In Windows, what tool is used for partitioning and formatting drives? Answer Checker - Tools

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Last Updated on April 22, 2024

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Users might need to format or partition their hard drive for various reasons. This could be due to insufficient space on your system, requiring you to clear space to store more data.

Similarly, you might need to create partitions on a hard drive to separate different types of data. Whatever the reason may be, you need to know the tools used to partition and format drives in Windows.

This is an image depicting a tool used for disk partitioning and formatting. It has a height of 492 pixels and a width of 700 pixels. The source file of the image can be found at "/images/en/screenshot/partition-manager/tool-to-partition-format-drive.png".

Thus, this article will help you successfully partition and format your drive with the tools we've carefully selected. Not only that, but we'll also explain how to go about it with step-by-step instructions.

In Windows, which tool is used for partitioning and formatting disks?

To save you the trouble of looking, we spent several days testing and comparing various partition managers and software available in the market and have listed the three best disk partition tools below.

You can use any of the following tools to partition and format the drive:

• Step 1: Third-party Partition Management Software - tools Partition Master
• Step 2: Windows Disk Management
• Step 3: Create and Format Drive with DiskPart Command Prompt

Among them, the built-in disk management utility in Windows and the DiskPart command prompt are two tools for partitioning and formatting drives.

Partition Master is a third-party, free app that you'll need to download. It allows beginners to manage disk partitions in Windows without having to mess around with the command prompt, and it's our tool of choice!

Let's take a look at their pros and cons in a table.

Continue reading this guide to learn how to successfully and efficiently partition and format your disk.

Guide 1: Partition and Format Hard Disk with Partition Master Tool

To quickly address issues with HDD/SSD partitioning, disk space shortage, disk conversion, or even OS migration, users can rely on dependable disk partition software like Partition Master.

A user-friendly interface and straightforward instructions enable users to perform disk management tasks efficiently without any prior IT knowledge or technical skills.

Create and format partitions

Complicated procedures require only a few quick taps.

Step 1. Run Partition Master and check in the "Partition Management" section if there is enough unallocated space.

• If you have unallocated space on your hard drive, skip to Step 3 to create the partition. • If you do not have any unallocated space, continue to Step 2.

Step 2. Shrink the partition to create unallocated space.

Right-click on the target partition with lots of free space, and select “Resize/Move”.

Then, you can drag the partition to the left or right to shrink it and free up enough unallocated space. You'll see how much you've reduced the size by in the “Size” area. Click “OK.”

Click on “Perform XX task” and click “Apply” to save all the changes.

Return to the “Disk Management” window, and you'll see the “Unallocated” space on the same disk. You can then proceed to create a new partition on the hard drive.

Step 3: Create a new partition on the target drive using the unallocated space.

Right-click the unallocated space, and then select New.

Create partition step 1

Customize the partition size, drive letter, volume label, file system (NTFS, FAT32, EXT2/3/4, exFAT), and so on in the "Advanced Options." Click "OK."

Create Partition Step 2

Finally, click “Execute Tasks” and “Apply” to create the partition with the unallocated space on your disk. Repeat these steps to partition hard drive and create more partitions.

Create partition step 3

#2. Create multiple partitions on a new hard drive with one click

The program even lets you set up a new disk's partitions with a single click.

Step 1: Launch Partition Master and go to the “Partition Management” page. In the popped-up “New Disk Wizard” window, click “Partition this disk”.

Step 2: Specify the number of partitions you want to create and the disk partition style – MBR or GPT.

Alternatively, you can accept the default settings offered by the “Partition Wizard.” When you're done, click “Continue.”

Step 3. Click “Run 1 Task” and “Apply” to finish partitioning the new HDD/SSD or external drive.

Features:

• It supports Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, and Windows 7.
• You can easily create, resize/move, erase, shrink, merge, and split partitions.
• The "Extend System Partition" feature makes good use of free or unallocated space.
• It helps clone a partition from one hard drive or partition to another without losing any data.

And this is only a small part of the wonders that this software can do. So download the Partition Master tool and start partitioning your hard drive!

Guideline 2: How to Use Disk Management for Partitioning and Formatting Drives

Since the Windows Disk Management is a built-in free tool, you don't need to download anything to use it on your computer. It's very useful when formatting a drive that doesn't appear in File Explorer. It also formats storage devices with issues like a corrupted file system, formatting errors, or access problems well.

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select “Disk Management.”

Step 2. Shrink the partition to create unallocated space. Right-click on your drive and select "New Simple Volume" to do this.

< b >Step 3.< /b > The New Simple Volume Wizard will open.

<Step 4> Type the amount of disk space you want to shrink, in MB.

Step 5. Assign the disk an unused drive letter.

Step 6: Format the drive as NTFS, and finish the process.

Create and format partitions

Guide 3: How to Create Partitions and Format Drives Using the Diskpart Command Prompt

For simple or complex disk partitioning tasks on a Windows PC, the DiskPart command prompt executes command-line instructions. In addition to partitioning disks, DiskPart can run computer programs like chkdsk, SFC, and DISM to fix issues with the disk file system.

Experienced Windows administrators and developers might prefer DiskPart because it's more powerful and convenient than Disk Management. But it has a steeper learning curve.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select “Search.” Type “cmd” in the search bar.

Step 2: Click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator."

Step 3: Enter each of the following commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

1. list disk
2. select disk * (Replace * with the disk you choose)
3. create partition primary size=1024 (1024MB equals 1 GB) (You can also use "create partition extended size =" or "create partition logical =" instead of this command)
4. assign letter=*
5. format fs=ntfs quick

Step 4. When the process is complete, type exit and press Enter.

Conclusions

It's worth downloading and using a powerful disk-partitioning tool to make these calculations for you and allocate your disk space efficiently.

So, if you're looking for tools to partition and format drives in Windows, this article lists three reliable disk management utilities and explains the process in detail.

Among these options, Partition Master stands out as the most user-friendly and efficient disk partitioning tool, with its clean interface and powerful features. We highly recommend downloading this tool and giving it a try!

Frequently Asked Questions About Partitioning and Formatting Drives in Windows

If you still have questions about which tools can be used for hard drive partitioning and formatting in Windows, you can find answers to common queries here:

1. How to partition C drive without formatting in Windows 10?

To resize the C drive without formatting in Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Open Disk Management by typing "diskmgmt.msc" into the search bar.
2. Right-click the partition you want to shrink, then select "Shrink Volume."
3. In the window that appears, you'll see the total size of the partition before the shrink, as well as how much unallocated space is available for the new partition.

2. Which tool would you use to manually partition a hard drive?

You can manually partition a drive using the built-in Disk Management tool in Windows and the diskpart command prompt. Alternatively, you can download and use the Partition Master tool, which can automate this process for you.

Which file system should I use to format a disk partition?

You should use the NTFS file format. If you're formatting the main drive that contains your operating system, you should use the default advanced Windows file system, NTFS.

NTFS is also a good format for external drives, since it's compatible with a variety of devices.

How do I format a partition?

Format partition:

Open Disk Management by typing 'diskmgmt.msc' into the search bar. Right-click the volume you want to format and select "Format." Choose a new file system, check "Quick Format," then click "OK."