Create and format a hard disk partition

To create a partition or volume (the two terms are often used interchangeably) on a hard disk, you must be logged in as an administrator, and there must be either unallocated disk space or free space within an extended partition on the hard disk.

If there is no unallocated disk space, you can create some by shrinking an existing partition, deleting a partition, or by using a third-party partitioning program.

Open Computer Management by selecting the Start button. The select Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

In the left pane, under Storage, select Disk Management.

Right-click an unallocated region on your hard disk, and then select New Simple Volume.

In the New Simple Volume Wizard, select Next.

Enter the size of the volume you want to create in megabytes (MB) or accept the maximum default size, and then select Next.

Accept the default drive letter or choose a different drive letter to identify the partition, and then select Next.

In the Format Partition dialog box, do one of the following:

If you don’t want to format the volume right now, select Do not format this volume, and then select Next.

To format the volume with the default settings, select Next.

Review your choices, and then select Finish.

Note: When you create new partitions on a basic disk, the first three will be formatted as primary partitions. Beginning with the fourth, each one will be configured as a logical drive within an extended partition.

Top 8 Best Free Windows 10/8/7 Disk Management Tools (2021 Update)

Almost all of the new laptops and PCs come with a 1 TB or 2 TB disk. If the Windows suddenly becomes slowВ or the C drive gets full, managing your hard-drive partitions effectively is an important aspect, as that allows people to increase C drive space, and make full use of their disks.В

Most modern operating systems contain built-in tools for creating, deleting, or resizing partitions. But many users find that third-party free partition manager Windows 10 makes these types of tasks easier. It enables you to create, delete, shrink, expand, format, or merge partitions on your HDD, SSD, or other storage devices.В

Which Windows 10/8/7 Disk Management Tool Is Right for Me

There are numerous partitioning managers that one can obtain from the market nowadays. However, not all of the options one can find in the market are suitable for a person or is easier to use. Here are the top picks you should consider if you want to get your hands on quality partitioning manager software:

These eight free Windows 10 partition managers can satisfy your basic needs: creating, deleting, or resizing partitions. Except for the basic needs, we have analyzed the tools from versatility, data security, and ease of use to help you find the best free Windows 10 disk management tool.

Top 1. EaseUS Free Partition Manager Windows 10

EaseUS Partition Master is the most feature-rich free partition manager for Windows 10/8.1/8/7. It has served 10+ million customers for 10+ years. It promises that you can manage the partition without any data loss.В If you are looking for aВ versatile and secure free Windows disk management tool, EaseUS Partition Master must be your best choice.В

• All-in-one free disk management tool with a very simple and user-friendly interface
• Besides basic partition management, it can wipe a partition, checkВ disk errors, and recover lost partitions.
• It has a commercial version that enables you to resize the dynamic disk.
• 80% of the features are free that can fully meet your needs.

Follow the guide to manage your partitions in Windows 10/8/7.

[1] «Resize/Move» enables you to adjust space of a selected disk partition as wish. By «Resize/Move», you can shrink a volume, extend the other one, or create unallocated space for special use.

[2] «Clone» is for the purpose of making two identical hard disks or partitions with the same layout and content. You can use the «Clone» feature to upgrade a hard disk, replace a failing one, backup the drive data and so on.

[3] «Delete» is a common method to remove an unwanted disk partition, turning it into unallocated space.

[4] «Format» is frequently used in many situations. By formatting a drive partition, you can alter the file system, fix some corruption issues, and sometimes remove viruses and malware.

[5] «Allocate space» is very useful when one drive partition space is too much while the other is inadequate.В

[6] «Migrate OS» makes it easy to transfer a Windows installation drive to the other without reinstalling.

[7] Conversion between GPT and MBR, NTFS and FAT32, and Basic to Dynamic is getting more and more popular among EaseUS Partition Master customers. Besides all the listed benefits, there are so many functional yet practical features are waiting you to explore.В

• Very easy to use
• Includes lots of useful operations (4K Alignment, Clone, Format)
• You can preview changes before applying them

• Additional features are included only in the Pro version (Convert between GPT and MBR, and convert between dynamic disks andВ basic disks)
• Extending the system volume requires a reboot

Price: Free. ($39.95 for the pro version)

Download Size: 33.2MB

Top 2. Windows Disk Management — Built-in Free Partition Manager

In fact, Windows 10/8/7 comes with a built-in disk management program called Disk Management. It can help you manage hard disk partitions without rebooting the system and any interruption. The features of Windows 10 Disk Management are as follows:

• Initialize an HDD or SSD
• Change drive letter and paths.
• Mark partition as active.
• Convert basic disk to dynamic disk
• Convert empty MBR to GPT disk, and vice versa
• Extend a volume, shrink, delete or create a partition

How to Open Windows 10 Disk Management

You can access Disk Management in these ways:

1. Access Disk Management via Run

Use Windows+R to open Run, type diskmgmt.msc in the empty box, and tap «OK».

2. Open Disk Management in Computer Management

Right-click the Start and choose «Disk Management» on the left.

3. Open it via a direct search

Type disk management in the search box on the taskbar and choose «Create and format hard disk partitions» in the result.

Windows 10 Disk Management VS EaseUS Partition Manager Software

You have learned about EaseUS free partition software and Windows 10 Disk Management. Take a look at the differences between the EaseUS Partition Master and Windows 10 Disk Management Tool.В

Features	Windows 10 Disk Management	EaseUS Partition Master
Merge partitions	✘	✔
Migrate OS to SSD/HDD	✘	✔
Convert dynamic disk to basic disk	✘	✔
Recover lost partition	✘	✔
Copy disk/partition	✘	✔
Rebuild MBR	✘	✔
Create/delete/extend/shrink/format partition	вњ”	вњ”
Change drive letter	вњ”	вњ”

Top 3. Macrorit Disk Partition Expert -В Partition Manager Windows 10

Macrorit Disk Partition’s unsoiled user interface makes it one of the best disk management software. It is a powerful free partition program that allows you to extend, create and format a partition, fix low disk space problem, manage disk space easily on MBR and GPT (GUID partition table) disk.

• 65% of the features are free (OS migrating and partition management).В
• It also has a commercial version, still cannot support dynamic disk.
• It offers a portable version, so you can actually use it without having to install it on your PC.

If you are looking for a portable version of the Windows 10 management tool,В Macrorit Disk Partition must take into account.

• Very easy to use
• It supports up to 16 TB of hard disk.

Price: Free. ($39.99 for the pro version)

Download Size: 23.6MB

Top 4. Paragon Partition Manager for Windows 10 Disk Management

Paragon Partition Manager free is another great little utility that supports Windows 10. It is packed with tools that make managing partitions a breeze.В

50% of the features are free (Basic partitioning, backup and restore).

It has served millions of people for 25 years with a good reputation.

If you are looking for an old-brand software,В Paragon Partition Manager free is your best choice.

• Easy to use
• Convert NTFS file systems into HFS+ drives without reformatting the diskВ

• Lots of features are disabled in this free edition (Like disk cleanup, data migration)
• Require you to register to get a serial number

Price: Free. ($49.95 for the pro version)

Download Size: 41.59 MB

Top 5. Windows 10 Free Disk Management Tool — Gparted

Another free partition manager that can be counted on is Gparted. It is a disk management software that not only supports Windows but also supports Mac. This software is considered as GNOME (desktop environment composed of free and open-source software that runs on Linux and most BSD derivatives) editor.

This software is totally free, but it’s the best choice for advanced users.В

• Doesn’t require an operating system
• Never requires a reboot to commit changes

• It takes longer to start up because you have to boot the software from a USB.
• Doesn’t support dynamic disks or other features (Migrating OS, Converting between MBR and GPT)
• Really old interface

Price: Free.

Download size: Around 300MB

Top 6. Cute Partition Manager Windows 10

Just like GParted, Cute Partition Manager also needs a bootable device to use it. It enables you to change the file system of a disk, create, manage and delete partitions of the disk. But you need to use a keyboard during the whole operation as it is a text-based application.

Advanced users are suggested. It is not that easy to use, because this software’s interface is pretty old and not that secure. But the size of the file is small compared with Gparted.

• Doesn’t require an operating system
• The download size is really small

• No graphical user interface (can only use a mouse)
• Must enter the exact size of the partition you want to make (not so user-friendly)
• No advanced features (e.g. copying/moving data between drives)

Price: Free.

Download Size: 232KB

Top 7. Windows 10 Disk Management — Active Partition DiskВ

Active Partition Manager is a free application that enables you to manage storage devices and logical drives or partitions. This free disk partitioning tool for Windows supports all the partition management features. You can create, delete, format, and name partitions on your computer without shutting down the system.В

• It’s easy to use and understand
• Supports common partitioning functions
• You can restore some changes via backups.

• Unable to copy or clone partitions
• Extending the system partition might not work for you.

Price: Free (No limitations)

Download Size: 19.46MB

Top 8. Acronis Disk Director for Windows 10 Disk Management

Equipped with the basic partitioning tools, theВ Acronis Disk Director is a suitable partitioning wizard for those who are just beginning to step into the tech world. It offers a range of features as disk cloning, volume recovery, and partition management. It stores different file systems or operating systems on one disk by creating and managing disk partitions.

• Intuitive user interface
• Allows cloning your HDD to a replacement drive
• Offers support for native 4K disks

• Only allows a 30-day free trial ($49.99 for the pro version)

Price: 30-day Free Trial (No limitations)

Download Size: 150MB

Wrap Up

TheВ partition managers introducedВ on this page are the topВ eight Windows 10 disk management toolsВ that allow you to organize your hard drive and optimize disk partitions in an effective and efficient way. Among them, the first one — EaseUS Partition Master is highly recommended. To use this disk management tool, don’t worry if you aren’t experienced.

This tool has a very user-friendly interface and ultimate partition management features. It enables you to enhance your hard drive performance to fix problems like disk running out of space, partition inaccessible, converting disk style/file system, migrating OS to HDD/SSD or modifying disk partition size, etc.В Don’t hesitate anymore, download and use the EaseUS Windows 10 partition manager NOW!

Partition Manager Windows 10 Frequently Asked Questions

There are some related questions and answers. If you want to get additional help, you can read on.

What is the best partition size for Windows 10?

It depends on your device. If you are installing the 32-bit version of Windows 10 you will need at least 16GB, while the 64-bit version will require 20GB of free space. On a 700GB hard drive, you can allocate 100GB to Windows 10, which should give me more than enough space to play around with the operating system.

What is Disk Management and what does it do?

Disk Management is the tool in Windows used to change drive letters, format drives, shrink partitions, and perform other disk tasks.

How do I open Disk Management?

You won’t find a shortcut to Disk Management in your Windows Start menu or Apps screen because it’s not a program in the same sense that most other software on your computer is. To open Disk Management via search bar:

Type disk management in the search box on the taskbar and choose «Create and format hard disk partitions» in the result.

What happens if we delete volume in Disk Management?

When you delete a volume or partition on a disk, it will become unallocated space on the disk. You could then extend another partition on the same disk into this unallocated space to add the unallocated space to the partition.