How to Manage Partitions with Diskpart Command in Windows 11/10?

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Tracy King 

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Last updated on April 19, 2024

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"I can't select the drive while installing Windows 10 because the disk shows as 0 MB. I tried checking in cmd, but I'm not familiar with its commands. Can I get a cmd guide or other software?" Confused about how to use disk partitioning in cmd? Don't worry; we know what you want to know. Below, this page lists some practical tips on cmd. Meanwhile, we recommend a third-party tool - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, which can substitute cmd's functions.

Overview of Disk Partitioning in CMD

"Cmd" is an acronym for "command," and it is the Microsoft Windows command to open the Command Prompt window. Note: Users of Windows 95 and 98 can only access the command line by typing "command." All other versions of Windows will allow you to use either "command" or "cmd."

How do I open the Windows Command Prompt? To open the Windows Command Prompt, follow these steps: 1. Click on the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu. 2. In the search bar, type "cmd" or "Command Prompt." 3. Among the search results, you'll see an app called "Command Prompt," typically with a black background and white text icon. Click on it to open the Command Prompt window. 4. If you have Windows PowerShell enabled and want to open that instead, type "PowerShell" into the search bar and click on the relevant result to open it. Alternatively, you can use a keyboard shortcut: 1. Press `Win + R` simultaneously, which will open the "Run" dialog box. 2. In the Run dialog, type `cmd`, then press Enter. This will directly open the Command Prompt. If you need to run Command Prompt with administrator privileges, follow the above steps but right-click on "Command Prompt" or the PowerShell option and choose "Run as administrator."

Method 1: You can open the Windows Command Prompt by typing "cmd" in the search bar of the Start menu. Method 2: Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialog, type "cmd," and then press Enter.

"Diskpart" is a command-line tool used for managing disk partitions and volumes in the Windows operating system. It enables users to perform various disk operations such as creating, deleting, formatting, assigning drive letters or labels, and more. By running the Command Prompt and typing "diskpart," users can interact with the disk management interface to carry out advanced disk configuration and management tasks.

After opening CMD, you need to input 'diskpart' to proceed with disk partitioning. Diskpart is a command-line tool in Windows 10 that enables you to manage disk partitions through the Diskpart command prompt. This includes actions like creating, merging, extending, shrinking, formatting, deleting, and erasing disk partitions.

Next, we will provide more information on how to use the disk partition cmd in Windows 11/10. If you like this page, don't hesitate to share it with more people by clicking the buttons below!

How to Use Disk Partition Command Prompt in Windows 11/10

The steps to create a partition in Windows 11/10 using Command Prompt are as follows: Warning: Make sure you have performed a full backup before proceeding with disk partitioning.

Step 1: You can use either of the two methods above to open the Command Prompt or Run window.
Step 2: Type Diskpart
Here are the steps for basic disk partition functions:

"Using Diskpart to create a partition"

1. At the Diskpart prompt, type: List Disk 2. Type: Select Disk * (replace * with the disk number) 3. Type: Create partition primary size=* (replace * with the desired partition size in MB or GB) 4. Type: Assign letter=* (replace * with an unused drive letter) 5. Type: Exit (this is the Esc key in the top-left corner of your keyboard)

Using Diskpart to Extend a Partition

Note: Before attempting this method or any other, ensure you have a complete backup of your data. 1. Verify that there is contiguous free space on the same drive, and that the partition you want to extend is adjacent to the unallocated space, with no other partitions in between. 2. Type: Select Disk * (where * represents the disk number) 3. Type: Select Volume * (where * represents the volume number) 4. Type: Extend Size=* (set the size you want to extend by, e.g., Extend Size=10GB) 5. Type: Exit (to quit the command)

Using Diskpart to Delete a Partition

Caution: You cannot delete an active system partition or boot partition, or a partition that contains a dynamic page file. 1. Type: Diskpart.exe 2. Select disk * 3. Select partition * 4. Delete partition 5. Exit

Use Diskpart to wipe the disk

This operation will erase all data on the disk.
1. Input: Select disk *
2. Input: Clean all (The CLEAN ALL command deletes all partition and volume information from the currently selected hard disk.)
3. Exit
Diskpart also has other features, such as assigning drive letters, shrinking partitions, marking partitions as active, and converting between MBR and GPT. For more information on these topics, the FAQ at the end of the article has the answers.
After reading this guide, you should now have a clear understanding of how to use Diskpart via Cmd in Windows 11/10. Cmd is a powerful tool but not beginner-friendly. Incorrect operations can easily lead to partition issues. There's a better alternative software – Partition Master Tool.

How to use a Partition Master tool to manage partitions

AOMEI Partition Assistant is an all-in-one partition manager that helps you create, resize, clone, move, merge, and format partitions. The video tutorial below will show you how to use this powerful disk management tool to create, delete, shrink, and resize partitions.

Loved by millions of users, it includes all the functionality of Diskpart and much more. Some of the advanced features are listed below.

1. Disk Migration and Cloning

Nowadays, to improve the performance of a computer hard disk, you may need to migrate the OS and clone disk to the target disk so that users can save time downloading programs. It takes only a few steps to achieve noticeable effects. There is even a guide on how to transfer Windows 10 to another drive, for example, this one.

Steps to migrate the operating system to an HDD/SSD:

Launch Partition Master, and from the left menu, select "Clone." Check "Migrate OS" and click "Next." Select the SSD or HDD as the target disk and then click "Next." WARNING: All data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure you have backed up important data beforehand. If not, please do it now. Then click "Yes." Preview the layout of the target disk and click "Start" to commence the OS migration to the new disk.

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4. Click “Restart Now” or “Finish” to decide whether you want to restart your computer from the new disk immediately.

“Reboot now” means to save the changes immediately, while “Finish” means you'll need to restart the computer manually later.

Note: If there isn't enough free space on the target disk, the OS migration operation will delete and remove any existing partitions and data on it. Back up important data to an external hard drive beforehand if necessary.

2. Partition Recovery

Partition Recovery is a practical feature for lost partition recovery.
It's worth trying to scan the disk you select. The time needed for deep scanning may correspond to your disk size.
You can read the related article "Recover Lost Partition from Unallocated Space in Windows 10" for more information.

Step 1. Launch Partition Master and click “Partition Recovery”. Select the target disk which contains the lost partition, and then click “New Scan”.

Step 2: Wait for the software to perform the "Quick Scan" and "Full Scan". The deleted partition will be marked as "Lost" under the "Status" column. Select the lost partition, then click on "Recover".

You can also double-click on the partition you want to search and preview its content, then click “OK” to confirm.

Step 3. Wait for the partition to be restored and then click “Finish”.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

**1. How to use the diskpart command in Windows 11/10?** - Boot into Windows 10 - Press the Windows key and C to open the Charms bar - Type 'cmd' - Click on "Command Prompt" - Once the Command Prompt opens, type 'diskpart' - Press Enter

2. How to assign a drive letter via Diskpart?
-- Type "assign letter=F" (replace F with any other unused letter).
-- You'll then receive the message: DiskPart successfully assigned the drive letter or mount point.

3. How to Shrink a Partition with Diskpart
Simply type "shrink" and Windows will automatically reduce the partition size. You can also define the size by typing "shrink desired=***".
(For instance, type "shrink desired=10240". You'll then receive a message that the volume has been successfully shrunk by 10 GB.)
Remember: You can only shrink a volume formatted with the NTFS file system.

4. How do I make a partition active using Diskpart? Type active. You should receive a message stating that DiskPart has marked the current partition as active.

**5. How do I clean a disk or convert it to GPT/MBR?** - Type: `list disk`. - Type: `select disk 1` (replace '1' with the appropriate disk number). - Type: `clean`. - Type: `convert gpt` or `convert mbr`, depending on your desired conversion.