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How to assign a drive letter in Windows 10

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When you connect a new drive to your PC, Windows automatically assigns the next available letter after C, which is normally used for your system drive. So an external hard drive or USB thumb drive could end up as D, E, F, or whatever, depending on how many drive letters are already being used.

This is all well and good, but what if you want to assign the drive a letter? Maybe you want to use M for your music files or X for your top-secret X-Files. Here’s how in Windows 10.

• Ensure that the drive you’re relettering isn’t in use and that no files from that drive are open.
• Right-click on the Start button.
• Click Disk Management to open the Disk Management console.
• Right-click the volume that has the drive letter you want to change.
• Click Change Drive Letter And Paths.
• Click the Change button.
• Choose from a list of available drive letters. (Don’t use A or B, which have historically been reserved for floppy drives and can sometime confuse older software.)
• Click Yes if a popup windows appears asking if you really want to do this.
• Close the Disk Management console.

You may need to restart your machine for the change to take effect, but once you do the drive will use the new letter.

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How to assign permanent letters to drives on Windows 10

You can assign drive letters manually, and in this guide, we show you how on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, when connecting a removable storage device or an internal hard drive, the system detects and assigns a drive letter automatically to make it usable. However, when reconnecting an external drive (such as a USB flash drive or SD or microSD cards), the system can end up assigning a different letter, which can be annoying.

If you want to see the same drive letter on a particular device, you can manually assign a permanent letter to any drive connected to your computer, and on Windows 10 , you can do this in at least three different ways, using Disk Management, Command Prompt, or PowerShell.

Using this approach will prevent Windows 10 from assigning a new letter or trying to set a letter already in use, which can cause conflicts. Also, it helps to select a drive letter that makes more sense to you.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through several methods to manually assign a permanent letter to a drive, as long as you're connecting the drive to the same device and the letter isn't already in use.

How to assign a drive letter using Disk Management

How to assign a drive letter using command prompt, how to assign a drive letter using powershell.

To manage drive letters with the Disk Management tool, use these steps:

• Open Start .
• Search for Create and format hard disk partitions and click the top result to open the Disk Management experience.
• Right-click the drive and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.

• Click the Change button.

• Select the Assign the following drive letter option.
• Use the drop-down menu to assign a new drive letter. Quick tip: To avoid the system trying to assign the same letter to another drive, it's a good idea to start adding letters in backward order. For instance, instead of using D, E or F, it better to start with Z, Y or X when assigning a new letter.

• Click the OK button.
• Click the OK button again.

Once you complete these steps, the drive will permanently retain the assigned letter, even after reconnecting it. However, if you connect the drive to another device, it may receive a different letter.

While the easiest way to assign a new drive letter is to use Disk Management, you can also use DiskPart in Command Prompt to perform the same task.

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To assign a drive letter using Command Prompt, use these steps:

• Search for Command Prompt , right-click the result, and then select the Run as administrator option.
• Type the following command to start DiskPart and press Enter : diskpart
• Type the following command to list all the available volumes and press Enter : list volume
• Type the following command to select the volume (drive) to assign a new letter and press Enter: select volume 3 In the command, make sure to change "3" to the number that represents the drive on your device.
• Type the following command to assign a new drive letter, and press Enter : assign letter=Z The command assigns the letter "Z" to the drive assuming it's available. However, you need to make sure to change the letter for the one that you want to use.

After completing these steps, similar to Disk Management, every time you reconnect the storage to the same device, Windows 10 should assign the same letter automatically.

Alternatively, you can also use PowerShell to change a drive letter on Windows 10 using these steps:

• Search for PowerShell , right-click the result, and then select the Run as administrator option.
• Type the following command to list the available drives and press Enter : Get-Disk
• Type the following command to assign a permanent letter to the drive and press Enter : Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter Z In the command, make sure to change "1" to the number that represents the drive that you want to modify, and change "Z" for the new letter that you want to use.

Once you complete the steps, the drive will be accessible through File Explorer using the letter that you assigned, and Windows 10 won't try to change it.

Updated March 7, 2019: We revised this guide to make sure it's current with the latest version of Windows 10.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

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Change a drive letter

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Applies To: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2016

If you want to change a drive letter assigned to a drive, or you have a drive that doesn't yet have a drive letter, use Disk Management to change it. You can also mount the drive in an empty folder so that it appears as a folder. For more information, see Mount a drive in a folder .

If you change the drive letter of a drive that already contains Windows or apps, apps might have trouble running or finding the drive. We suggest not changing the drive letter of a drive that already contains Windows or apps.

The following steps show how to change the drive letter.

Open Disk Management with administrator permissions.

In Disk Management, select and hold (or right-click) the volume on which you want to change or add a drive letter and select Change Drive Letter and Paths .

If you don't see the Change Drive Letter and Paths option or it's grayed out, the volume either isn't ready to receive a drive letter or it's unallocated and needs to be initialized . It might also be that the drive isn't accessible, which is the case with EFI system partitions and recovery partitions. If you've confirmed that your volume is formatted with a drive letter that you can access but you're still unable to change it, that's beyond the scope of this article. We suggest contacting Microsoft Support or the manufacturer of your PC for more help.

To change the drive letter, select Change . To add a drive letter if the drive doesn't already have one, select Add .

Select the new drive letter and choose OK . Then select Yes when prompted about how programs that rely on the drive letter might not run correctly.

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The Disk Management tool in Windows gives you an easy-to-use graphical interface to dealing with partitions and drive letters , but what if you want to just quickly change a drive letter on the command prompt? The diskpart utility makes it easy.

You'll need to start by opening an administrator mode command prompt -- type cmd into the search box, and then right-click and choose Run as administrator, or use the CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER keyboard shortcut.

Once there, run the diskpart command, and then type in the following to list out the volumes on your system.

list volume

You'll want to note the volume number next to the drive that you want to change the letter of. In our case, that number is 3.

Now we'll use the select volume command to tell diskpart to make changes to that volume. If your drive number is different, you'll want to replace the 3 with the number in your configuration.

select volume 3

You should see a message that the volume is now selected.

At this point you can easily assign a new drive letter. Just type in this command, substituting R for the drive letter you'd like to use:

assign letter=R

Make sure to hit enter once you're done, of course.

Once you've made that change, your drive should show up again as a new device, and be available for browsing immediately.

If you want to unassign a drive letter in order to hide the drive, you can also use the remove letter command in the same way. We wouldn't necessarily advise doing this, of course.

Don't bother trying to change your C: drive, because that's not going to work.

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How to change drive letter using Settings on Windows 10

You can now change the drive letter for a partition using the “Manage Disks and Volumes” tools in Settings, and here's how on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, each drive you connect to the computer gets assigned a letter automatically to identify the device and make it accessible. However, sometimes, you may need to change the drive letter manually for many reasons.

For example, if you connect a drive (USB flash drive, external hard drive, or secondary hard drive) that was formatted on another device, the drive letter may conflict with another storage device on your computer. You prefer using a specific letter for a drive. Or you’re trying to organize the letters in a specific order.

Whatever the reason it might be, starting with build 20175 (Dev Channel) , Windows 10 introduces a new experience to manage disks and volumes from within the Settings app, which also includes the ability to change the letter of a drive. (Technically, the partition inside the drive receives the letter, not the device. Since if the drive doesn’t have a formatted partition, no letter will be assigned and won’t be accessible.)

In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to change the drive letter using the “Manage Disks and Volumes” tools available on Windows 10 .

Change drive letter on Windows 10

To change the drive letter with Manage Disks and Volumes in the Settings app, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 10.

Click on System .

Click on Storage .

Under the “More storage settings” section, click the Manage Disks and Volumes option.

Select the drive with the partition you want to change the letter.

Select the partition.

Click the Properties button.

Click the Change drive letter button.

Use the drop-down menu and select the new letter.

Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the drive’s partition will now start using the new letter.

Just remember that you can’t change the letter of the partition where Windows 10 is installed, which is usually labeled as “C”, and you shouldn’t try to assign a letter to the system reserved partitions. 

If the settings are not available, it’s because you are not running the version of the operating system that includes the tool. The Manage Disks and Volumes settings are available starting with  Windows 10 build 20175 or higher releases.

In the case that you’re using an older version or an older release, such as Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, then you’ll need to use the Disk Management console, or Command Prompt or PowerShell to change the drive letter.

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter) , YouTube , LinkedIn and About.me . Email him at [email protected] .

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How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 & 11

For example, I want to use the drive letter X for one of my partitions because one of my older scripts requires it. The script won’t work as intended if it doesn’t have that specific drive letter. Since these are older files, and there are many of them, in typical Windows fashion, I tend to swap the drive letter rather than making the necessary changes to the script files.

Thankfully, Windows has several ways to change the drive letter . You can use the built-in partition manager or execute a few commands in the terminal. I will show both ways, follow the method you like.

Note: Close all active programs except your browser before proceeding with the below steps. It will reduce potential conflicts between programs and the drives.

Important: Do not change the drive letter of system volume or boot partition (C drive).

Change drive letter using partition manager

Though most don’t know, Windows has a built-in partition manager called Disk Management. You can use it to quickly and easily change the drive letter. All you have to do is go to the drive options and choose the new drive letter.

Steps with more details:

First, search and open “Create and format hard disk partitions” from the Start menu. You can also use the “diskmgmt.msc” Run (Win + R) command.

After opening the Disk Management tool, find the drive you want to change the drive letter, right-click on it, and choose the “Change drive letter and paths” option.

Now, click the “Change” button.

Finally, close the Disk Management tool, and you are done.

That is all. You’ve successfully changed the drive letter in Windows. To make the changes take full effect, reboot the system.

Commands to change drive letter

Press the Windows Key to open the Start menu . Type “ Command Prompt ,” right-click on the result, and select the “ Run as administrator ” option. You can also right-click the Start menu, choose “Windows Terminal (Admin),” and open the Command Prompt tab in it.

After opening the cmd window, type “ diskpart ” and press Enter. This will launch the diskpart program in the cmd window.

Next, execute the “ select volume #number ” command. Don’t forget to replace the #number with the actual volume number.

After selecting the volume, execute the “ assign letter=NewDriveLetter ” command. Replace “ NewDriveLetter ” with the actual drive letter you want to assign.

Once assigned, close the cmd window.

That is all. Once the diskpart commands are executed successfully, the drive letter is changed instantly. To make the changes take full effect, reboot Windows.

I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

Did you know you can change a drive icon to anything you want? Follow the linked article to understand how to do it.

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Home » Tech Tips » Windows » How to Assign or Change Drive Letter in Windows 11?

How to Assign or Change Drive Letter in Windows 11?

Windows by default uses C drive (C:) for hosting system and application files. You can choose different drives like D: instead of C: while installing Windows on your computer. Similarly, it is also possible to manually change the installed app’s location , though generally users install apps on C: drive. Did you anytime think of changing the existing drive letters in your system? Here is how you can do that in Windows 11 PC.

Default Drive Name Assignments in Windows 11

Let us say, you have two partitions C: and D: volumes on your hard disk. Here is how the default drive letter assignment in Windows work:

• A: – floppy disk drive for IBM computers (obsolete)
• B: – floppy drive for MS-DOS and Windows computers (obsolete)
• C: – Windows and app installation files
• D: – storage space partition
• E: – the letter after your storage partition for CD drive (if CD/DVD drive is available)
• F: onwards – removable storage disks like USB and external hard disks

When you have more partitions on the hard drive, system will use the next drive letters like E: or F: when you insert an external drive. For example, when you have C: and D: drives on your hard disk and insert an USB drive , it will take the letter E: or later.

Changing Drive Letters in Windows 11

It is not necessary to live with the assigned drive letters forever on your system. You can either reduce / increase the drive’s space and assign new letters or simply change an existing drive’s letter. For example, you have 400GB D: drive which you can simply change to F: drive. Alternatively, you can divide it into 200GB + 200GB drives and name them as G: and H: drives.

Windows 11 makes it easy to change the drive letters from the Settings app without using registry or changing system files. However, you can also do the same from Computer Management as with the case in Windows 10 .

1. Change Drive Letter from Windows 11 Settings

If you want to change the assigned drive letters for any partition on your hard disk except C drive then this is the option you should proceed with.

• Press “Win + I” keys or use Windows Search to find Windows Settings app.
• Once you are in the Settings app, go to “System” tab and then click on “Storage” option.

• Go down to the bottom of the “Storage” settings section and click on “Advanced storage settings” available under “Storage management” section.

• This will expand the section and click on “Disks & volumes” option.

• The “Disks and volumes” section will show all your existing drives and click on the one you want to change the letter name. it will show two buttons – “Explore” and “Properties” and click on the “Properties” button.

• On the next screen, you can see the buttons for “Change label” and “Change drive letter”.

• Click “Change drive letter” button and select your favorite letter from the dropdown to assign.

The dropdown will show all letters except C: and the current volume. In the above example, we want to change the D: drive and the system shows A to Z letters except C and D. Since D is the current volume, it is not shown in the list. But C is not shown because it is a system volume partition and you cannot change the drive letter for C. You will not see “Change drive letter” button when selecting properties of C drive. However, you can assign A and B for drive letters which were once reserved only for floppy disks. Since floppy disk is obsolete Windows allows you to assign those reserved drive letters A and B also.

2. Change Drive Letter from Disk Management in Windows 11

Though changing drive letter is easy with Windows Settings, it does not allow changing C drive letter. You can use Disk Management app for changing any drive letter with additional features.

• Press “Win + R” keys to Run prompt .
• Type compmgmt.msc and press “OK” button.

• This will open Computer Management app and select “Disk Management” from the sidebar available under “Storage” section.
• You will see all the drives available on your computer and select C or D or any drive that you want to assign a new letter.
• Go to “Action > All Tasks > Change Drive Letter and Paths…” menu.

• On the pop-up that appears, click on “Change…” button.

• Click on the dropdown against “Assign the following drive letter:” option.
• Select your favorite letter and click “OK” button.

Here you will see all the drive letters except D which is already assigned to another partition volume on the hard disk. Though it is possible to change drive letter for C, we do not recommend as it can affect the installed programs on your computer. Most programs by default install under “Program Files” section in C drive. Changing the drive letter may affect the installed programs and they may stop working. In such a case, you need to uninstall and reinstall the program on the new drive again. This will be a big task if multiple programs stopped working. Therefore, choose the system drive when you clean install Windows first time and stick with that. If you are using preinstalled Windows on C drive, then continue to use that without changing. You can change all other drives using Disk Management or Windows Settings app.

If you want to create parition, select the volume and right click on it. From the menu, select “Shrink Volume” option and select the reduced size for your volume. The remaining size will become unallocated for which you can assign a new label and letter as explained above. Learn more about how to create disk paritions in Windows computer .

Assigning Drive Letter to Removable Disks

As mentioned, Windows will assign the available drive letter for removable disks after the current partition volumes. The problem is when you have multiple removable disks, the assigned letters will change every time which may confuse you. The good part is that you can assign a drive letter as explained above for your removable USB or external hard disk. Windows will remember the assigned letter and use the same whenever you insert the external drive. However, make sure to use the letters clearly away from the current and CD/DVD drives. For example, you can use X or Y or even A or B which are generally not assigned.

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How to Assign a Drive Letter in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

Assigning a drive letter in Windows 11 is a straightforward process that can help you organize your drives better. By following a few easy steps, you can assign or change the drive letters to your liking. This guide will walk you through it step-by-step.

How to Assign a Drive Letter in Windows 11

In this section, we’ll go through the steps needed to assign a drive letter in Windows 11. This will make it easier to access and manage your drives.

Step 1: Open Disk Management

First, right-click the Start button and select "Disk Management."

Disk Management is a built-in tool in Windows 11 that lets you manage your disks and partitions. You can also access it by pressing Win+X and selecting it from the menu.

Step 2: Locate Your Drive

Then, find the drive you want to assign a letter to from the list.

Your drives and their associated letters will be displayed. Make sure you select the correct drive to avoid any unwanted changes.

Step 3: Right-click the Drive

Next, right-click on the drive and choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths."

This option lets you add, change, or remove drive letters. It’s essential for managing your storage efficiently.

Step 4: Click "Add" or "Change"

If the drive doesn’t have a letter, click "Add." If it already has one but you want to change it, click "Change."

Adding a new letter or changing an existing one is simple. Just follow the prompts in the dialog box.

Step 5: Select a New Drive Letter

Choose a new drive letter from the dropdown list, and then click "OK."

You can select any available letter. However, make sure it doesn’t conflict with existing network drives or other devices.

Step 6: Confirm Your Selection

A confirmation dialog will appear. Click "Yes" to apply the changes.

This step finalizes the process. Your drive will now have the new letter, making it easier to find and use.

After completing these steps, your drive will be assigned the new letter. This makes accessing your drives more intuitive and organized.

Tips for Assigning a Drive Letter in Windows 11

Backup Important Data: Always back up important data before making changes to your drives.

Avoid Conflicts: Choose a drive letter that doesn’t conflict with network drives or essential system drives.

Label Your Drives: Consider labeling your drives with meaningful names to make them easier to identify.

Check for Software Dependencies: Some software relies on specific drive letters, so ensure any changes won’t affect your applications.

Use Disk Management Regularly: Regularly check Disk Management to keep your drives organized and functioning correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i change the drive letter of my system drive.

No, you can’t change the drive letter of your system drive (usually C:) as it may cause Windows to become unbootable.

What happens if I remove a drive letter?

Removing a drive letter will make the drive inaccessible through File Explorer, but it won’t delete any data.

Can I assign the same letter to two drives?

No, each drive must have a unique letter to avoid conflicts.

Will assigning a new drive letter affect my files?

No, assigning a new letter won’t affect your files. They will remain intact and accessible.

Why can’t I see my drive in Disk Management?

If you can’t see your drive, it might be a hardware issue or the drive may not be properly connected.

• Open Disk Management.
• Locate your drive.
• Right-click the drive.
• Click "Add" or "Change."
• Select a new drive letter.
• Confirm your selection.

Assigning a drive letter in Windows 11 is a simple yet powerful way to manage and organize your storage. It can help make accessing your files more intuitive and can prevent potential conflicts with software and network drives. Always remember to back up important data before making any changes, and choose your drive letters carefully to avoid any issues. Regularly checking your Disk Management settings can also keep your system running smoothly. Now that you know how to assign a drive letter in Windows 11, you can take better control of your computer’s storage system. For more tips on managing your Windows 11 system, keep exploring our guides and tutorials.

Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.

He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.

Read his full bio here .

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6 Ways to Change the Drive Letter in Windows

If your PC suddenly stops showing one of your internal drives in the file explorer or not list your external drive, it could be due to the OS getting confused with the drive letters. Simply changing your assigned drive letters can help you bypass this conflict. Here are six ways to change the drive letter.

1. Change the Drive Letter Using Settings

2. using command prompt, 3. disk management, 4. registry editor, 5. windows powershell, 6. drive letter changer software, frequently asked questions.

Also read: How to Clean Up and Make Space on Your Windows “C” Drive

Is It Safe to Change a Drive Letter in Windows?

Changing the drive letter is not entirely harmless and can cause significant problems based on the contents of your drive. If you have applications and software installed on your drive, those applications may cease to work.

For example, if you change the name of your D: drive to an F: drive, then the software installed in the D drive will still search for code in the D: file. While you can still access the data inside, there may be errors that will cause a nuisance in your day-to-day usage.

However, you may safely change the letter of some drives. If a partition simply includes data files that you rarely use, changing the drive letter may cause minor inconvenience, but nothing serious. The letters of external drives can almost always be changed without any problems.

• Press Win + I to open the Settings app, then select the “System” tab. Scroll down and click on “Storage.”

• Scroll down on the right side and click on “Advanced storage settings.”

• Under Advanced storage settings, click on “Disks & Volumes.”

• Select the drive whose letter you want to change, then click on the “Properties” button for that drive.

• In the Drive Properties, you will find the option to change the drive letter of the selected drive.

• Once you click on the option to change the drive letter, you will find a drop-down menu that will allow you to change the drive letter.

• Click on the letter you want to assign.

• Once you have selected your preferred letter, click on “OK” to confirm your choice.

Also read: How to Format a Drive in FAT32 in Windows

• Search for the command prompt on the start menu by typing cmd , right-click on it, and select “Run as administrator”.

• On the command prompt home screen, type:

• Press Enter , then type:

• Press Enter. You’ll see a list of your system’s drives. Make a note of the volume number of the drive. In the example pictured, it’s “Volume 3”.

• Type the following code:
• Type the following code to assign the new letter:

Instead of “new drive letter,” type the letter you want. For example: assign letter=S

The drive letter will be changed to your preferred letter.

Also read: 8 Ways to Customize Windows Terminal

• Right-click on the Windows button and open “Disk Management.”

• Under the “Volume” column, you will find the various partitions of your storage. You need to find the drive whose letter you’ll change and right-click on it.

• In the dialog box that appears, click on “Change.”

• Click the drop-down menu next to “Assign the following drive letter,” then select your letter and press “OK.”

• A warning message will pop up. Click “Yes” if you are sure about your decision to change the drive letter.

Also read: Which Allocation Unit Size Is Best for Your Drive?

• To change the drive letter through registry editor, first press Win + R to open the Run dialog and type regedit .

• Type in the following address at the top of the application:

and press Enter .

• Navigate to the list of binary keys. Select the key that corresponds to the drive letter that you want to change. For example, if we want to change the letter of the D: drive, we would look for “\DosDevices\D:”
• Right-click on the selected registry and rename the drive letter to what you want, just as you would rename any other file.You will have to restart your computer for the effects to take place.

Also read: 16 Useful Windows Registry Hacks to Optimize Your Experience

• Using the search button on the taskbar, search for “Powershell” and run it as administrator.

• Type the following command:

• A screen will show you your disk partitions. Make a note of what drive letter you want to change.

• To change the drive letter, type the following command:

Make sure to substitute “current drive letter’ and “new drive letter” with the actual drive letters, then press Enter .

Also read: How to Map a WebDAV Drive in Windows

If you are looking for a tool that can help you manage your partition and drives, these software will help you change your drive letter.

• MiniTool Partition Wizard
• AOMEI Partition Assistant
• EaseUS Partition Master

These tools are easy to use and have GUI interfaces that make them simple to use and also a one-stop destination for you to manage your storage devices. For the purposes of the demonstration, we are using MiniTool Partition Wizard to change the drive letter.

• Download MiniTool Partition Wizard. (It is a direct download link.)

• Run the installer and launch the app. You will get a listing of all your drive partitions mentioned below.

• Right-click on the target drive partition and select “Change Letter.”

• Open the drop-down list and select a new drive letter for your target drive.

• Click on “Apply” to save the changes.

• You will receive a warning pop-up asking you to close all background applications. Click “Yes.”

• You will now receive a confirmation message telling you that the new changes have been applied.Click “OK.”

Also read: How to Format Your USB Drives in Windows

1. How are drive letters assigned in Windows?

Drive letters are assigned to every new drive in alphabetical order. Traditionally, the A: and B: drives were used for floppy disks, and the system drive on which Windows is installed is named C: by default.

2. Can I change the drive letter for the System Drive?

No, changing the drive letter on the system drive is not possible, as Windows is installed on the system drive. If that was changed, the system drive would not be found and the computer would cease working.

3. Can I switch drive letters among two drives?

No, there is no functionality in Windows to switch drive letters directly between two drives. If you want to switch the drive letters between the D: drive and the E: drive, you will have first change the D: drive to another letter (so as to free up the D:), change the E: to D:, then change the first one to E:.

Image credit: Plastic magnetic letters by 123RF

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Ojash has been writing about tech back since Symbian-based Nokia was the closest thing to a smartphone. He spends most of his time writing, researching, or ranting about Bitcoin. Ojash also contributes to other popular sites like MakeUseOf, SlashGear, and MacBookJournal.

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How to Change a Drive Letter

Don't like the letters assigned to your drives in Windows? Change them!

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What to Know

• Open Disk Management. Locate the drive you want to change. Right-click and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths > Change .
• Select the drive letter you want to assign from Assign the following drive letter . Then select OK and choose Yes .

The letters assigned to your hard drives, optical drives, and USB drives in Windows are not fixed. Use the Disk Management tool in Windows to change drive letters. These steps apply to Windows XP and newer versions of Windows .

How to Change Drive Letters in Windows

Follow these steps to change the driver letters in any version of Windows.

You can't change the drive letter of the partition that Windows is installed onto. On most computers, this is usually the C drive.

Open Disk Management , the tool in Windows that lets you manage drive letters, among [many] other things.

In Windows 11/10/8, Disk Management is also available from the Power User Menu ( WIN + X  keyboard shortcut) and is probably the quickest way to open it. You can also start Disk Management from the Command Prompt in any version of Windows, but starting it via Computer Management is probably best for most of you.

Locate from the list at the top, or from the map at the bottom, the drive you want to change the drive letter of.

If you're not sure that the drive you're looking at is really the one you want to change the drive letter for, you can right-click or tap-and-hold the drive and then choose Explore . If you need to, look through the folders to see if that's the right drive.

Right-click or tap-and-hold the drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths .

Select Change .

If you've selected the primary drive by accident, some versions of Windows will display a message that reads Windows cannot modify the drive letter of your system volume or boot volume.

Choose the drive letter you want Windows to assign to this storage device by selecting it from the Assign the following drive letter drop-down box.

You don't need to worry if the drive letter is already being used by another drive because Windows hides any letters you can't use.

Select OK .

Choose Yes to the Some programs that rely on drive letters might not run correctly. Do you want to continue? question.

If you have software installed to this drive, it might stop working properly after changing the drive letter. See details on this in the section below.

Once the drive letter change is complete, which usually only takes a second or two, you're welcome to close any open Disk Management or other windows.

The drive letter is different from the volume label. You can change the volume label using similar steps .

If You Have Programs Not on the Main Drive

Changing drive letter assignments for drives that have software installed to them may cause the software to stop working. This isn't quite as common with newer programs and apps but if you have an old program, especially if you're still using Windows XP or Windows Vista, this is likely to be a problem.

Fortunately, most of us don't have software installed to drives other than the primary drive (typically the C drive), but if you do, consider this your warning that you might need to reinstall the software after changing the drive letter.

No Changes for the Operating System Drive

You cannot change the drive letter of the drive that the Windows operating system is installed on. If you'd like Windows to exist on a drive other than C , or whatever it happens to be now, you can make that happen but you'll have to complete a clean install of Windows to do it. Unless you have a pressing need to have Windows exist on a different drive letter, we don't recommend going through all that trouble.

Change, Don't Switch

There's no built-in way to switch drive letters between two drives in Windows. Instead, use a drive letter that you don't plan on using as a temporary "holding" letter during the drive letter change process.

For example, let's say you'd like to swap Drive A for Drive B . Start by changing Drive A's letter to one that you don't plan on using (like X ), then Drive B's letter to Drive A's original one, and finally Drive A's letter to Drive B's original one.

Using the Command Prompt

You can also change the drive letter from Command Prompt . It's not as easy as using Disk Management and you can't see right away which letters are available to choose, but it is completely doable with the diskpart command.

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How to Change a Drive Letter on Windows 11 & 10

Using multiple drives on your PC? You might want to change the drive letter on Windows to make it easier to manage. This guide will show you how.

Windows will assign drive letters dynamically to removable storage devices as you plug them in. In most cases, it automatically progresses through the alphabet (sans A and B) with your main drive using the drive letter C . However, you might want to change a drive’s letter for easier management.

Whether it’s an external or internal storage drive, you can change a drive letter on Windows 11 or Windows 10 using the steps below.

Change a Drive Letter on Windows 11 via Settings

Before you change a drive letter on Windows, there are a couple of things to note about this process. First, you shouldn’t try to change your local C: drive letter, as it’s where Windows and most of your apps run from. Changing the main drive letter will result in Windows not booting, and apps won’t run at all.

With that in mind, changing a drive letter on Windows 11 is a straightforward process if you’re using the Settings up.  To get started:

• In the Disks & volumes section, scroll down and click the drive you want to change.

That’s it. The new drive letter will take effect and will display with the letter you selected for it. The change happens right away and you’ll see it reflected in File Explorer and throughout the Windows 11 experience.

How to Change a Drive Letter on Windows 10 and 11 Using Disk Management

You can also use the Disk Management tool to change your drive letter. This method works with both Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs.

To change a drive letter on Windows 11 or Windows 10 using Disk Management:

• Click the Start button or press the Windows key and type disk management .

At this point, your drive’s letter on Windows will change, and it should open in File Explorer to view its content. You may need to restart your PC for the change to take effect, however.

If you change the removable drive letter, it should stay the same on the computer you change it on. For example, if you take it to a different computer, Windows will assign it a different letter than the one you gave it. After renaming a drive, a new letter will most likely be assigned if you plug in other external drives in a different order.

Managing Disk Space on Windows

Windows 11 and 10 have some useful tools for managing drive space. For instance, you can limit disk space used by the Recycle Bin or free up space with Cleanup Recommendations on Windows 11 . You might also want to configure Storage Sense on Windows 11 .

There are many ways to free up disk space on Windows 10 too. You can delete old system restore points to free up space or learn how to delete the Windows.old folder to free up GBs of space.

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How to Assign / Change Drive Letter in Windows 10

We show you how to change the drive letter in CMD, DIsk Management, PowerShell, and Registry editor in Windows 10.

Table of Contents:

Windows 10 helpfully assigns drive letters to disks as they're added, but they aren't always the most logical choices. While we all know that C: is the system drive, it doesn't make quite as much sense to have D: as your games drive or E: as your media drive. Luckily it's quite easy to change a drive letter in Windows 10, and we're going to walk you through the process today.

How does Windows 10 drive letter assignment work?

For the most part, Windows 10 automatically assigns letters to drives as they're connected, in alphabetical order. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule that may leave some users confused.

As mentioned earlier, C: is always reserved for the system drive, but A: and B: are reserved too, for rarely used floppy drives. Because of Windows automatic assignment, you may have also noticed that Windows changes the drive letter of your USB stick if you've connected another before it.

If you want letters that are easier to identify in bios or don't want your USB letters jumping around, it's quite easy to permanently change a drive letter in Windows 10 to something of your choosing. We're going to cover a few different ways today, including how to change the drive letter in CMD.

How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 via Disk Management

The most user-friendly way to assign drive letters in Windows is through the Disk Management interface, which is relatively easy to use.

How to Change Drive Letter in CMD using a DISKPART Disk Management Command

Though it's not quite as user-friendly, it can be much faster to change a drive letter with Command Prompt.

How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 with a PowerShell Disk Management Command

Those more familiar with PowerShell can use this method instead to achieve the same result.

How to Change / Assign a Drive Letter via the Registry Editor

Alternatively, if none of the above methods worked or you're just feeling brave, you can modify the drive letter via the registry. Just be sure to read our safe registry editing guide first.

If you enjoyed this guide, you may want to consider enabling or disabling disk caching or turning on BitLocker for your newly customized drives.

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Assign or Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 & 11 File Explorer

Drive letters are one of the two ways to identify a drive on your Windows computer. The other is the Drive name. Since Windows lets users easily rename drives, it isn’t the most reliable way to identify drives. Therefore, drive letters are important. You can still change the drive letter in the Windows 10 file explorer. Windows also lets you assign a new drive letter to a drive that doesn’t have one. Also, you can hide a drive on Windows 10 entirely from prying eyes.

Let’s imagine a scenario where the drive name was the only way to identify a drive. Now imagine you install a program in the programs folder in a drive named ProgramDrive. On Windows, you can right-click and select rename to change the name of a drive. This means many users might often do it or sometimes even accidentally. But when you change the name of the drive to NewProgramDrive, the programs installed in the programs folder may stop working. The default install path they’ve set up is now not there. You can follow another guide I wrote some time ago to install programs on external storage on Windows 10.

This is what makes drive letters so important on Windows. Instead of identifying a drive by its name, Windows does this via drive letters. The names are just for the convenience of the user. But the same logic also applies to drive letters. Windows does let you change the drive letter or assign a new one. However, if you change the drive letter for a drive where Windows or another program is installed, it may cause problems.

We recommend that you shouldn’t change the drive letter of such a drive.

Steps to Assign or Change Drive Letter in Windows 10 Explorer

This can be done from the Disk Management console. There are several ways to launch it. On Windows 10, the easiest way to do that is to right-click the Start menu and select Disk Management .

• You can see all your drives listed in the top half of the Disk Management window. It also shows the disks in a more graphical representation at the bottom half of the window.

• From the context menu, select the Change Drive Letter and Paths… option.
• If the Drive does not already have a letter assigned, click on the Add button.

• Click OK and then click Yes on the warning dialog that appears.

The drive letter will be changed once you do that. However, Windows will still keep using the previous drive letter to keep programs running. If you install new programs in that drive, they will also be installed using the old drive letter. This is fixed once you restart Windows. And yes, if your Windows PC takes a long time to boot up, you can follow these tips to make Windows 10 boot faster .

Read Next: How to Enable and Use Windows Sandbox

• File Explorer

Assign Drive Letters to Folders in Windows

We'll show you 3 different methods to try

If there are folders that you access frequently, this post shows you how to quickly access these folders in Windows Explorer without having to enter the full path to the folder. We will discuss three ways to map folders to drive letters.

Method 1: Use the subst DOS Command

First, we will use an old DOS command, called subst , that allows you to assign a drive letter to any folder in Windows.

For this example, we will assign a drive letter for the following folder: C:\Users\Lori Kaufman\Documents\My Work .

Open the Start menu and enter “ cmd.exe ” (without the quotes) in the Search programs and files box. Click cmd.exe in the results to open the command prompt window.

In the command prompt window, type the following command to associate drive “ Y: ” with the folder.

NOTE: If there are spaces in the path name, be sure to put quotes around the full path.

Now, when we open Windows Explorer, we see a new drive labeled Y: that will directly open the My Work folder.

Use this same process to assign different drive letters to all your frequently used directories. However, the subst command cannot be used with mapped network folders.

Method 2: Use the psubst Utility

A disadvantage of using the subst command is that these virtual drives are temporary and will be removed as soon as you shutdown or restart the computer or log off. However, you can solve this by using the free psubst utility, which operates like the subst command but it creates permanent virtual drives that are persistent even after rebooting your computer.

Download the psubst utility from

https://github.com/ildar-shaimordanov/psubst

Now go ahead and read my post on how to use psubst to map a folder to a drive letter .

Method 3: Use a Graphical Tool

If you would rather use a graphical tool to map drive letters to folders, there is a free utility called, Visual Subst , that’s like a graphical version of the psubst utility.

Download Visual Subst from

http://www.ntwind.com/software/utilities/visual-subst.html

To install Visual Subst , double-click on the .exe file you downloaded.

On the Installation Options screen, select the check boxes for the Program Shortcuts you want to install and click Next .

When the setup is completed, click Close .  Double-click the shortcut to start the program. You can also start it from the Start menu.

The main Visual Subst window displays. Select a desired drive letter from the drop-down list.

To select a folder to map to the selected drive letter, click the Browse button to the right of the edit box.

On the Browse For Folder dialog box, navigate to the folder you want to map, select it, and click OK .

To map the selected folder to the selected drive letter, click the green plus button on the button bar to the left of the drive letter drop-down list.

The virtual drive is added to the list. Add more virtual drives by selecting a drive letter and a corresponding folder and adding it to the list as described above.

If you want the virtual drives you defined available automatically when you start Windows, select the Apply virtual drives on Windows startup check box so there is a check mark in the box.

To save the settings for Visual Subst , click the floppy disk button on the button bar. A file with the .ini extension is saved in the same directory where Visual Subst was installed.

The mapped folders display as Hard Disk Drives in Windows Explorer.

If you want to remove the mapping for a folder, open Visual Subst again and select the virtual drive from the list. Click the red X button on the button bar.

Mapping folders to drive letters can save you a lot of time and Visual Subst makes adding virtual drives easy. Visual Subst works in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and later versions of Windows including Windows 7, 8 and 10. Enjoy!

Founder of Help Desk Geek and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem's Full Bio

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Change the drive letter in the command prompt

• Open an elevated command prompt .
• Type diskpart .

You are done.

Change the drive letter in PowerShell

• Open an elevated PowerShell instance .

For example, the command can look as follows:

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How to Change Drive Letter/Name on Windows 11? Here Are 4 Methods

Windows 11 is the latest operating system released by Microsoft recently. It comes with a quite different outlook. In this post from the MiniTool Partition Wizard website, you can learn about how to change drive letter on Windows 11. 4 methods are introduced and you can choose the one you prefer.

What Is Drive Letter

Drive letter, also referred to as device letter, is an alphabetic character that is assigned to a drive or partition of the storage device on a computer. Usually, the drive letter varies from A to Z and the system partition will be assigned to C by default on Windows.

Once a local drive is given a drive letter, it won’t change automatically when there is only a single operating system. However, the drive letter for a movable storage device such as a USB flash drive or an external hard drive might be different on different computers.

Some partitions won’t be given a drive letter automatically, such as the boot drive, system reserved and recovery partition, and the partitions that cannot be recognized by Windows. Without a drive letter, the drive will be unable to display in File Explorer and users cannot access it.

On Windows 11, the latest operating system offered by Microsoft, users can view the drive letters in File Explorer. If you don’t like the assigned drive letter or the drive letter is missing for some reason, you can change it manually.

In the following content, some common ways to change drive letter on Windows 11 are listed. And you can choose the one you prefer to have a try when it is needed.

Editor’s choice : Change Drive Letter via MiniTool Partition Wizard

MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Click to Download 100% Clean & Safe

• Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard.
• Right-click the target partition and select the Change Letter
• Select a letter and click OK .
• Click Apply .

Method 1: Change Drive Letter Windows 11 Using Settings

If you have upgraded to Windows 11, you might have noticed that Windows 11 is designed with a new outlook as well as many new features, but the basic user interface is similar to Windows 10.

Here, I’d like to introduce how to change drive letter in Windows 11 via a built-in tool, Windows 11 Settings.

Step 1 : Press Win + I to open Windows Settings quickly.

Step 2 : In the left pane, select System . In the right pane, click Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes .

Step 3 : In the Disks & volumes window, click the drive for which you want to change drive letter and select Properties .

Step 4 : Under the Volume data section, click the Change drive letter button.

Step 5 : In the pop-up window, select a letter and click OK to keep the changes.

If you don’t like this method, you can continue with the next method. It is also easy to operate.

Method 2: Change Drive Letter Windows 11 Using Disk Management

Disk Management is a preinstalled tool in Windows 11 that can be used to manage connected disks. You can also use it to change drive letter on Windows 11, and you just need to perform a few clicks.

Step 1 : Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management to access Disk Management quickly.

Step 2 : In Disk Management, right-click the partition where you want to change drive letter and then select the option Change Drive Letter and Paths .

Step 3 : In the pop-up window, click the Change button. On the next page, select a drive letter and click OK to save the changes you have made.

Step 4 : Click OK when you go back to the window “ Change Drive Letter and Paths for ”.

After the 4 steps, you will get a new drive letter for the selected partition.

Method 3: Change Drive Letter Windows 11 Using Command Prompt

Command Prompt is the command-line interpreter in Windows operating systems and it is kept in Windows 11. With Command Prompt, you can input certain commands and your computer will take corresponding actions. It can activate many features that are not available in the graphical user interface, such as write protecting a drive .

It sounds cool to use Command Prompt. However, you should be careful if you are not familiar with this tool, as you might delete important data or even do harm to the operating system by mistake.

Don’t worry too much. This tool is commonly used to manage disks. It might be a little difficult for new hands, but you can change drive letter on Windows 11 successfully with the following guide.

Step 1 : Press Win + R to invoke the Run window. Then type cmd and press Enter to access Command Prompt .

Step 2 : In Command Prompt, input diskpart and press Enter to launch diskpart.exe, which is used to manage disks and partitions.

Step 3 : Now you can select the target partition and change drive letter for it. And here are two ways you can choose.

Way 1. You can type the following commands one by one in diskpart.exe to select the partition and assign drive letter:

• Select disk * (replace * with the number of the disk that contains the target partition)
• List partition
• Select partition # (replace # with the number of the target partition)
• Assign letter=k (replace k with the drive letter you want to use)

Way 2. Alternatively, you can type the following commands one by one. This way is relatively easier than the first way.

• List volume
• Select volume ^ (replace ^ with the number of the target partition and you can identify the number through the label, size, or drive letter)
• Assign letter=k

Step 4 : Input exit and press Enter . You can also click the Close button from the upper right corner to exit Command Prompt.

As you can see, it might take you more time to change drive letter on Windows 11 via Command Prompt. If you haven’t used this tool, you’d better try other ways if you want to save time.

Method 4: Change Drive Letter Windows 11 Using MiniTool Partition Wizard

The last method to change drive letter on Windows 11 is to use a reliable third-party tool and here I recommend MiniTool Partition Wizard. It is a professional disk manager that can be used to create, move, resize, delete, format partitions, recover lost files , check and repair hard drive errors , etc. A huge number of its features are free to use, including Change Letter.

Now, let’s see how to change drive letter on Windows 11 with MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 1 : Download MiniTool Partition Wizard by clicking the following button or visiting its official website. Then install and launch it.

Step 2 : When you get the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard, right-click the partition where you need to change drive letter. In the pop-up menu, select Change Letter .

Step 3 : In the pop-up window, select a letter and click OK .

Step 4 : When you go back to the main interface, click Apply to execute the pending changes.

Then you can open File Explorer and view the new drive letter.

How to change drive letter on Windows 11? Here are the top 4 methods. And the last one is recommended. Click to Tweet

Bonus Tip: How to Change Drive Name in Windows 11

In addition to changing drive letter, the above tools can also be used to change drive name.

The name of a drive is used to help users to identify what is used for and categorize files. It is also called a volume label. For example, if I use a specific partition to store movies and other videos, I can set the volume label of the partition as videos. In this way, I can quickly find my videos when I need them.

There are multiple ways to rename a drive. The tools used to change drive letter can also be used to change drive name, and here is a simple guide.

Via Settings:

• Open Windows 11 Settings and go to System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Disks & volumes .
• Select the target partition and click Properties .
• Click Change Label .
• Type a name and click Apply .

Via Disk Management:

• Open Disk Management .
• Right-click the partition and click Properties .
• Type a name in the box and click Apply > OK .

Via Command Prompt:

• Run Command Prompt as administrator.
• Input label f: music and press Enter (replace “f” with the drive letter of the target drive and replace “music” with the name you want to use).

Via MiniTool Partition Wizard:

• Right-click the target partition and select Label .
• Type a name and click OK .

Via File Explorer:

• Press Win + E to open File Explorer .
• Click This PC .
• Select the target partition and click its volume label after a few seconds.
• Input a name and press Enter .

Which one do you prefer? Choose one to have a try!

How to change drive letter and name on Windows 11? Here are multiple methods! Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

If you are wondering how to change drive letter on Windows 11, this post can help. Here four effective methods are listed. By the way, it also introduces some ways to change drive name. You can share your ideas with us in the following comment section. For any problems with MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can contact us via [email protected] .

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How to Change Drive Letter with CMD Windows 10

Diskpart is a command-line tool in Windows system that allows you to manage your disks and partitions. This post introduces how to change drive letter with CMD in Windows 10, namely, by using Diskpart CMD tool. MiniTool software provides users a free disk partition manager, data recovery software, system backup and restore software, etc.

If you want, you can change drive letter for a drive with CMD (Command Prompt) in Windows 10. This post includes detailed guides for how to use Diskpart command-line tool to change driver letter in CMD.

How to Change Drive Letter with CMD in Windows 10

Diskpart is a Windows built-in CMD tool that lets you easily manage hard drive and change drive letter. To change or assign drive letter in CMD, you can firstly open Diskpart utility in Command Prompt. Check the steps below.

Step 1. Open CMD in Windows 10

You can press Windows + R , type cmd , and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open elevated Command Prompt .

Step 2. Open Diskpart tool

In Command Prompt window, you can type diskpart command, and press Enter . This will open the Diskpart command-line utility.

Step 3. Change drive letter CMD

Next you can type the command line below to change drive letter in Command Prompt in Windows 10. Remember to press Enter after typing each command line.

• list volume (this command will list all available volumes detected by your computer)
• select volume * (replace “*” with the exact volume number of the target partition)
• assign letter=* (replace “*” with the preferred drive letter like “F”)

After you change or assign a drive letter for a drive or device, Windows will display the same letter automatically next time you reconnect the device to your computer.

If you want to remove the drive letter of a specific drive, you can type remove letter=* command and press Enter . Still, replace “*” with the exact drive letter of the target drive.

How to Change Drive Letter Using PowerShell

Some Windows 10 users might find that Command Prompt is missing from Win + X menu , and instead, it shows Windows PowerShell. Windows PowerShell can do most things that Command Prompt does. Alternatively, you can also use Windows PowerShell to change drive letter in Windows 10.

Step 1. Press Windows + X , and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin) to run Windows PowerShell utility as administrator.

Step 2. Next type get-disk command and press Enter to list all available drives the computer detected.

Step 3. Then you can type the command: Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter F , and press Enter to assign a new drive letter. You should change “*” with the actual disk number of target drive, and replace “F” with the new drive letter you’d like to assign to the drive.

MiniTool Partition Wizard – Professional Free Disk Partition Manager

Instead of using CMD or PowerShell to change drive letter for a drive in Windows 10, you can also utilize third-party free disk partition manager like MiniTool Partition Wizard to easily change drive letter and manage disk partitions on Windows 10.

MiniTool Partition Wizard let you easily create/delete/extend/resize/format/wipe partitions, convert partitions formats, migrate OS, clone disk, test hard drive speed , analyze hard drive space usage, check and fix disk errors , and more.

By following the detailed guides above, you can easily change drive letter with CMD (Command Prompt), PowerShell or MiniTool Partitioon Wizard on Windows 10.

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Samsung T7 SSD Not Showing Up in Windows 10/11 | Fixed

Are you dealing with the Samsung T7 SSD not recognized error? If yes, keep reading this article to learn more about this problem, and the top 8 methods to resolve the error effectively.

Page Table of Contents

19 June 2024

Min Reading

The Samsung T7, a robust, slender & portable SSD, is one of the most fantastic preferences for users looking for fast & trustworthy storage options. Nevertheless, dealing with the " Samsung T7 SSD not showing up"  issue on Windows 10/11 is daunting.

I have a Samsung Portable SSD T7. I tried to insert it into my laptop but it does not show up in "This PC" Devices and drives. I then go to Disk Management and found that the SSD is detected but cannot change drive letters and path. I have tried to update the drivers and also tried a few different methods but none of them works. from Microsoft Community

Are you wondering what are the possible causes of this error? The reasons are the following:

• 🚫Malfunctioned USB cable: The USB cable linking the T7 to your PC might be erroneous. You may replace it with a familiar working cable to eliminate cable-oriented troubles.
• ⚡Power management settings:   Windows 10 might be configured to switch off USB devices to save power. Regulating power management settings may potentially fix the not-detecting issue.
• ❌USB port issues: One of the most straightforward solutions is the most effective. You can start by verifying the USB port and ensuring it's functioning smoothly. Lastly, you can try connecting the Samsung T7 to another USB port.

Have you recently bought a Samsung T7 SSD connected to your Windows PC and noticed the unrecognized issue? If you're facing this issue creating annoyance and frustration, you're not alone! Today's article will discuss the top 8 methods to solve this problem. So, let's dive into it!

Rescue Data from Not Showing Samsung T7 SSD

Dealing with the Samsung T7 SSD not detected error is an annoying experience, mainly if you have vital data preserved on it. In order to help you retrieve valuable files without any loss, you may consider installing EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard . It's a reliable and powerful SSD data retrieval software that is handy when your PC doesn't identify your Samsung T7 SSD or it's been damaged or accidentally formatted.

  Download for Win  Recovery Rate 99.7%   Download for Mac  Trustpilot Rating 4.7

With its streamlined scanning algorithms, this software can effectively recover data from SSDs , including images, audio files, videos, documents, and more, from your Samsung T7 SSD. This tool also supports various file systems and provides a user-friendly interface; it can also help you recover data from other storage devices or rescue data when you encounter other disk errors like Samsung 980 Pro SSD not detected .

Check the following guide to rescue data from the Samsung T7 SSD:

Step 1. Scan the SSD

Open EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, select the SSD where you lost data, and click the "Search for Lost Data" button.

Step 2. View the results

When the scanning finishes, find lost SSD data by using the "Filter" and "Search" options after checking the "Deleted Files" and "Other Lost Files" folders.

Step 3. Recover SSD files

Select desired data and click the "Recover" button to get back lost SSD files.

💡 Tip: You can restore data on the local disks, external hard drives, and also the cloud storage.

Download this professional data recovery software now. If you like the information above, kindly share it with your friends on social media.

Fix 1. Resolve Samsung T7 SSD Not Showing Up with Data Recovery Services

If your Samsung T7 SSD isn't showing up or has been deleted, you might need professional guidance. That's why EaseUS provides professional data retrieval services with a maximum success rate. EaseUS data recovery services are amazing for complex retrieval scenarios, such as reformatting Samsung T7 SSD, system boot errors, partition loss, and virtual disk corruption.

The reliable and experienced engineers of EaseUS provide one-on-one service to retrieve your data safely from Samsung T7 SSD. Moreover, the retrieval services are remotely accessible, too, letting you restore data online from the solace of your office or home.

EaseUS Samsung T7 Recovery Services

We could offer the following services after a FREE diagnosis. Contact EaseUS data recovery professionals for one-on-one restoration service, and avail of these services below:

• Provide Samsung T7 SSD data retrieval services 24 hours a day.
• Mend corrupted RAID structure, damaged virtual disk files, and unbootable Windows OS.
• Resolve Samsung disks that become GPT-protected partitions.
• Recover deleted files from SSDs , including Samsung, SanDisk, Western Digital, etc.

Fix 2. Reconnect or Check Connections of Not Showing Samsung T7 SSD

When the SSD isn't appropriately connected, the system might fail to locate the Samsung T7 SSD. Therefore, you can first ensure the USB cable is not corrupted and try linking it to another USB port. If the USB port and the cable are both working, try to change a computer to connect.

Fix 3. Update Samsung T7 SSD Firmware to Make It Readable

Samsung updates the firmware periodically to maximize SSD performance, compatibility, and user experience. Therefore, it's recommended that you upgrade your firmware to a fresh version. Go through the steps below to update the Samsung T7 SSD firmware:

Step 1. Launch the "Magician" software and opt for "Update" on the lower-left edge of the interface. In case any update is present, a symbol marked "N" will pop up adjacent to "Update."

Step 2. In case new firmware is present for your Samsung SSD, a text demonstrating "New Version (version number)" will emerge adjacent to the "Update" button. Hit the "Update" button to proceed.

Step 3. Go through the on-screen prompts to finish the firmware update process.

If you have solved the Samsung T7 SSD issues with the recommended methods, you can share them on social media now!

Fix 4. Solve Samsung T7 SSD Not Detected by Updating Driver

This SSD not showing up error is also linked to an older disk driver. Therefore, another way to resolve this issue is to update the driver in Device Manager. Go through the steps below to solve the "Samsung T7 SSD not detected" issue:

Step 1. Right-click the "Windows logo" button on the taskbar and opt for "Device Manager."

Step 2. Broaden the "Disk Drives" section > right-click on the target SSD disk associated with its disk name, and hit "Update driver."

Step 3. Opt for "Search automatically for drivers" or "Browse my computer for drivers" in the pop-up window according to your situation.

Step 4. Go through the instructions on your PC to finish the vital actions, and verify if the Samsung SSD is recognized.

Fix 5. Change BIOS Settings to Fix the Samsung T7 SSD Not Showing

Is Samsung SSD not showing up in BIOS ? IDE and AHCI are the two major operating modes in the PC's BIOS. Although IDE is compatible with AHCI, you may opt for the AHCI mode to get maximum read and write speeds and streamlined features, such as hot plugging. You may try to adjust AHCI to IDE in case the BIOS can't show your Samsung T7. The steps are the following:

Step 1. Enter BIOS.

Step 2. Utilize your keys to opt for "Peripherals"> "SATA Configuration." Once done, select the "IDE" mode for "SATA Mode Selection."

Step 3. Save the changes you made and exit BIOS. Now, verify if the Samsung T7 SSD is shown.

Fix 6. Assign a Drive Letter for the New Samsung T7 SSD

A disk without a drive letter will not be demonstrated in Windows Explorer. Therefore, you must verify if a drive letter is allocated to the Samsung T7 using Disk Management. If not, you may insert one by following the steps below:

Step 1. Right-click the disk missing a drive letter in Disk Management, then opt for the "change drive letter & paths" option.

Step 2. Hit "Add" in the new window, and opt for a drive letter from the drop-down list.

Step 3. Hit "OK," and the Samsung SSD will appear in Windows Explorer.

Fix 7. Initialize Not Recognized Samsung T7 SSD in Windows 11/10

A new Samsung T7 SSD might not appear in Windows Explorer as the disk has not been initialized. Likewise, an outdated SSD demonstrating "disk unknown not initialized" possesses a similar issue. You may try altering the PC linked to the SSD. Consider initializing the Samsung T7 SSD on Windows 11/10 if you encounter an error. Go through the steps below to initialize the not-detected Samsung T7 SSD:

Step 1. Hit "Windows + R" to launch the "Run" window, and type Diskmgmt.msc .

Step 2. Hit "Enter."

Step 3. Right-click the SSD in Disk Management and opt for "Initialize Disk."

Step 4. Opt for either "MBR" or "GPT" partition style.

Fix 8. Format Not Readable Samsung T7 SSD to Another File System

If the Samsung T7 SSD file system is incompatible with your PC, you may format it to a compatible one. All you need to be aware of is that the situation will rule out all data on the drive. By default, Samsung T7 SSDs are pre-formatted utilizing the exFAT file system, which Windows detects for reading and writing data. The steps are shown below:

Step 1. You need to right-click on "This PC" and opt for "Manage."

Step 2. Hit "Disk Management" under "Storage."

Step 3. Spot your Samsung T7 SSD among the list of drives, and right-click.

Step 4. Opt for "Format," and select "NTFS file system," which is compatible with your PC, and hit "OK."

If you like the steps mentioned above, kindly share them with your mates on social media. Apply EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard if you want to recover formatted SSDs .

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, there are multiple potential causes for your Samsung T7 not functioning properly with a Windows 10 computer: outdated drivers, a damaged USB port or connection, a disparity concerning the drive letter, or an issue with the computer's file system.

Nevertheless, you can swiftly fix the problem by implementing the recommendations provided in this article. Remember to utilize the most reliable data recovery tools, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and EaseUS data recovery services, to quickly and simply retrieve any lost files from your Samsung T7 SSD.

Samsung SSD T5 Not Showing Up FAQs

Go through the FAQs below to comprehend the topic better:

1. Why is my Samsung SSD T7 not showing up in Windows 11?

The reason might be that the USB cable linking the T7 to your Windows 11 PC is erroneous. Therefore, you may replace it with a familiar working cable to dismiss any cable-based problems.

2. How to fix the Samsung T7 SSD not showing up on Mac?

You may try linking it to another USB port. If the Samsung T7 is safely linked to a USB port but can't be detected by your Mac, you need to contact the Service Center listed in your user manual or visit the Samsung.com minisite. 

3. Why does my phone not recognize the Samsung Portable SSD T7?

Due to a damaged file system, your device may not recognize the Samsung Portable SSD T7. A damaged one on the Samsung T7 can obstruct its detection.

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