change drive letter in windows 10

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How to Change Your Computer Wallpaper in Windows

Some of us work at our computers for many hours during the day and night, but there’s no reason you can’t bring a little fun and charm to your desk by personalizing your computer’s wallpaper. Make your computer feel like home with a little “digital decorating.”

Determine Your Computer’s Operating System

The exact steps for changing your computer’s wallpaper will vary depending on your machine’s operating system. For example, users of Macintosh computers will need to follow different steps than those who use Windows machines. Also, the process can be different depending on which exact version of Windows you have. For this tutorial, we’ll supply the directions for changing your wallpaper in Windows 10 — Microsoft’s current version. Here’s how you can find out which version you have:

Navigate to the Desktop

Now you’ll needed to go to the “desktop” area of Windows. A quick way to access this is to right-click your taskbar (at the bottom of the screen) and then select “Show the desktop.” This will automatically minimize any windows you have open and display an uncluttered desktop. (There are other ways to access the settings we’re after, but this one will suffice for our purposes).

Access the Personalization Settings Panel

Next, right-click on any vacant location on the desktop (don’t right-click on an icon or shortcut), then select “Personalize” from the list. This will bring up the “Personalization” settings panel, where you can adjust settings like colors, themes and backgrounds.

Select an Image

Select “Picture” from the “Background” drop-down menu. (The other settings are “Solid color” and “Slideshow.” Use Slideshow if you’d like your wallpaper to cycle through multiple images.) Next, click the “Browse” button, and use the Windows Explorer to navigate to the photo/image you’d like for you wallpaper. User images are often stored in the “Pictures” library of Windows 10, or you might select an image from a camera card reader or flash drive. Click “Choose picture” when done.

Optimize the Wallpaper

Almost done! There is one last task to do, which you will find under the “Choose a fit” drop-down menu. Not all images automatically fit the aspect ratio of your computer’s screen perfectly, so experiment with the options in this drop-down menu until you find one that works well with your file. The “Fit” or “Fill” options often work well with photos, while “Stretch” may cause some distortion.

Change a drive letter

Applies To: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

If you don't like the drive letter assigned to a drive, or if you've got a drive that doesn't yet have a drive letter, you can use Disk Management to change it. To instead to mount the drive in an empty folder so that it appears as just another folder, see Mount a drive in a folder .

If you change the drive letter of a drive where Windows or apps are installed, apps might have trouble running or finding that drive. For this reason we suggest that you don't change the drive letter of a drive on which Windows or apps are installed.

Here's how to change the drive letter:

Open Disk Management with administrator permissions. To do so, select and hold (or right-click) the Start button, and then select Disk Management .

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

If you don't see the Change Drive Letter and Paths option or it's grayed out, it's possible the volume isn't ready to receive a drive letter, which can be the case if the drive is unallocated and needs to be initialized . Or, maybe it's not meant to be accessed, which is the case of EFI system partitions and recovery partitions. If you've confirmed that you have a formatted volume with a drive letter that you can access and you still can't change it, unfortunately this topic probably can't help you, so we suggest contacting Microsoft 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 .

The Change Drive Letter and Paths dialog

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

The Change Drive Letter or Path dialog showing changing the drive letter

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TECHNOLOGY Q&A

How to change drive letters in Windows 10

Q. How difficult is it to change drive letters in Windows 10?

A. Changing a drive letter in Windows 10 is relatively easy, as follows. Right - click the Windows 10 Menu button and select Disk Management to display a list of all available hard drives. Right - click the specific hard drive letter you want to change, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths . Click the Add button, select a new drive letter, and then click the Change button, as pictured below.

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J. Carlton Collins ( [email protected] ) is a technology consultant, a conference presenter, and a JofA contributing editor.

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Do you have technology questions for this column? Or, after reading an answer, do you have a better solution? Send them to [email protected] . We regret being unable to individually answer all submitted questions.

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Before you buy, how do i assign or change a drive letter in windows.

A drive letter can be assigned or changed in Windows using Disk Management. To open Disk Management, complete the following:

Windows 8 and 10

To assign a drive letter in Disk Management, complete the following:

To change a driver letter in Disk Management, complete the following:

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Step-by-step instructions for assigning a specific drive letter to an external drive, SD card, or hard drive partition in Windows 10.

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.

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

More Windows tips…

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How to Change Drive Letter Windows 10 without Losing Data?

How to change drive letter windows 10? “I have TWO hard disk and a cd rom drive on my computer. The HDDs are C and E, and the cd rom drive id D. Is it possible to swap the HDD letters, i.e C becomes E and E becomes C? Or are the letters fixed at the time of format? ” -Question from Reddit

Think about whether you want to change your drive letter? Indeed, and for quite a long time. For instance, even though you depend more on graphical desktops that empower you to work effortlessly, drive letters are essential to how your software work. But the question is how to change drive letter windows 10? One such inquiry can be seen above:

Part 1: Why Do I Need to Change Drive Letter?

Solution 1: change drive letter via disk management, solution 2: change drive letter with command prompt, solution 3: change drive letter in powershell, solution 4: change drive letter in settings.

A drive letter is an alphabet distinguishing an existing drive. Drive letters start from A and end at Z. Windows will appoint an open drive letter for all the disks. The system holds the drive letters A and B for the floppy drive and tape drives, and the default drive letter is C. The CD-ROM or other drive is the last drive letter (e.g., D:). That is because C: is the primary drive letter. Windows will generally be the drive letter C. Windows allots the last drive letter to external drives and cell phones.

Individuals change hard drive letter for ease of use. Assigning drive letters in sequential order is a method for keeping them coordinated. You don't need to waste your valuable time by going through drives to track down your files.

Part 2: How to Change Drive Letter?

Step 1 : Click the Win and R keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Run box. When the window springs up, type the following command in the bar: diskmgmt.msc.

Step 2 : Hit the "Enter" button, and the "Disk Management" window will be displayed on your screen.

Step 3 : You will see a rundown of drives in the following window. Choose the one you need to change the letter of, then, at that point, right-click on it and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths."

change drive letter windows 10- via Disk Management

Step 4 : Tap on "Change" and a new window will spring up.

Step 5 : To the right of the "Assign the following drive letter" option, you will see a drop-down menu. Select the drive letter you need to give from this menu.

Step 6 : Click the Win and R keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the Run box. When the window springs up, type the following command in the bar: diskmgmt.msc.

Step 1 : Press Win + S keys simultaneously, then, at that point, type in "cmd." Click on the command prompt and when the window opens up, Run it as Administrator by right-clicking it.

Step 2 : Type "diskpart" in the next window and hit "Enter," type list volume, and press "Enter" once more. You will see a rundown of volumes under the "Volume ###" sign.

Step 3 : One of them will be the drive you need to allocate another letter. Knowing which one is the required drive is not hard. Simply notice their sizes below the "Size" tab.

how to change drive letter with Command Prompt

Step 4 : Pick the volume and tap the "Enter" button on your keyboard, then, at that point, type appoint letter=X and continue to assign drive letter Windows 10.

Step 5 : To eliminate the letter and maybe supplant it with another, type removes letter=X. Furthermore, that is all there is to it. Close the window and restart your PC, and you should see your drive with the new letter you just allotted to it.

Step 1 : Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type "Windows PowerShell." Right-click on the program and run it as an administrator.

Step 2 : Type Get-Disk in Windows PowerShell to recognize the hard drive you need to give the new drive letter to, and Press "Enter."

Step 3 : When you select the drive, type the command: Get-Partition - DiskNumber 1 | Set-Partition - NewDriveLetter X. Press Enter, and that's how to reassign drive letters Windows 10.

Note : In the command up there, 1 is the plate number of the drive to be designed; the letter "X" in a similar order addresses the drive letter to be allocated to the drive so you can change it to the letter you like.

To change the drive letter with Manage Disks and Volumes in the Settings application, utilize these means:

Step 1 : Go to your computer settings and click on System.

Step 2 : Tap on Storage, and under the "More Storage Settings" segment, click the Manage Disks and Volumes choice.

Step 3 : Select the drive you wish to change the letter for.

Step 1 : Select the desired partition and click the "Properties" button.

Step 2 : Tap on "Change drive letter."

Step 3 : Utilize the drop-down menu and choose a new letter for your drive and tap OK.

Step 4 : When you complete the means, it will change drive letter Windows 7, and it will begin utilizing the new letter.

Part 3: How to Recover Lost Data after Changing Drive Letter?

Data loss after windows change drive letter is the most well-known issue the client faces. For example, if you have installed some software or saved a file in various volumes other than C, changing letters will make them unavailable. In other words, it breaks the things in your PC. Using Tenorshare 4DDiG Data Recovery Software can help you fix the issue.

Tenorshare 4DDiG can assist you with getting back files from an erased drive volume or partition that might have occurred while Windows 10 change drive letter. It additionally allows you to restore documents from the drive with no drive letter. That’s how:

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After finding the lost documents, you can preview and restore them by clicking the "Recover" button.

FAQs about Changing Drive Letter

1. how do i change a drive letter from d to c.

Open Disk Management from Windows 10 menu and right-click the particular hard drive letter you need to change. Tap the "Change Drive Letter and Paths" optionthen press Add. Choose another drive letter for it, and afterward tap the "Change" button, as shown, and this can be a solution to how to switch drive letters.

2. How do I change the drive letter without disk management?

There are several other options that you can employ to change the drive letter without disk management. One can go to the command prompt, or Powershell can also be an answer to how to change drive letter.

3. Can I change the drive letter without losing data?

In case a partition contains just the documents that you seldom use, changing the drive letter might cause infrequent issues and not something more regrettable. So, you can change the drive letters of external drives without issues.

4. Can I change the drive name without formatting?

Yes, you can change the drive letter without formatting the drive using Disk Management. That lets you save a lot of precious data from getting deleted and helps change the letter for your ease.

After going through this guide, you should be able to easily change the drive letter of any drive in your Windows 11/10. We have discussed every aspect of how to change drive letter windows 10. Moreover, you can use Tenorshare 4DDiG for recovering your lost data due to changing the drive letter.

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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

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 Drive Letter in Windows 10

The article shows you how to change drive letter for hard drives in This PC on Windows 10 computer.

Note : You'd better know that some programs that rely on drive letters might not run correctly after drive letter is changed.

Video guide on how to change drive letter in Windows 10:

Steps to change drive letter in Windows 10:

Step 1 : Open Disk Management .

Step 2 : Right-click a hard drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths in the context menu.

Step 3 : In the following window, tap Change to move on.

Step 4 : Select a new drive letter and click OK .

Step 5 : Choose Yes to confirm drive letter change.

As you can see from the following screen shot, the drive letter of the selected hard drive has been changed successfully.

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How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10?

Changing the drive letter in your windows has many advantages that go beyond identifying file systems. follow the brief instructions below to get more..

Jan 31, 2023 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Ask yourself this question: Do you need to change your drive letter? Yes, and for numerous reasons. For example, even though you now rely more on graphical desktops that enable you to easily click on icons, drive letters are still integral to how your software function .

The bigger question is how to go about changing the drive letters of the drives in your PC. The different ways you can do that will be written out for you below. You'll be using Disk Management, CMD, and PowerShell.

Is It Safe to Change Drive Letters?

Yes, it's very safe to change drive letters . If it wasn't, you wouldn't be reading these letters (pun intended) right now. By default, Windows automatically assigns the letter "C" to your system drive, then other letters to the rest of your storage devices.

But what does it mean to change a device or drive's letter, anyway? Simply put, it's a way to identify your drive by a different letter. But even though changing a drive letter has its benefits, it also harbors risks that can harm your files. How?

For one, changing drive letters confuses Windows. The operating system won't know where to look for your files because it expects to find them in a particular place, but because you've renamed their directory, it will be left unsure what to do.

In a way, it's kind of embarrassing how such advanced technology can sometimes be so dumb, isn't it? Honestly, you just change ONE letter, but your machine doesn't recognize it for what it is!

There is also the risk that any software you install on a drive will cease functioning once you change the letter of that drive. This is not a probability but it's still a possibility, so be wary of doing that. On the bright side, at least the problem is more common with older software. What about the reasons you should change your drive letter?

Convenience

Say you purchase an external drive and wish to change its drive letter, right? And you're doing this because you already have another drive with the same letter as the external. You can easily do all this without having to resort to complex instructions, and that is very convenient. This freedom to customize your storage devices the way you want is also a welcome addition to computer usage.

Ease of Recognition

Assigning letters in alphabetical order to drives is a simple way to keep them organized. It benefits you because it will be easier to know what files or programs are installed on which drive. You don't have to waste precious time by going through random locations to find your files.

6 Ways to Change Drive Letter in Windows 11/10

The first thing you need to know here is this: You cannot change the drive letter of the drive where your Windows is installed on. The only way for you to do that is to do a clean install of the Windows itself; but why go through all that trouble just to change a simple letter?

With that being said, and except for your operating system's default drive, you have much leeway when it comes to changing drive letters.

Even though Windows automatically assigns a drive letter to any external storage device you connect to it, there are unique occasions where it tries to give an already-assigned letter to a new drive. It thus nullifies the action and prevents the drive from showing up in "File Explorer." That's just one credible reason you might see a need to change a drive letter ; the rest is up to you, but more important is for you to know how to do it. Kicking off the tutorial will be "Disk Management."

Video tutorial: How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 11/10?

1 Change a Drive Letter in Disk Management

1. Press on the "Windows" + "R" key. When the "Run" window pops up, type this command in its search field: diskmgmt.msc.

2. Hit the "Enter" key and "Disk Management" will be launched.

3. You will see a list of drives in the "Disk Management" window. Pick out the one you want to change the letter of, then right-click on it and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths."

pick the one you want to change drive letter

4. Click on "Change" and another window will open up.

5. Right beside the "Assign the following drive letter" option, you will see a drop-down menu. Select the drive letter you want Windows to give the storage device from this menu.

6. Click on "OK" and select "Yes". Close "Disk Management" and your drive will now be bearing a brand-new letter.

2 Change Drive Letter in CMD

1. Press "Windows" + "S", then type in "cmd" in the search field you see. Click on "command prompt". After the command prompt opens up, right-click on it, and select "Run as administrator."

2. Type diskpart in the command window and hit "Enter", then type list volume and press "Enter" again. You will see a list of simple volumes under "Volume ###."

3. One of them will be the drive you want to assign a new letter. Knowing which of them is the drive shouldn't be too hard. Just look at each of their corresponding sizes under the "Size" category.

4. Choose the volume and hit "Enter", then type assign letter=R and hit "Enter" one more time.

5. If you want to remove the letter and perhaps replace it with another one, type removes letter=R. And that's it. Close the "command prompt" tool and restart your PC and you should see your drive rocking the new letter you just assigned to it.

3 Change Drive Letter in PowerShell

1. Press the "Windows" key and type "Windows PowerShell" in the search bar. Right-click on the program in the search results and choose "Run as administrator."

2. Type Get-Disk in Windows PowerShell to identify the particular hard drive you want to assign the new drive letter to. Press "Enter."

3. Once you select the drive, type the following command and hit "Enter" to assign the drive letter to the drive: Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter G

Take note of this: In the command up there, replace "1" with the disk number of the drive to be formatted; the letter "G" in the same command represents the drive letter to be assigned to the drive, so you can change it to the letter you prefer.

Are you looking to change your drive letter in Windows 11/10? You are in the right place. This task can help a lot to better organize your devices and to better remember what content is stored on each of them. The procedure is very simple and you can do it in two ways. In this post you will know how to do it and you will also be advised to avoid changing the letter of your C Drive.

4 To Change Drive Letter in Registry Editor

The first way to change your drive letter is using CMD tool. You can perform this task in just some minutes through the following steps:

Step 1: Open CMD

Hold Windows key and press “R” to open Run tool. Now type “cmd” and press “Enter.” Command Prompt will run immediately.

Step 2: Write the commands

write the commands to change drive letter

Once you opened Command Prompt, type the following commands. Please don’t forget to press “Enter” after each one.

5 To Change Drive Letter in Settings

Another way to change your drive letter is through Windows settings. This task is a little bit slower than the last one but if you don’t like to use CMD, this will fit better to you. To change your drive letter through Windows settings, please do the following:

Step 1: Open Windows settings

open windows settings to change drive letter

Press Windows key and click the gear icon to open Windows settings.

Step 2: Open “System” page

On Windows Settings, click “System.”

Step 3: Open “Manage Disks and Volumes”

Once you are on “System” page, click “Storage” and then click “Manage Disks and Volumes.” This will open the page where you will change the drive letter.

Step 4: Open drive “Properties”

open drive properties to change drive letter

Go to the drive you want to change letter and click “Properties.”

Step 5: Click “Change drive letter”

Within Volume Data section, click “Change drive letter.”

Step 6: Type new drive letter

On this window, click the arrow next to the letter and you can select a new one. Finally, click “OK” and the drive letter will be changed.

6 No Changes for the Operating System Drive

If you want to change the letter of the Operating System Drive (C Drive), you will generate problems in your operating system. If you do, Windows will not start because the corresponding files are encrypted and cannot be changed.

In fact, if you try to do this process through Disk Management you will get the message "Some programs that rely on drive letters might not run properly," so it is not recommended that you continue. Even if you don't have important information or you have just installed Windows, I do not advise you to do so and you will avoid to get multiple problems.

Overview of Windows Drive, Partition & Volume

What's up with these 3 things? Is knowing them significant or something? Yeah, it's a good idea to at least have some basic knowledge of what they are and what they're capable of doing. Besides, you'll understand some of the infinite technical mumbo-jumbo associated with anything computer-related.

Windows Drive

This refers to the hard disk drive that comes preinstalled with Windows on your PC. Your PC might also come with more than a single drive, as is the case with more modern and powerful computers that utilize an SSD as the main drive and HDD as a secondary drive, but Windows is always installed on the main drive; always represented by the letter "C." It's where the OS and software titles are stored in your PC.

Having said that, and to reiterate, don't attempt to change the drive letter of your Windows' primary drive. You can change the drive letters of any other drive, both internal and external, but not the main drive because doing that will only lead to more complications and put a dent in the performance of your Windows. All in all, disregard the instructions on changing drive letters in this instance because they are unnecessary.

Windows Partition

Think of a partition as a division of your hard disk drive. To be more precise, a partition is a logical separation of one drive, but it seems as if this separation creates many physical drives. When it comes to terms, "partition" and "disk partition" are often interchanged. If the word "drive" is added into the mix, it's usually meant to signify a partition with a drive letter attached to it.

You can divide your hard disk into numerous partitions and give each of them a unique letter. There are over 26 letters in the English alphabet, so you obviously can't run out of letters to assign. Now, changing the letter of each partition pretty much follows the same rules as changing a drive letter. These letters make it easier for you to differentiate the partitions and assign individual purposes for them, or it just makes it more convenient for you to know what's in each partition.

Windows Volume

Yeah, this is a big one. Just like your main drive, your system's volume is crucial to the system's performance; heck, your PC won't even start if your volume is faulty. Volume refers to the disk volume that contains hardware-specific files that are necessary for your Windows to boot, namely Ntdetect.com, Ntldr, and Boot.ini.

Just like with Windows drive, don't tamper with the letters for Windows volume. Yes, if you follow the steps given earlier, you can change the letters; but why do that when it's only a recipe for trouble.? You're not advised to venture into your Windows volume. Leave it as it is unless you're sure you know what you're doing.

Closing Words

There, with everything written up there, you should have no trouble changing the drive letter of any drive in your Windows 11/10. The methods outlined work for both internal and external hard drives as well as more portable storage devices.

Follow the instructions and you're all set. Just don't go and tamper with more than you've been instructed on; don't be in over your head and kill your innocent drive. Third-party tools might try to entice you into using them to get the job done with the quick press of a button, but don't fall for it. The solutions given here are all you need.

How do I boot from D drive instead of C?

If your D: volume has an installation of Windows or another operating system, you can change the boot drive through native Windows tools. Press Win + R and type "msconfig". Now click on the "Boot" tab, select the drive you want to boot from and click the "Set as default" button. Before leaving, do not forget to click “apply”.

How do I permanently change boot drive?

You will need to open the BIOS setup utility by pressing F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12 before the Windows logo appears. Go to "Advanced settings" and then to "Boot menu." Look for the D Drive and select it using the arrow keys until it is shaded, then press the "+" key to move it to the top of the list. Press F10 to save your settings and restart your computer.

What happens if C drive is full?

The C Drive is the main partition of a disk and it is where the operating system is installed along with several important files. Ideally, it should not exceed 90% of its capacity so that it can work with total fluidity. When this partition fills up, it may often slows down, freezes, and crashes your computer.

How do I clear space on my C drive?

There are several practical ways to do it. If you have other partitions or storage devices with enough free space, you can move large files and documents or reinstall applications. There are also many temporary files that are stored on the C Drive that you can delete to save great amount of space.

How do I change the boot menu in Windows 11/10?

Most computers work with UEFI boot mode in Windows 11/10. To change the boot menu, you must press F1, F2. F10, F11 o F12 before the Windows logo appears. Press F8 to open “Boot Menu”, now look for the device you want to boot from the beginning, select it typing the arrow keys and then press “+” key until it is at the top of the list. Finally press F10 to save settings and restart your PC.

What's Wrong with Drive

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.

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3 Simple Ways to Assign a Drive Letter in Windows 10/8/7

What is a drive letter.

A drive letter is an alphabetic character identifying a physical computer disk or drive partition. Windows will assign an accessible drive letter by default, to any storage device. It starts from A to Z, going through all the alphabet. Windows will assign an accessible drive letter by default, to any storage device.

The system reserves the drive letters A: and B: for the floppy drive and portable media, such as tape drives. Even if your computer doesn't have these drivers installed. But you can still assign such letters manually if you wish. On computers with hard drives, the default drive letter is always C:. The CD-ROM or other disc drive is the last drive letter (e.g., D:). It's because C: is the first drive letter available on a hard disk. The drive letter C: can only be assigned to the drive on which Windows or MS-DOS is installed.

Windows will always be the drive letter C:, even if you have several operating systems running. Most modern desktops and laptops now have hard drives and disc drives, like DVD drives, but not floppy disks. Even in this case, the C: drive is assigned to the hard drive, and the D: drive is assigned to the DVD drive.

Windows assigns the last drive letter to flash drives, smartphones, and other drives. For example, if the last drive letter was F:, and you plug a new drive, it is allocated as a G: drive until you unplug it. If you install more drives or create new partitions, they are allocated to drive letters other than C:, like D:, E:, F:, G:, and so on. Instead of the drive letter given by Windows, you may alter it to any other accessible drive letter.

How Assigned Drive Letters Work

You can alter the drive letter assigned by Windows. In the case you alter a drive's drive letter, the registry saves it per drive and volume ID. This does not permanently assign a drive letter to the device. The drive letter on your PC may change if you unplug the device or if you alter it.

If you use many USB drives, you may have observed that the drive letter changes each time you attach one. When non-assigned drives are attached, the letters D and onwards are assigned in turn. If the assigned drive is not attached, Windows will assign its drive letter to another drive. If you connect the drive with the given drive letter later, it will be assigned the next available letter.

Windows gives you several options for changing the drive letter of your computer. With this guide, you'll learn how to assign drive letters using three different tools. We will use Disk Management, EaseUS Partition Master, and Windows Command Prompt.

Assign a Drive Letter on Windows 10 with Disk Management

The Disk Management utility that comes with Windows lets you manage your disks. Change drive letters, create new partitions, delete existing partitions, and more.

Follow the steps below to change the drive letter.

Step 1. You will need to open Disk Management with administrator privileges. Right-click on the Start button, then choose Disk Management.

Step 2. In the Disk Management window, right-click the volume you want to change or add a drive letter. Then click "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

Step 3. Pick "Change" to alter the drive letter. Or pick "Add" to add a drive letter for drives without one.

Step 4. Choose a new drive letter, click "OK". The Disk Management will warn you that some programs might not run properly. Just close the window by clicking "Yes" to confirm.

Assign and Change Drive Letter with EaseUS Partition Manager

Your team is working on a project and you need to copy some files to a USB drive. But you have no idea what is the drive letter of the USB of your team. Most people have dealt with this issue before. As an easy solution, you can assign a drive letter to each driver using EaseUS Partition Master .

Users can manage disks with EaseUS Partition Manager without needing to go through a lengthy process. This program also provides advanced features such as resize/move partition to solve low disk space issues, merge partitions, clone disk , create/delete/format partition, wipe data, disk/partition conversion, etc.

Now, free download this easy partition tool to assign drive letters with simple clicks.

Step 1. Run EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the target partition, and choose "Change Drive Letter".

Step 2. In the new window, click the down arrow and choose a drive letter for the partition from the drop-down menu, then click "OK".

Step 3. Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button in the top-left corner, check the changes, and click "Apply" to change the drive letter of the selected partition.

Assign a Drive Letter Windows 10 Using Command Prompt

Windows Command Prompt can be used to assign drive letters to any directory on a computer. It especially benefits users with many storage devices connected to their computers. Below, we will show step-by-step how to change a drive letter with the command prompt.

Step 1. Access the elevated command prompt. Press Windows + S to run the search box. Type cmd . When the command prompt appears, right-click and select "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Type diskpart at the command prompt. Press Enter.

Step 3. Type list volume , then press Enter.

Step 4. Pay attention to the volume number of the drive you want to change the letter. Type select volume . Substitute volume number by the number of the volume inside the <>.

Step 5. Type assign letter . Substitute the new drive letter with the new letter for the drive inside the <>. Done. After finishing, you can close the command prompt.

You can assign different letters for your drivers in various ways. For example, with Windows Disk Management, and from the command prompt. But EaseUS partition manager gives you total control over your hard drive.

EaseUS Partition Master will assign a drive letter to any drive or partition and much more. Besides changing drive letters, you can also delete, split and wipe partitions. All without having to restart your PC several times or risk losing data. These features allow avoiding complicated procedures when working with multiple partitions.

How Can We Help You

Updated by Roxanne 

Roxanne is one of the main contributors to EaseUS and has created multiple posts on digital devices like PCs, Mobile phones, tablets, Mac, etc. She loves to share ideas with people of the same interest.

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Written by Cedric 

Cedric Grantham is one of the senior editors of EaseUS who lives and works in Chengdu, China. He mainly writes articles about data recovery tutorials on PC and Mac and how-to tips for partition management. He always keeps an eye on new releases and likes various electronic products.

Product Reviews

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I love that the changes you make with EaseUS Partition Master Free aren't immediately applied to the disks. It makes it way easier to play out what will happen after you've made all the changes. I also think the overall look and feel of EaseUS Partition Master Free makes whatever you're doing with your computer's partitions easy.

Partition Master Free can Resize, Move, Merge, Migrate, and Copy disks or partitions; convert to local, change label, defragment, check and explore partition; and much more. A premium upgrade adds free tech support and the ability to resize dynamic volumes.

It won't hot image your drives or align them, but since it's coupled with a partition manager, it allows you do perform many tasks at once, instead of just cloning drives. You can move partitions around, resize them, defragment, and more, along with the other tools you'd expect from a cloning tool.

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Change a drive letter
Open Disk Management with administrator permissions. · In Disk Management, select and hold (or right-click) the volume for which you want to
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Right-click the Windows 10 Menu button and select Disk Management to display a list of all available hard drives. Right-click the specific hard
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How do I assign or change a drive letter in Windows? · Click Start. · Right-click Computer. · Click Manage. · Click Disk Management.
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Can't change drive letter in Windows 10? No worry, in this video, we will introduce 3 solutions on how to change drive letter in windows 10.
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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
How to Change Drive Letter Windows 10 without Losing Data?
Open Disk Management from Windows 10 menu and right-click the particular hard drive letter you need to change. Tap the "Change Drive Letter and Paths"
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Open Disk Management. Locate the drive you want to change. Right-click and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths > Change.
How to Change Drive Letter in Windows 10
Step 1: Open Disk Management. Step 2: Right-click a hard drive and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths in the
6 Ways to Change Drive Letter on Windows 10 Computer[2023]
5 To Change Drive Letter in Settings · Step 1: Open Windows settings · Step 2: Open “System” page · Step 3: Open “Manage Disks and Volumes” · Step 4: Open drive “
How to change drive letter using Settings on Windows 10
Change drive letter on Windows 10 ; Under the “More storage settings” section, click the Manage Disks and Volumes option.
3 Simple Ways to Assign a Drive Letter in Windows 10/8/7
Step 2. In the Disk Management window, right-click the volume you want to change or add a drive letter. Then click "Change Drive Letter and