Creating a new partition in Windows 11 can help you organize your files, dual-boot operating systems, or isolate data. Fortunately, you don’t always need to rely on third-party software. Windows 11 has a built-in utility that can handle the task efficiently. If you’ve recently acquired a new computer and wish to divide your drive space, this guide will walk you through the process of creating a new partition by shrinking an existing one, as well as offer alternative solutions.
Creating a New Partition Using Disk Management
This method leverages the built-in Disk Management utility in Windows 11, allowing you to create a new partition without formatting existing drives.
Shrinking an Existing Partition
Step 1: Type Disk Management in the Windows 11 search bar.
Step 2: Open the Disk Management utility from the search results.
Step 3: Right-click on the drive you want to shrink to create space for the new partition.
Step 4: Select Shrink Volume from the context menu.
Step 5: In the Shrink Volume window, you’ll see the current size of the partition, the available shrink space, and the total size after shrinking.
Step 6: Enter the amount of space (in MB) you want to shrink in the Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB: field.
Be precise when entering the shrink amount. For example, to shrink the partition by 2GB, enter 2048 MB.
Step 7: Review the total size of the drive after shrinking.
Step 8: If you’re satisfied with the new size, click Shrink.
Creating the New Partition
After shrinking the existing drive, the freed-up space will appear as ‘Unallocated’ in Disk Management.
Step 1: Open the Disk Management utility again.
Step 2: Right-click on the ‘Unallocated’ space and select New Simple Volume.
Step 3: In the New Simple Volume Wizard, click Next.
Step 4: Specify the size of the new partition. To use all the unallocated space, accept the default value. Click Next.
Step 5: Assign a drive letter to the new partition on the “Assign Drive Letter or Path” screen. Click Next.
Step 6: On the Format Partition screen, choose “Format this volume with the following settings”.
Step 7: Select NTFS as the File system.
Step 8: Enter a volume name (label) for the new partition.
Step 9: Check the Perform a quick format option.
Step 10: Click Next.
Step 11: Click Finish to complete the process.
The new partition will be formatted, and a drive letter will be assigned. You can now access it through File Explorer.
Alternative Partitioning Tools
While Disk Management is a capable tool, some users might prefer third-party partition management software for their advanced features or user-friendly interfaces. These tools often provide functionalities beyond the scope of Disk Management, such as partition merging, resizing without data loss, and advanced formatting options. One such tool is GParted, a free partition editor for graphically managing disk partitions. See the GParted website for more information.
With the built-in Disk Management tool, creating new partitions on Windows 11 is straightforward. If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it.