This question “How To Create Hard Disk Partition In Windows 8” has been asked several times. Idea of creating a partition in Windows always comes to mind whenever we upgrade our Hard Disk or change it for any reason. Having a Hard Disk partition is always a good idea. Following are few of the uses of hard disk partition:
- Multiple Operating Systems – By creating partitions, you can install more than one operating systems
- Keep System Files Separate from User/Data Files – Even if you wanted to upgrade / reinstall Operating System in one partition, your data is still safe in another partition
- File Management – Files can be managed in a better way. You could use different partitions for different types of data files
- Less Wasted Space – When data is stored in a partition, the larger the partition, more the chance of wasted space. By having multiple partitions of smaller size, lesser space is going to be wasted.
Creating a partition in Windows 8 is very simple process. Here are the steps with screenshots:
While in Windows Desktop, move mouse pointer to bottom left of screen and right click the mouse. Click on ‘Disk Management’ option.
In Disk Management window, highlight the Drive letter that needs to be partitioned. Let us click on C: You would see diagnal lines in the highlighted partition.
Right Click on the highlighted partition (C:) in our example and click on ‘Shrink Volume…’
In next Window, ‘Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB:’, enter the size of partition you want to create. I would be creating a 1 GB partition here. So I entered 1024 MB (Remember, 1 GB = 1024 MB). Click ‘Shrink’ and wait.
You would see 1 GB of unallocated space in black. Highlight this unallocated space by single left clicking. Now Right Click on it and click on ‘New Simple Volume…’
Click on ‘Next’
Click ‘Next’ again
From the drop down, assign a Drive Letter for your partition, say S in this example and click ‘Next’
In next window, select ‘Format this volume with following settings:’, let ‘File system:’ be NTFS, ‘Allocation unit size:’ be Default, ‘Volume label:’ be anything. Let Volume label in this example be SimpleTechieTips. ‘Perform a quick format’ should be checked. Click ‘Next’
Click ‘Finish’ in next window and wait.
Your partition S: SimpleTechieTips is created.
Any question are more than welcome. Please leave your comments.
Thanks for the great tips.
Thank you for a great and easy to follow tutorial
Thank you for these amazing step-by step tips for partition of HDD. Your steps are crystal clear for a non-techie like me. Thanks a lot.
Hi,
I purchased a new all-in-one HP computer. My hard drive has 873 GB free space for local disk (:C) and recovery image (:D) has 2.44GB of 19.9GB. I would like to create another partition for my work files. Could you give me an idea how much space should I leave for drive C? I’m planning to install softwares like maya, adobe suite, etc.
Thank you.
Hi Orion,
Thanks for being on this page.
All depends on how much space you need to store your work files and how much software you would be installing in future.
I would say your work files would never go over 200 GB.
Regards!
Hi Jaspreet,
This is very useful and would like to try on my laptop, which has only one drive (new one) with Windows 8.
In your above example, in last step after the S: is created, what is that which is still showing “Unallocated”. Can you pleaes guide me on the same.
Regards
I Have Done Partition successfully but after a fatal system reboot Other drive is not appearing!
Hi Ashesh,
Maybe some issue with your HDD, possible?
Thanks for your tips, I think this is the easiest way to partition dirve in the univers.
My laptop is Acer|E series and it has only one drive (C: 500GB) with Windows 8, my query is, if I perform partition in C: Drive to create new drive, would I loss windows8 and other installed program from C drive or everything will be exist as I was?
Would be happy if quick reply.
Best regards
Bulbul Emran
Hi Bulbul,
Thanks for visiting this site.
If you create a new partition, you would not lose your existing Data. In fact the partition would be created on the empty available space on your HDD.
Hope that helps,
Regards.
Hello Akshay,
If you create a new Partition, your existing Data would not be deleted. In fact, partition would be created on the empty available space on your HDD.
Thanks and regards.
Hi Jaspreet Makkar,
Great!! I have followed your suggestion and successful. Thanks for your valuable info
Bulbul Emran
will my data of that drive be lost if i shrink it?
No Mehrukh, your data would not be lost.
Hope that helps.
thank you for such an easy tutorial !!
Thank you very much for the tips, screen shot ! very appreciate that coz i almost format my new laptop after asking several people and friends and all of them told me that i need to fromat to do the partition, but thanks to this website, i don’t have to format
Thank you for these amazing step-by step tips for partition of HDD.
I am glad that helped Srikanth. Thanks!!!
If I have only 1 ‘c:’ drive – primary partition in which windows 8 installed. Can we shrink primary partition?
Yes we can. (Sorry for late reply)
Thank you!