USB drives, also known as flash drives or thumb drives, are extremely useful for storing and transferring files between devices. By default, most USB drives come formatted with a single partition encompassing the entire storage space. Partitioning a USB drive involves splitting the available storage into two or more separate logical drives.
There are several reasons why you may want to partition a USB drive (source):
- Organize files more efficiently by separating data into different partitions.
- Create a dedicated partition for booting operating systems.
- Isolate sensitive data to a partition that can be password protected.
- Quickly format part of the USB drive without losing all data.
- Optimize performance by spreading disk activity across partitions.
Partitioning allows you to segment your storage space to better suit your needs. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps for partitioning a USB drive in Windows 10.
When to Partition a USB Drive
There are a few key reasons why you may want to partition a USB drive in Windows 10:
To better organize your data – Partitioning allows you to separate different types of files onto their own logical drives. For example, you could have one partition for personal photos and another for work documents. This keeps everything neatly organized rather than dumped into one big folder (Source: https://www.logotech.com/blog/post/how-to-partition-usb-flash-drive).
To use multiple partitions as boot drives – You can configure each partition on a USB drive with a separate operating system installation. This lets you carry around multiple bootable OSes on one device and select between them when booting a computer (Source: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-advantages-of-making-multiple-partitions-out-of-a-USB-drive).
Requirements
There are two key requirements for partitioning a USB drive in Windows 10:
1. Administrative rights – To use Disk Management for partitioning, you’ll need an admin account on the Windows 10 computer. Standard user accounts don’t have the permissions to make changes with Disk Management.
2. USB drive connected – The USB drive you want to partition needs to be connected to your computer before getting started. Windows can’t partition a drive that isn’t currently attached via USB.
Once you have admin access and the USB drive plugged in, you’ll be ready to begin the USB partition process using the steps outlined in this guide. Just make sure you have any important data on the drive backed up, as partitioning will erase the existing data.
Sources:
[1] https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/create-partitions-on-usb-drive.html
[2] https://woshub.com/creating-multiple-partitions-on-a-usb-drive-in-windows-10/
Back Up Data
The most important step before partitioning or reformatting a USB drive is to back up any existing data. According to https://www.endpointprotector.com/blog/yes-people-are-still-losing-data-via-usb-memory-sticks-in-2022/, many people still lose important data by accidentally reformatting USB drives without proper backups. Partitioning or reformatting will erase all data on the drive, so it’s critical to save that data elsewhere first.
Make sure to copy all files you want to keep to another storage device or cloud backup. You can simply drag and drop files in File Explorer to copy them. For large amounts of data, consider using backup software to migrate the files. Store the backups in a safe location in case something goes wrong during the repartitioning process and you need to restore the original data.
Backing up first avoids irrevocable data loss. With the existing files saved securely elsewhere, you can partition and reformat the USB drive freely without worrying about deleting important data.
Using Disk Management
Disk Management is a built-in tool in Windows 10 that allows you to view, configure, and manage storage devices connected to your computer. To access Disk Management:
1. Open the Start menu and search for “Disk Management”. Select the Disk Management app to launch it.
2. You can also access Disk Management by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting “Disk Management”.
In Disk Management, you’ll see a graphical representation of all the drives connected to your computer. This includes both internal and external drives. You can view the partitions on each drive and see information like total storage capacity, used space, free space, file system, etc. Any existing partitions on the drives will also be visible here.
To view the current partitions on a USB drive you want to repartition:
1. Locate the USB drive in Disk Management. It will likely be labeled as Disk 1, Disk 2 etc if you have multiple drives connected.
2. The different colored bars shown under the drive represent the partitions. You can see the size, free space, etc for each partition here before making changes.
This view in Disk Management lets you see the full partition structure before reconfiguring the USB drive.
Creating a New Partition
To create a new partition on the USB drive in Windows 10, the first step is to shrink the existing volume to free up unallocated space. This can be done within Disk Management.
Right-click on the volume you want to shrink and select “Shrink Volume” from the menu. Enter the amount of space you want to shrink the volume by. This space will become unallocated and allow you to create a new partition.
Once you’ve shrunk the volume, right-click on the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume” from the menu. Go through the wizard, specifying the size of the new partition and assigning it a drive letter.
Make sure to leave enough unallocated space for the new partition size you need. Shrinking volumes too small can lead to data loss, so be conservative. Also remember to back up your data before beginning.
The new partition will now show up in File Explorer with the drive letter you assigned. You can begin moving files to it after formatting.
Formatting the Partition
Once you have created a new partition on your USB drive in Disk Management, the next step is to format it. Formatting sets up a file system on the partition so that you can store files on it.
When formatting a USB drive partition, you need to decide which file system to use. The main options on Windows 10 are FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- FAT32 – Supported by all operating systems. File size limit of 4GB. Not ideal for larger files.
- exFAT – Supported by most modern OSes. No realistic file size limit. Good for large media files.
- NTFS – Native Windows file system. Advanced features like file compression and permissions. May cause issues if moved between OSes.
For a USB drive that will be used across multiple devices, most experts recommend exFAT as it has wide compatibility and no file size limits like FAT32. However, NTFS can also be a good option if you mainly use the drive with Windows. Avoid FAT32 if you need to store files over 4GB in size.
To format the partition, right-click it in Disk Management and select Format. Choose your desired file system and give it a name if wanted. Click OK to begin formatting. This prepares the partition for storing files.
Assigning a Drive Letter
Windows will automatically assign the next available drive letter when partitioning a new USB drive, starting from E: and going upward. However, you can manually assign a specific drive letter if desired.
To manually assign a drive letter in Disk Management, right-click on the volume you want to change and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths.” In the dialog box that opens, click “Change” and choose the desired letter from the dropdown menu. Be aware this may change the drive letters of other connected drives.
Some advantages of manually assigning a drive letter include giving USB drives a consistent letter each time they are connected, and keeping certain drive letters free for other devices. However, automatic assignment is generally fine for most users’ needs.
According to Computer Hope, Windows reserves certain drive letters, like A: and B:, for floppy drives. So manual assignment is necessary to use these letters. The most common letters assigned to USB drives are F: through Z:
Moving Data to the New Partition
Once the new partition is created and formatted, you can move files and folders to it using File Explorer in Windows 10.
To move data to the new partition:
- Open File Explorer and locate the files/folders you want to move. This is likely on the original partition of the USB drive.
- Select and copy the files/folders. You can Ctrl + Click to select multiple files/folders.
- Open the new partition in File Explorer. This will have the drive letter you assigned to it earlier.
- Paste the copied files/folders into the new partition. The files will be moved from the original location to the new partition.
Moving files in File Explorer cuts them from their original location and pastes them to the new destination. This differs from copying, which duplicates files in the new location.
You can continue moving data over until the new partition reaches capacity. At that point, you’ll need to remove unused files or clean up space in some other way.
File Explorer provides an easy drag-and-drop interface for moving data between partitions on the same USB drive. Just open both partitions side-by-side and drag files between them.
Conclusion
In summary, partitioning a USB drive in Windows 10 is a straightforward process using the Disk Management utility. After backing up your data, you can use Disk Management to shrink your existing partition and then create a new partition in the free space. Be sure to format the new partition and assign it a drive letter so you can access it.
The main benefits of partitioning a USB drive are keeping your data separate and organized, creating dedicated partitions for different operating systems, and allowing you to format one partition without losing all the drive’s data. With partitions, you can have a storage space for photos, another for documents, and another for backups, for example. Overall, partitioning gives you more control and flexibility in managing your USB drive.