When you purchase a Windows PC, the hard drive is typically partitioned into two different drives: Drive (C:) and Drive (D:). That’s good because you can separate your user data (personal files like photos, videos, etc.) from your system data (programs, games, etc.).
However, there are cases where the hard drive isn’t partitioned and all your user and system data are stored together. That’s not really a big issue. But if you want your personal files to be secured in the event of system failure, creating a partition for them is a relief.
If your desktop or laptop did not come with a partitioned hard drive, we’ve prepared a tutorial on how to partition a hard drive in Windows 10 just for you. The process is pretty much the same with other Windows OS versions. So, read on for more details.
Part 1: How to Partition A Hard Drive in Windows 10
Here are the steps that you need to follow to successfully partition a hard drive in Windows 10. As mentioned, this process is pretty similar on other Windows OS, too.
Step 1
Right-click the Windows icon on the taskbar. Then, select Disk Management from the options.
Step 2
A window will appear with a list of the hard drives/SSDs installed on your computer. You may connect your drive if it’s external before Step 1. There, right-click on the target HDD and choose Shrink Volume.
Step 3
There will be a dialog box where you can set the size of the partition. Enter your desired size and it will be the size allocated to the new partition. Just type in the size on the “Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB”.
Step 4
Next, right-click the new box that shows up at the bottom area. The box should indicate the size you’ve shrunk and there should be the “Unallocated” label. Then, hit the New Simple Volume option.
Step 5
After that, just follow the New Simple Volume Wizard to start creating the new partition. You can set the size and the drive letter. Also, you may choose which format or file system you like the new partition to use. In Windows 10, it’s usually NTFS.
Part 2: Does Partitioning A Hard Drive in Windows 10 Delete Existing Data/Files
Typically, you won’t lose any data when partitioning a hard drive. That’s because the new partition is created on the free or unallocated storage space in the hard drive. This means that erasing or overwriting the files is out of the question.
In addition, Windows 10 has a built-in feature that doesn’t allow users to make partitions if there are already existing ones and the storage is full. However, errors could still happen and you may lose your data during the process. Not to mention, accidentally changing the file system format of the allocated partition will definitely erase all the files.
Bonus: Recover Data From A Partioned Hard Drive in Windows 10
If you’ve accidentally deleted all your files in the hard drive while partitioning, you don’t need to worry. There’s an app called Tenorshare 4DDiG. You can use it to recover 2000+ types of files from internal and external storage devices such as hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, and more.
No matter the cause of data loss, be it corruption, virus attack, or improper partitioning, this app can still recover the files with 99% success.
4DDiG is not complicated at all. It works simply. All you need to do is use the app to scan the target hard drive on your PC. Then, it will find all the deleted files with the option to sort them by file type. After that, you can restore the files collectively or one by one.
Furthermore, this app guarantees no quality loss in all the recovered files. Size, details, etc. will remain the same.
As for compatibility, 4DDiG works on PCs running Windows 11 or earlier iterations. So, it won’t be a problem for your Windows 10 computer. If you need to recover files after partitioning your hard drive, just click on the button below to download and install the app for free.
Conclusion
Partitioning your hard drive on Windows 10 is a wise choice. This is especially because Win10 can run into System issues at times that could cause massive data loss. To avoid that, having a new partition to store your personal files is the way.