How to Partition Your Hard Drive in Windows 7

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: May 11, 2023 Approved

Disk partitioning is to divide the hard drive into multiple logical units. People don’t often choose to partition their hard disks, but it has many benefits. Mainly, by partitioning your disk, you can separate your operating system from your data and thus reduce the chances of your data becoming corrupted.

Steps

Download Article

{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3e\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3e\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-1-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-1-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

Open the Start menu. Type “Computer Management” in the search bar of the Start menu and press enter.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-2-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-2-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/71\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-2-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-2-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

2
Select the Disk Management tool. Click on Disk Management on the left side of the window and you should see all of the disks and their partitions on your computer.
- In the example in the picture, there is 1 disk with two partitions.
Advertisement
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-3-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-3-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-3-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-3-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

3
Make some space for the new partition. Right-click on the partition you wish to re-size and select the Shrink Volume option.
- In the example in the picture the (C:) drive is used.
- Note: There may be a partition named System Reserved . It is not recommended that you alter this partition at all.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-4-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-4-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/4b\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-4-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-4-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

4
Shrink the drive. Enter the size you wish to shrink your drive to in megabytes (1000 MB = 1GB). Then click on the Shrink button.
- In this example the drive is shrunk by 10000 MB or 10 GB.
- Note: You cannot shrink your volume greater than the amount indicated in the Size of available shrink space in MB section.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3e\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-5-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-5-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3e\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-5-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-5-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

You should now see a new unallocated partition in your Disk Management window. Right-click on the unallocated partition and select the New Simple Volume option.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-6-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-6-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/37\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-6-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-6-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

The New Simple Volume Wizard should popup. Click on the Next button to continue.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-7-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-7-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-7-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-7-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

7
Enter size of new partition. Enter the amount of memory you wish to allocate for your new partition and click on the Next button.
- In the example in the picture, the maximum memory available is allocated to the new volume.
- Note: You cannot make your new volume larger than the maximum amount of memory available.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-8-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-8-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-8-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-8-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

8
Give the new volume a letter name or path. Select from the menu, a letter name for your new partition and click on the “Next” button.
- The letter name chosen for the example in the picture is (A:)
- The letter name or path is used by Windows to identify and navigate to your new volume.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-9-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-9-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c5\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-9-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-9-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

9
Settings for the new volume.
- Click on the Format this volume with the following settings:
- For File System , select NTFS
- For Allocation unit size , select Default
- For Volume Label , type the name you wish to give your new drive.
- Click on the Perform a quick format
- Then click on the Next button
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-10-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-10-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/46\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-10-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-10-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

Look over your settings and click on the Finish button.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-11-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-11-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/44\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-11-Version-3.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-11-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

11
Format the new volume.
- You will get a popup asking you to partition your new drive. Click on the Format disk button.
- A new window will popup. Keep the settings and click on the Start button.
- A warning will popup. Click on the OK button.
{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/66\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-12-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-12-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/66\/Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-12-Version-4.jpg\/aid1737671-v4-728px-Partition-Your-Hard-Drive-in-Windows-7-Step-12-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\u00a9 2024 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. \n<\/p> \n<\/p><\/div>"}

12
Check new volume. If everything was done correctly, you should now see your new drive in the Disk Management window.
- You have now separated the physical drive into multiple digital drives.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What should I do if my computer says that the boot manager is missing after I shrank my C: drive?

Community Answer

You most likely wrote over the MGR and need to replace it. You can either manually fix it by inserting the correct entries, or backup your files and reinstall windows. A fresh installation should be the best fix.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 29 Helpful 47
Question

After doing partition of my HDD with Windows 7, my Windows gets corrupted and won't start again. What should I do?

Community Answer

If you can access the BIOS, reinstall windows via probably a USB drive. Considering you can't boot into Windows, that would be the best option. If you cannot, I would take your computer back to where you bought it from.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 15 Helpful 21
Question

How do I reformat a laptop?

Cameron Paxton

Community Answer

There are 3 ways that I know of. One: remove the battery and there is a button that should say "Factory Reset" and that should do it. Two: if not, it's in the Settings. Three: if that doesn't work, then you can call a tech company, and have them do it for you.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 20 Helpful 11

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Before beginning it is recommended that you back up all of your data on another computer or external storage. This will prevent any loss of data in case an error occurs.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0