Updated By

Linda

Written By

Tracy King

Last Updated on April 19, 2024

Dear Reader, This page primarily guides you on how to successfully create partitions on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.

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In this article, you'll learn:
  1. What is a hard drive partition
  2. Tools to create partitions
  3. Method 1: Create a partition using Disk Management
  4. Method 2: Create a partition using Diskpart
  5. Method 3: Create a partition with third-party disk management software

What is a hard drive partition, and why is it necessary to create partitions in Windows?

In simple terms, a partition is a logical location or directory on a hard drive or SSD disk where Windows users can allocate disk storage space to save files, store data, and even install programs. According to Wikipedia, a partition can also be defined as an area that can be managed separately.

Creating partitions is the first step to preparing a hard drive for an operating system installation or for storing data on a Windows computer. Before you can use a hard drive or SSD, you'll need to partition the disk or create partitions on your Windows computer.

As can be seen from the statistical data (as shown in the infographic) collected by the disk partition tool Partition Master, it is clear that creating partitions is one of the main needs of users worldwide.

Disk Partitioning Statistic Infographic

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Disk Partitioning Statistics Infographic

So, how to create a partition on a hard drive or how to partition a disk in Windows? You will find a reliable disk management tool for disk partitioning in the sections below.

What tools can you use to create partitions? Here are 3 recommended Windows disk management tools: 1. **Disk Management**: This is a built-in utility in Windows operating systems that allows you to manage disk partitions. You can create, delete, format, and extend partitions without needing any third-party software. To access it, simply type "Create and format hard disk partitions" in the search bar, or right-click on "This PC" or "My Computer," then choose "Manage," and finally select "Disk Management." 2. **tools Partition Master**: It's a popular and user-friendly third-party tool for managing disk partitions. It offers both free and paid versions with features like creating, deleting, resizing, and moving partitions. It also has a bootable media builder, which can be useful in case your system fails to start. 3. **MiniTool Partition Wizard**: Another well-regarded partition manager, MiniTool offers a range of features including basic partition operations, disk cloning, and partition recovery. Both home and business editions are available, with the latter providing more advanced options. Remember to backup important data before making any changes to your partitions to avoid potential data loss.

When searching online, you might find instructions for creating a partition with Disk Management. Or, some experienced users may recommend that you try the DiskPart command line to partition a hard drive.

So, what tools can you use to create a new volume on your hard drive or external storage device? Which one is the best for you? Here, we've gathered three of the most commonly used disk partitioning utilities that all Windows users can choose from according to their needs:

#1. Disk Management

Disk Management is a system utility in Windows that lets you perform advanced storage tasks.

- Microsoft's “Overview of Disk Management” (Overview of Disk Management)

Disk Management Image

As described by Microsoft, Disk Management is a built-in utility in Windows that helps users manage disk partitions and even perform advanced tasks on storage devices.

Applies to: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista and Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2/2012/2008, etc.

#2. Diskpart is a disk management utility used in Windows operating systems to perform various disk-related tasks such as creating, deleting partitions, formatting disks, and checking disk status, among others.

The diskpart command-line interpreter helps you manage disks (disks, partitions, volumes, or virtual disks) on your computer.

- Microsoft's Diskpart tool

Diskpart image

As we can see, diskpart is an interpretative tool that executes disk partition commands on Windows disks, volumes, and even virtual disks.

Applicability: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, as well as Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2/2012/2008, and more.

#3. Partition Management Software

A partition manager software is a disk partition tool that helps you perform basic operations like creating partitions on physical hard drives, SSDs, external storage devices, or even virtual disks.

A picture of Partition Master Tool

Aside from basic disk management, specialized partition management software like Partition Master even allows regular Windows users to perform advanced operations within the Windows environment. For instance, with just a few clicks, you can use this tool to migrate your operating system to an HDD/SSD, clone a disk, convert MBR to GPT, and more.

Applies to: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista and all Windows servers.

Which partitioning tool should you choose for your computer? And which one should you use if you need more functionality with your hard drive or external SSD? Learn more about these three disk partition utilities in the comparison table below and decide which one is easier to use:

Partition Tool Disk Management Disk Manager Disk Partition Management Tool
Features
  • Create Simple Volume
  • Extend Volume
  • Shrink Volume
  • Delete Volume
  • Format
  • Convert to Dynamic Disk
  • Convert to GPT/MBR
  • Initialize Disk
  • Create Primary Partition
  • Extend Partition
  • Shrink Partition
  • Delete Partition
  • Format
  • Clean or Clean All Disks
  • Convert to Dynamic Disk
  • Convert to GPT/MBR
  • Initialize Disk

Basic Functions:

  • Create Partition
  • Resize/Move, Extend/Shrink Partition
  • Copy Partition
  • Merge/Split Partition
  • Delete Volume
  • Format
  • Check and Fix Errors
  • Hide/Show Partition
  • Erase Partition and Disk, etc.

Advanced Functions:

  • OS Migration to HDD/SSD
  • Disk Clone and Copy
  • Partition Recovery
  • WinPE Creator
  • Convert Disk MBR/GPT, Dynamic/Basic
  • Convert Partition NTFS/FAT32
  • New Disk Wizard
  • One-click to Adjust C Drive Space (Fix Low Disk Space Warning, New Feature)
  • Expand C Drive Across Disks (New Feature), and More
Difficulty Level Moderate Moderate Easy
Time Needed 2 - 20 minutes 3 - 20 minutes
  • Basic Functions: 1-5 minutes
  • Advanced Functions: 5-30 minutes
Pros Free Free, Command Syntax Interface User-friendly interface, Advanced partition features

Which tool is better suited for you?

    • You can use Disk Management, Diskpart, or a free partition manager for creating partitions for free.
    • Administrators tend to use Diskpart for their day-to-day disk partitioning needs.
    • For Windows beginners or those requiring more advanced and powerful partition management tools, Partition Master stands out with its capability to perform various tasks.

In short, Disk Management, Diskpart, and third-party partition managers are three popular disk partition tools. Now that you're familiar with tools to easily create partitions or manage disk space, feel free to share this information with others who might need help with disk partitioning.

This infographic presents three disk partition tools that you might enjoy using in 2023, along with their basic and advanced feature lists:

Disk Partition Tools Infographic

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Method 1: Create a Partition using Disk Management in Windows 11/10/8/7

Step 1: Open Disk Management by right-clicking the Windows icon and selecting Disk Management.

Step 2: Shrink the partition: Right-click on it > Choose “Shrink Volume” > Specify the size and click “Shrink.”

Resize partition

Step 3. Create a partition: Right-click on the “Unallocated” space on your hard drive and select “New Simple Volume” > “Next” > enter the volume size > “Next” > assign a drive letter > “Next” > choose a file system > “Next” > “Finish.”

Created partition is shown

The infographic below illustrates the complete process of creating partitions in disk management. Feel free to share it to help more people around you:

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Disk Partitioning Tool Infographic

Method 2: Create Partition in Windows 11/10/8/7 with Diskpart

Step 1: Open Disk Management.

Type “Command Prompt” in the search bar > Right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator” > Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 2: Enter each command individually and press Enter.

01

Syntax for creating a primary partition:

  • list disk
  • select disk * (Replace * with the chosen disk)
  • list partition
  • create partition primary
  • create partition primary size=1024 (1024 MB equals 1 GB)
  • assign letter=*
  • exit
02

Syntax for creating an extended partition:

  • list disk
  • select disk *
  • create partition extended
  • create partition logical size=number
  • assign letter=*
  • exit

"nbsp" in Chinese usually represents "space".

This infographic illustrates two methods to create primary and logical partitions in Windows using Diskpart. Share this infographic with others around the globe who might find it useful:

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Disk Partition Tool Infographic

Method 3: Create a Partition with a Third-party Partition Manager

Step 1: Launch Partition Master and view the unallocated space.

Step 2: Shrink the disk partition to create unallocated space.

    • Right-click the partition and select Resize/Move. • Drag the partition handle to shrink the partition. • Click OK > Apply.

Step 3: Right-click on the “Unallocated” space, and select “Create…” > Custom size, Drive letter & label, File system > OK > Apply.

Here is an infographic that details the entire process of creating a partition using the Partition Master tool. The process is straightforward, and you don't have to worry about losing any data in the process. You can check it out below:

Create a partition using Partition Master tool Create a partition using Partition Master tool

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Disk Partition Tool Infographic

With the right tools, partitioning a hard drive in Windows can be easy as 1-2-3.

Most Windows users, external storage device users, and game enthusiasts need to partition a disk. Through this page, you can get a full picture of 3 partition tools that can help you create, resize, delete, format, and even convert partitions on your own.

To find effective ways to create partitions on a computer or storage device, you first need a good understanding of computer skills. In short, you need to determine what type of Windows user you are:

1]. Novice; 2]. Experienced or proficient user; 3]. Power user or developer.

Based on the type of Windows user, we have categorized these three tools so you can quickly find the partition manager that's right for you:

    • Disk Management - For beginners
    • Diskpart - For experienced geeks and developers
    • Third-party partition management tools - For Windows users of all levels

Recommended: For all types of disk partition tools, you can't miss Partition Master to manage disk space and create partitions easily and efficiently. It even performs better than your expectation.

We summarize the content of the page about how to create partitions on Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista in this infographic as shown. You can check the pros and cons of each partition tool and quickly decide which one you need. If you want to know how to manage disk partitions like an expert, you can also be a sharer to share this informative infographic with people around you to help more people.

Select a location, then click “Scan.”

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Disk Partition Tool Infographic