# Partition a hard drive in Windows 11: How it works Hard disks are usually integrated into the hardware setup as a **single drive**. However, if you want to separate the Windows installation from your games, programs, or sensitive documents, it makes sense to **partition the hard drive**. Continue reading to find out how to do this in Windows 11. ## Step by step: How to partition hard disks in Windows 11 It has been possible to partition the hard drive at any time since Windows 7. This can usually be done without losing any data – but unfortunately, there is no guarantee that data will not be lost. It’s important to create a [backup](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/security/what-is-a-backup/ "What is a backup?") if you plan to format a hard drive which already contains important data. --- ### Tip Read the following article on how to [create a backup in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/windows-11-backup/ "Windows 11 Backup")! --- ### Step 1: Open Disk Management No additional software is required to partition a hard drive in Windows 11. The operating system has its own tool exactly for this purpose, known as the **Disk Management**. There are two options to start this tool: 1. Use the key combination **\[Windows\] + \[R\]** to open the “Run” dialog box and choose the command “**diskmgmt.msc**”. 2. Right-click on the **Start menu icon** in the taskbar and select “**Disk Management**”. [![Image: Windows 11: Select Disk Management](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/d/f/csm_win11_festplatte01_en_52c1dc852d.webp "Windows 11: Select Disk Management")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte01_en.png) Windows 11: Select Disk Management ### Step 2: Selection of the data carrier The Disk Management lists all the hard disks and removable media which are connected to your device. Firstly, **select the hard disk** you want to format. In Windows, you will see two overviews – **sorted by volume and sorted by disk**. Clicking on one of the volumes in the upper window will automatically show the corresponding disk overview below. --- ### Note **Windows 11 is installed** on the hard disk marked as “Disk 0”. In addition to partition “C:” (or the respective drive letter selected), you will also find other partitions that Windows 11 automatically generates during installation for **firmware and system recovery** files. --- [![Image: Windows 11: Disk Management](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/3/4/csm_win11_festplatte02_en_da6d5b5015.webp "Windows 11: Disk Management")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte02_en.png) Windows 11: Disk Management ### Step 3: Shrink volume In order to partition a hard disk in Windows 11, you must first reduce the size of the disk. To do this, right-click the disk you have chosen – in this case, the Windows disk will be the main partition – and then click “**Shrink Volume**”. [![Image: Shrink Volume in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/2/csm_win11_festplatte03_en_d26ff9c1dd.webp "Shrink Volume in Windows 11")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte03_en.png) Shrink Volume in Windows 11 In the following dialog box, you can specify how much **space** the new partition should have. By default, Windows 11 will offer to shrink the entire available memory on the hard disk. If you want to assign a smaller amount of memory to the partition, simply adjust the value beside “**Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB**”. You can specify the value in [megabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-megabyte/ "What is a megabyte?"). For example, to reduce the current volume of the **partition by 200 gigabytes**, specify the value “**204800**”. Finally, click “**Shrink**”. [![Image: Shrink drive in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/2/c/csm_win11_festplatte04_en_2c397a55a5.webp "Shrink drive in Windows 11")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte04_en.png) Shrink drive in Windows 11 ### Step 4: Create partition In the overview, you will see an **unallocated storage quota** which you can use for the new partition. Right-click the area and then select the “**New Simple Volume**” in the menu. [![Image: Windows 11 Disk Management: Unallocated storage](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/b/b/csm_win11_festplatte05_en_fb963a7b18.webp "Windows 11 Disk Management: Unallocated storage")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte05_en.png) Windows 11 Disk Management: Unallocated storage The New Simple Volume Wizard will begin. Firstly, click “**Next**” and then specify the **volume of the new partition**. Keep the maximum value if you want to work with the entire amount of memory previously which was previously shrunk. Then click “**Next**” again. [![Image: Windows 11: Set volume size](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/0/e/csm_win11_festplatte06_en_67a911cb6c.webp "Windows 11: Set volume size")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte06_en.png) Windows 11: Set volume size The next step is to assign a **drive letter**. Windows 11 will automatically default to the next letter of the alphabet – but you can also select any other available letter by opening the **drop-down menu**. [![Image: Assign drive letters in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/f/3/csm_win11_festplatte07_en_9fae014375.webp "Assign drive letters in Windows 11")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte07_en.png) Assign drive letters in Windows 11 In the last step of the disk partitioning, you must set the formatting options and the name of the new partition. For this, choose the option “**Format this volume with the following settings**” and select: - the **File system** – the classic choice for Windows systems is: [NTFS](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/ntfs/) - the **size of the Allocation unit size**, also called cluster size (recommended setting: “Default”) - the **Volume label** (name of the partition) Check the “**Perform a quick format**” box and finish partitioning the hard disk by clicking “**Next**” and “**Finish**”. [![Image: Partition a hard disk in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/1/csm_win11_festplatte08_en_43aa44683d.webp "Partition a hard disk in Windows 11")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte08_en.png) Partition a hard disk in Windows 11 The new partition of the hard disk will be displayed in Disk Management if the formatting and partitioning were successful. [![Image: Windows 11 Disk Management: Newly Added Partition](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/7/a/csm_win11_festplatte09_en_219b5a7a6a.webp "Windows 11 Disk Management: Newly Added Partition")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte09_en.png) Windows 11 Disk Management: Newly added partition ## Windows 11: Delete and merge hard disk partitions Once your hard disk is partitioned, you have the flexibility to delete the new partition(s) at any time and add it/them to another existing partition. However, any **data on the deleted partition will be lost** during this process! Ensure you back up any important files in advance. ### Step 1: Open Disk Management In the first step, as with the creation of new partitions, open Disk Management: - use the key combination **\[Windows\] + \[R\]** and choose the command “**diskmgmt.msc**” or - right-click on the **Start menu icon** in the taskbar and select “**Disk Management**”. ### Step 2: Select and delete partition Find the hard disk partition you want to delete in the list of volumes or in the disk overview, and right-click on the entry. Then click “**Delete Volume**”. [![Image: Delete volume in Windows 11 Disk Management](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/1/csm_win11_festplatte10_en_98392d5347.webp "Delete volume in Windows 11 Disk Management")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte10_en.png) Delete volume in Windows 11 Disk Management You will receive a message confirming you want to delete the data from the hard disk partition. Click on “**Yes**” to continue the process. [![Image: “Delete simple volume” dialog box in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/8/5/csm_win11_festplatte11_en_25f7dbd570.webp "“Delete simple volume” dialog box in Windows 11")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte11_en.png) “Delete simple volume” dialog box in Windows 11 ### Step 3: Extend volume After you have deleted a hard disk partition in Windows 11, the space of this partition will appear in the Disk Management with the label “**Unallocated**”. You can now assign the quota to another existing partition on the same hard drive by right-clicking the partition you would like to extend and clicking “**Extend Volume**”. [![Image: Partition Hard Disk: Extend Volume](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/2/e/csm_win11_festplatte12_en_de3f727daa.webp "Partition Hard Disk: Extend Volume")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte12_en.png) Partition Hard Disk: Extend Volume In the wizard, click “**Next**” to begin. In the following overview, you will see **how much storage space is available for extending the partition** – in this case, the available storage corresponds to the 200 gigabytes that are “unallocated” after performing the previous step. Either accept the suggested maximum value or choose an individual value by adjusting the number beside “**Select the amount of space in MB**”. [![Image: Windows 11: Volume Extension](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/e/9/csm_win11_festplatte13_en_0e26106643.webp "Windows 11: Volume Extension")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/win11_festplatte13_en.png) Windows 11: Volume Extension Click **“Next**” and “**Finish**” when prompted to complete merging the partitions – which will be immediately available in the new form. --- ### Tip Is rebooting your device taking more and more time? Learn how to [set up the startup folder in Windows 11](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/windows-11-startup/ "Windows 11 startup") to speed up the startup process. --- This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/windows-11-partition-hard-drive/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/configuration/windows-11-partition-hard-drive/) for AI/LLM consumption.