to prevent data loss. You can use an external storage media drive, such as SSD, HDD, USB, etc., to create the backup.

Once the job’s done, start partitioning your hard drive with the easy DIY methods shared in this blog.

How to Partition Hard Drive in Windows 10?

A. Steps to Create Partition of Hard Drive

You can create a new partition by shrinking an existing one. However, it may appear as ‘Unallocated.’ You may convert unallocated disk space into a healthy useable partition with the following steps:

   a. Locate the unallocated disk space, right-click on it, and select New Simple Volume. (See Image 1)

Select New Simple Volume to Create Partition
Image 1: Select ‘New Simple Volume’ to create a partition on the hard drive

   b. Click Next in the New Simple Volume Wizard.
   c. Now, specify the volume size you want to create or accept the default size. Then, click Next. (See Image 2)

 Specify Volume Size
Image 2: Specify the volume size

   d. Now, assign a drive letter to the hard drive partition from the drop-down list, and click Next. (See Image 3)

 Assign Drive Letter
Image 3: Assign the drive a letter

  e. Now, select ‘Format this volume with the following settings:’ choose NTFS or ReFS with other details, and click Next. (See Image 4)

Format the Hard Drive with NTFS
Image 4: Format the hard drive with the NTFS file system

  f. Finally, click Finish to partition a hard drive successfully.

  g. A new hard drive partition is ready to use.

B. Steps to Shrink a Hard Drive Partition

Suppose you need an extra partition to manage your data but don’t have any additional disks. In this case, you may shrink the existing partition from the end of the volume to create an ‘Unallocated’ disk, which can be created as a new partition. Follow the given steps to shrink an existing drive volume:

  a. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box, type ‘diskmgmt.msc’ and click ‘OK’ or press Enter to open Disk Management. (See Image 5)

Type diskmgmt
Image 5: Type ‘diskmgmt.msc’ in the Run dialog box to open Disk Management

  b. The Disk Management window will open with a list of all the hard drives connected to your system.

  c. Right-click on the hard drive you want to partition and select ‘Shrink’ from the available options. (See Image 6)

Click on Drive to Partition and Shrink
Image 6: Right-click on the drive you want to partition and shrink it

  d. Now, enter the amount of space to shrink in MB and click Shrink. (See Image 7)

Allocate Space to Partition and shrink
Image 7: Allocate the amount of space to the partition and proceed to shrink it.

  e. Space will appear as ‘Unallocated’ in the Disk Management. Now, convert it into a functioning hard drive partition.

C. Steps to Extend a Hard Drive Partition

If you want to add more space to an existing drive partition, you can extend it, but only if there is a partition available with storage but no drive letter or file system assigned to it. Follow the given steps to extend a volume into space directly after the partition on the drive:

Note: The partition you want to extend should also be formatted with the NTFS or ReFS file system.

  a. Open the Disk Management with the admin rights.

  b. Select the volume to which you want to add more space and click ‘Extend Volume…’. (See Image 8)

Extend Partition
Image 8: select the drive partition, right-click on it and extend it

  c. Click Next and then on the Select Disks wizard, enter how much size you want to extend, or use the default size and click Next. (See Image 9)

Specify Volume to Extend Volume
Image 9: specify the volume size to extend the volume and proceed

  d. Click Finish to complete the process and close the wizard.

D. Steps to Delete Hard Drive Partition

Sometimes, you may want to increase the size of another drive volume or get rid of the partitions that are no longer in use. To do so, you may clean the storage by deleting the hard drive partition.

Important Note: Deleting drive volume may erase all of your data stored on it. If there are important files that you want to save, take their backup first or recover them using reliable data recovery software. Once you have got your files, you may proceed with deleting the hard drive volume.

Follow the given steps:

  a. Open Disk Management and select the drive volume you want to delete.

  b. Right-click on the volume and click Delete Volume. (See Image 10)

Select Partition to Delete
Image 10: Select the drive partition to delete it

  c. Click Yes to delete the partition.

  d. Once done, you may use the available storage space to create a new drive partition or extend the existing partition to add more storage to it.

E. Steps to Format Hard Drive Partition

You may encounter several disk errors with your hard drive, such as ‘You need to format the disk in drive before using it,’ ‘SMART Hard Disk Error: 301,’ ‘I/O Error’ etc. And to fix this error, you may want to format the drive. Formatting the drive may help you get rid of this error but will end up causing data loss. You may recover lost data using efficient data recovery software.

To format the drive volume, follow the given steps:

  a. Go to Disk Management, locate the drive partition you want to format.

  b. Right-click on the volume and choose to Format it. (See Image 11)

Select Drive Volume to Format
Image 11: Select the drive volume to format it.

  c. Now, click OK > OK again to complete the process.

  d. Once the process is done, close the window.

Remember, after formatting the drive, you will end up losing data. We recommend using powerful data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery for Windows.

This DIY data recovery tool can help you retrieve all your files, folders, etc., in all data loss scenarios, such as deletion, drive formatting, corruption, and more. You may check the video to learn how to recover data from deleted, formatted, or deleted drive partitions:

[Caution: Don’t save the recovered files to the exact location or drive to prevent data overwriting. Always choose a separate storage drive or partition to save the restored files, folders, photos, etc.]

EndNote

Undoubtedly creating or modifying your hard drive partitions helps you manage your files, folders, photos, videos, and more. But before you partition a hard drive, take the backup of your data first, so you don’t end up losing access to your data.

If you forgot to back up your files, don’t stress out. You may use an efficient data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery for Windows. This DIY software can recover data from deleted, formatted, or even corrupted hard drive partitions.

About The Author

Mansi

Mansi Verma is a Technology Writer at Stellar®. She is a Tech enthusiast, holding over 7 years of experience in Data Recovery, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and the Robotics technology domain. She loves researching and providing DIY solutions and tips & tricks to solve Windows technical issues. In her spare time, she likes reading novels, and poetry. She also enjoys traveling and trekking.

Best Selling Products

Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Stellar Data Recovery Professional

Stellar Data Recovery Professional softw

Read More
Stellar Data Recovery Premium

Stellar Data Recovery Premium

Stellar Data Recovery Premium for Window

Read More
Stellar Data Recovery Technician

Stellar Data Recovery Technician

Stellar Data Recovery Technician intelli

Read More
Stellar Data Recovery Toolkit

Stellar Data Recovery Toolkit

Stellar Data Recovery Toolkit is an adva

Read More

2 comments

  1. Mason says:
    April 28, 2022 at 6:45 am

    Very efficient data recovery software.This DIY software can recover data from deleted, formatted, or even corrupted hard drive partitions.

    Reply
  2. Noah says:
    February 4, 2022 at 7:18 am

    Hi Mansi,
    I formatted my Hard Drive and I lost some of the crucial data. Will Stellar data recovery help me to retrieve my data? Please help me out.

    Reply

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

52  −  44  =  

Table of Contents    arrow

  1. How to Partition Hard Drive in Windows 10?
    • A. Steps to Create Partition of Hard Drive
    • B. Steps to Shrink a Hard Drive Partition
    • C. Steps to Extend a Hard Drive Partition
    • D. Steps to Delete Hard Drive Partition
    • E. Steps to Format Hard Drive Partition
  2. EndNote

Categories

offer banner

Related Posts

related post
Windows Data Recovery - Standard

Feature update Windows 10 version 21H2 failed to install? Here are some of the Fixes

Stellar Author Farhad Pashaei August 16, 2022 Read More
related post
Windows Data Recovery - Standard

How to Fix PS4 White Light of Death?

Stellar Author Farhad Pashaei August 2, 2022 Read More
related post
Windows Data Recovery - Standard

Solved: “No Option to Empty Recycle Bin on Windows 10/11” Issue

Stellar Author Ratnesh Kumar July 1, 2022 Read More

Free Trial for 60 Days

Stellar Official Website

Stellar Data Recovery Inc.
48 Bridge Street Metuchen,
New Jersey 08840,
United States

ALSO AVAILABLE AT

Partner Logo

About

  • About us
  • Career
  • ISMS Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • License Policy
  • Refund Policy
  • End User License Agreement

RESOURCES

  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Product Videos
  • Knowledge Base
  • Case Studies
  • Whitepapers
  • Software Catalog

NEWS & EVENTS

  • News
  • Events

PARTNERS

  • Affiliates
  • Resellers
  • Distributors

Useful Links

  • Contact Us
  • Support
  • Special Offers
  • Student Discounts
  • Awards & Reviews
  • Downloads
  • Store
  • Sitemap
Follow Us

tw in yt

Stellar & Stellar Data Recovery are Registered Trademarks of Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. © Copyright 2022 Stellar Information Technology Pvt. Ltd. All Trademarks Acknowledged.

Hippa Logo tuv footer partner logo DMCA.com Protection Status
We use cookies on this website. By using this site, you agree that we may store and access cookies on your device Read More Got it!