You'll need to open the Disk Management tool if you want to partition a hard drive, format a hard drive, change a drive letter, or perform other disk-related tasks. You won't find a shortcut to Disk Management in the Windows Start menu or Apps screen because it's not a program in the same sense that most other software on your computer is. Show How to Open Disk Management in WindowsThe most common, and operating system independent, way to open Disk Management is through the Computer Management utility, described below. You can open Disk Management in any version of Windows, from Windows XP through Windows 11.
You can now partition a hard drive, format a hard drive, change a drive's letter, or do whatever else you need to do in Windows' disk manager tool. These hard drive tasks can also be accomplished with most free disk partitioning software tools. Other Ways to Open Disk ManagementYou can also type a simple command in any version of Windows to open Disk Management. This method might be a lot faster for you if you're used to running commands in the Run dialog box or Command Prompt. Just execute diskmgmt.msc from either of those command line interfaces. See How to Open Disk Management From the Command Prompt if you need more detailed instructions. You can also make your own shortcut to Disk Management right on your desktop that you can open at any time to immediately launch the tool. Here's how:
If you're running Windows 10 or Windows 8, and you have a keyboard or a mouse, Disk Management is one of many quick-access options on the super-useful Power User Menu. Just right-click the Start button or try the Win+X combination on your keyboard. If Explorer won't even run, meaning that you can't use the desktop to make a shortcut, access the Start button, or open Command Prompt, Task Manager might be your only option. To open Disk Management with Task Manager, first open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc is one easy method) and then go to Run new task at the top (Windows 11) or File > Run new task (select More details first if you don't see the File menu). What you'll see looks exactly like the Run dialog box; enter the diskmgmt.msc command there to open the program. The 9 Best External Hard Drives of 2022 FAQ
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