How to Create Partitions in Windows 10: Are you considering buying a new computer? Are you worried about disk storage space? Have you heard about partitioning? If so, this article is for you.
Let's start by understanding what partitioning is and why it's necessary.
What is Partitioning
When we talk about storage, whether it's a hard drive, a USB drive, or any other device with usable storage space, partitioning becomes essential. If the drive isn't partitioned, we can't use it for storage. The minimum number of partitions for a drive is one, but it can also have multiple partitions.
At the user level, partitioning is only necessary if the user is installing an operating system. Partitions are used at this stage when setting up a new drive.
The Importance of Partitioning
Partitioning a disk is important because files cannot be written to an empty drive. It must be formatted with a file system. These segments created in this way are called partitions. It is up to the user to decide whether to create a single storage space on the drive or to have multiple partitions according to their preference and storage division.
In most cases, at least one partition is set up in advance, and without it, the drive is good as a large storage space, but no files can be written to it.
What happens after partitioning the drive? Once these segments or partitions are created, they must be formatted with a file system. Some examples include the NTFS file system on a Windows drive, and the FAT32 file system for any removable drive, etc.
How Important is it to Create Multiple Partitions?
Most computers come with at least one partition on the hard drive created at the time of manufacturing; however, most Windows users create additional partitions on the hard drive aside from the usual C: drive.
This is done for the following reasons:
1- In the event of a malware attack, if there is only one partition and it needs to be formatted to remove the malware, you will lose your data. This leads to the need for additional partitions to back up lost data from other partitions where data can be stored as a backup.
2- When a drive has multiple partitions, each can be separated from the others. It is also possible for each partition to have its own file system. The easiest way to understand this is to take the example of Windows. Most computer systems that have Windows installed as the operating system have a recovery partition.
3- When there is a need to restore Windows to its initial or default settings, the files on the recovery partition are copied to the main partition. In this example, the file system of the recovery partition is separate from the main partition, which is why it is not affected when tampering with the main partition.
4- Some tech-savvy users who use the Windows operating system also store personal data files on a different partition. This partition can be retained even after all data is wiped during a Windows reinstall.
5- If a user wants to install a different operating system like Linux on their Windows-running computer, it can be installed on one of these partitions on the same drive without interfering with the operation of the other operating system or causing any slowdown in the computer's performance.
How to Create Partitions in Windows 10
Now that we have a basic understanding of partitions, let's see how partition and disk management works in the most popular operating system - Windows and its version Windows 10.
Using the Disk Management Tool
Step 1: Open the Disk Management tool. Right-click on the Start menu and click on Disk Management. Alternatively, we can also use the search bar and type Disk Management.
Step 2: Click on the drive that needs partitioning. Then, right-click on the partition and click on "Shrink Volume".
Step 3: Make changes in the "Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB" tab and then click on the "Shrink" tab.
Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB
Step 4: After making changes to the amount of space to shrink on the selected drive, unallocated space will appear behind the drive. (In the image above, the selected drive is C:). Use the right-click mouse button to select the unallocated space and then choose the "New Simple Volume" option. We can create and manage new partitions by following the wizard.
It is important to note here that the unallocated space created by shrinking the drive cannot be used to extend volumes but will only be used to create partitions.
Another way to access Disk Management is by clicking on "Start" and typing "partition". In the next pop-up window, select the option "Create and format hard disk partitions".
The window displaying Disk Management is divided into sections. The first half displays a list of storage units, while the second half shows the disks and storage units on each disk as a graphical representation. Any disk selection made in the first half has a corresponding display in the lower part as well.
Disk Management
It is important to understand the difference between a partition and a folder. When we talk about a partition, we refer to a portion of space on the disk that has been separated from other space, while a volume is a part of a partition that contains a file system.
In the method above, we looked at how to create partitions using Disk Management. Many other functions and operations can be performed using Disk Management.
Some of these operations are outlined below:
1) Expanding a Volume
Step 1: Right-click on the existing volume and select "Extend Volume". In the screenshot below, this option is inactive. This is because we can only extend the volume if there is unallocated space to the right of the same disk. If there is a primary partition on the left, a third-party program will be needed if the volume needs to be expanded.
Step 2: When the window displaying the "Extend Volume Wizard" appears, click "Next".
Step 3: The next screen that appears is "Select Disks". The required disk is highlighted, which also provides information about the total size and total available space.
Step 4: In the "Select the amount of space in MB" tab, choose the amount of space using the increase and decrease arrows. Click next.
Step 5: The next screen "Completing the Extend Volume Wizard" has a "Finish" tab that should be clicked.
2) Creating a New Volume
This option can be used if there is unallocated space available on the disk or if the size of one of the partitions has been shrunk, thus allowing for unallocated space. In either case, the unallocated space can be utilized to create new volumes by following these steps:
Step
