Lenovo Energy Management Software Windows 8.1 Download Updated FREE

In that location are tons of tertiary-political party sectionalisation managers for Windows, but did yous know that Windows includes its ain? Microsoft did a good task of hiding the Disk Management tool, simply it's there.

RELATED: Beginner Geek: Difficult Deejay Partitions Explained

You can use the Disk Management tool to resize, create, delete and format partitions and volumes, as well as change their drive messages—all without downloading or paying for any other software.

Accessing Disk Management

The quickest way to launch the Disk Management tool is past hitting Start, typing "partition" into the search box, so clicking the "Create and format hard disk partitions" option that comes up.

The "Deejay Management" window is divided into 2 panes. The top pane shows you a list of your volumes. The bottom pane shows a graphical representation of your disks and the volumes that exist on each disk. If you select a book in the top pane, the bottom pane jumps to show the disk that contains that volume. And if you lot select a deejay or volume in the bottom pane, the acme pane jumps to show the corresponding book there, as well.

Note: Technically speaking, volumes and partitions are a niggling different. A partition is infinite that'due south set bated on a deejay divide from the other space on that disk. A volume is a segmentation that'south been formatted with a file system. For the most part, we're going to exist talking about volumes in this commodity, though we may mention partitions or unallocated space where those terms are appropriate.

How to Resize a Volume

Occasionally, you may need to resize a book. For example, you may demand have a disk with one big volume and so decide you desire to brand information technology into two carve up volumes. Y'all can exercise that by shrinking the existing volume and then using the freed-up space to create a new volume. Or possibly your disk used to be divided into 2 volumes, but yous deleted one of them. You could then extend the existing volume into that newly freed-up infinite to make one big volume.

Shrink a Volume

Right-click a volume in either pane and select the "Shrink Volume" pick.

You can simply compress a volume if information technology has enough costless space. For example, say you lot have a 1 TB disk that contains a single volume, but you don't have anything stored on information technology still. You could compress the volume by upward to nearly the full i TB.

In the case below, we're shrinking an empty (no data stored on information technology) ane TB volume by about 500 GB. Notice that the window shows the total size of the current volume, and the bachelor space you lot have for shrinking (which in the case of our empty book is close the total size). The simply option you have is how much you want to compress the volume past—in other words the amount of unallocated space that will be left over after the shrinking. The window besides shows the full new size of the electric current volume subsequently you shrink it by however much yous select.

And at present that we've shrunk the volume, you tin can see that the deejay contains our shrunken book on the left and the new unallocated space we freed up on the right.

Extend a Book

Yous tin can simply extend a volume if it has unallocated infinite to the right of it on the aforementioned disk. Windows tin't extend a bones partition to its left—you'll need tertiary-party software for that.

To extend a volume, correct-click the existing volume (which has unallocated space to its right), and so click "Extend Volume."

In the "Extend Volume Wizard" window, click "Next."

The "Select Disks" screen will already take the appropriate deejay selected. It also shows the total volume size and the maximum bachelor infinite you lot have to extend the book. Merely select the space you desire to use and then click the "Next" button. Hither, we're extending our volume to use all of the available unallocated infinite.

And finally, click the "Finish" button to have Windows extend the volume.

Create a New Volume

If you lot've shrunk a sectionalisation—or have unallocated space on a disk for any reason—yous can use the complimentary space to create an additional volume. Only right-click inside the unallocated space and select the "New Unproblematic Volume" option.

In the "New Elementary Volume Wizard" window, click "Next" to get started.

Specify the size of the volume you want to create and then click the "Adjacent" push button. Hither, nosotros're creating a new book that uses all the available unallocated infinite on the deejay.

Assign a drive letter of the alphabet (or take the default assignation) and so click the "Next" push.

You lot can cull whether or non to become ahead and format the partition, but you volition demand to format it at some point before y'all can use. The only existent reason you might want to not format it right away is if you need to let another tool practice the formatting.

An example of this would be if y'all were planning to install a new operating organisation in the new volume and then that you lot could dual-boot your PC into different operating systems. In that case, you might want to permit the new operating system format the drive during its installation.

RELATED: Dual Booting Explained: How You Can Take Multiple Operating Systems on Your Computer

Otherwise, go ahead and format the disk, pick a file system to utilize, and assign a volume label. Click "Side by side" when you're ready.

And and then click the "Finish" push to take Windows get started creating the book and—if you lot chose to—formatting information technology.

When it'due south washed, you'll come across your new partition listed in the Disk Management tool and you should see information technology if you pop open up File Explorer, likewise.

How to Delete a Volume

Sometimes, you might demand to delete an existing volume. One adept reason for this is if you no longer employ the volume. By deleting it, y'all return that infinite to the unallocated puddle and and then you could use it to extend an existing volume. Fair alarm: deleting a volume too deletes all of the data on that book, so make sure it'south empty or backed up before yous go along.

Correct-click the volume in either pane of the "Disk Management" window, and then select the "Delete Volume" option.

In the alert window that pops upwards, click the "Yes" button.

The volume yous deleted becomes unallocated space, which you tin can then use yet you like.

How to Change a Book's Drive Alphabetic character

If you've ever wanted to rearrange the drive letters for your various volumes, the Disk Management tool is the place to go. Peradventure you lot merely desire all your main hard drives grouped together or maybe you want to use a specific alphabetic character for a certain drive.

Correct-click any book and select the "Change Drive Letter of the alphabet and Paths" option.

In the "Change Bulldoze Letter and Paths" window, click the "Change" button.

In the dropdown to the right of the "Assign the post-obit drive letter" option, select a new drive letter. Annotation that just letters not already assigned to volumes are available on the dropdown. If you're rearranging several drive letters, you may take to alter some others commencement to make their letters bachelor. When you've selected a letter, click the "OK" button.

A warning message lets you know that some apps might rely on drive messages and won't run correctly if you alter the letter. Typically, this applies just to much older apps, and then y'all should be prophylactic going ahead and clicking the "Yes" button. If y'all do come across trouble, you tin modify the drive alphabetic character back.

You lot can as well use this same bones process to assign a permanent drive letter of the alphabet to a removable drive or remove a volume's drive letter and hide it.

RELATED: How to Assign a Persistent Drive Letter to a USB Bulldoze in Windows

How to Erase or Format a Volume

You can also use Deejay Management to format a volume. Using Disk Management to exercise this provides all the same options every bit the regular format tool yous access through File Explorer, so whichever you want to use is up to you. You can format a volume whether the volume has already been formatted or non. Only be enlightened that you'll lose all the information when you format a volume.

Correct-click a volume and cull the "Format" option.

RELATED: What is the Difference Between a Quick and Full Format?

In the "Format" window, type a book characterization, specify a file organization, and choose whether you want to perform a quick format or not. When yous're ready, click the "OK" button.

You lot're warned that formatting will erase all the information on the volume, so if yous're certain, become ahead and click the "OK" button.

Formatting can accept anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or so, depending on the size of the volume. When information technology'due south done, yous'll be ready to put the book to utilize.

The Disk Management tool isn't as flashy every bit some 3rd-political party tools—in fact, it still looks like something from Windows 2000—but it gets the job done. Third-party partition managers practice sometimes include more than advanced features—like creating bootable disks, recovering data from damaged volumes, and the ability to extend volumes into unallocated space to the left of the volume. And then, if you lot need any of those features, it might be worth taking a expect around. Popular choices include EaseUS and GParted.