How to Partition C Drive in Windows 11 Without Formatting 2024

If your computer has one big C drive, all your documents, pictures, music and desktop files are stored on the same partition as Windows. If Windows one day does not start, or you want to reinstall Windows or install Linux, your files are at risk. The solution is to split the drive and create a separate D drive for your data, without formatting anything. In this guide I show you two ways: with the free Disk Management tool built into Windows 11 (or Windows 10), and with EaseUS Partition Master.

Warning: Back up your important files before you change partitions, and work carefully. A mistake here can make your PC unable to start.

In this article

1. Method 1: Partition the C drive with Disk Management (free, built into Windows)
   1. Step 1: Open Disk Management
   2. Step 2: Know which partitions not to touch
   3. Step 3: Shrink the C drive
   4. Step 4: Create the D drive
2. Method 2: Partition the C drive with EaseUS Partition Master
3. Download my personal desktop wallpaper for free

Method 1: Partition the C drive with Disk Management (free, built into Windows)

Step 1: Open Disk Management

1. Right-click This PC, choose Show more options and click Manage.
2. In the Computer Management window, click Disk Management.

If you do not see This PC on your desktop, go to Settings > Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings and tick Computer.

Step 2: Know which partitions not to touch

In my case, Disk 0 is a 1 TB M.2 NVMe drive. Look at its partitions:

• EFI System Partition (100 MB): Windows needs it to start. Do not touch it, or your computer will not boot.
• Recovery partition: leave it as it is.
• C: this is the partition we work with.

Step 3: Shrink the C drive

1. Right-click C: and choose Shrink Volume.
2. Enter the amount of space to shrink, in MB. 1 GB is 1024 MB, so for 100 GB you enter 102400.
3. Click Shrink.

In the video, my C drive went down to 871 GB, and I got 81 GB of Unallocated space. No data is lost when you shrink a volume.

Note: Windows can only shrink the drive up to the point where unmovable files are stored, such as the page file. That is why the maximum it offers can be smaller than your free space.

Step 4: Create the D drive

1. Right-click the Unallocated space and choose New Simple Volume.
2. Click Next, then Next again to use all the unallocated space.
3. Choose the drive letter D and click Next.
4. Keep the file system on NTFS, type a name for the drive if you want, and click Next.
5. Click Finish. Windows formats only the new partition, and it shows as Healthy.

Your new D drive now appears in File Explorer. This method is easy, but the tool is old and gives you few options.

Method 2: Partition the C drive with EaseUS Partition Master

If you want more control and a friendlier tool, use EaseUS Partition Master.

Product link: https://bit.ly/3TNBKSH

License key for the Windows version:

2T5E5-S1Z1I-3JPQ4-SJ7ZH-JBKDE

This license works on 100 devices, so the first 100 users get a free lifetime Pro version of EaseUS Partition Master.

Note: This was a limited giveaway from April 2024. If the key no longer works, use Method 1, which is free.

1. Download EaseUS Partition Master with the link above and install it.
2. To activate it, paste the license key and click Activate.
3. Right-click C: and choose Resize/Move.
4. Drag the edge of the partition to set the new size of C (I chose 400 GB) and click OK.
5. Right-click the new Unallocated space, choose Create and click OK.
6. Click Execute 1 Task and then Apply. When it is done, your new D drive is ready.

EaseUS Partition Master can also clone a disk or partition and migrate Windows to another drive, convert a disk between MBR and GPT or between basic and dynamic, recover deleted partitions, create bootable media, reset a lost Windows password and repair boot problems.

Download my personal desktop wallpaper for free

Do you like the wallpaper on my desktop in the video? I took this photo myself, up in the mountains, and you can download it in full quality for free:

Want your computer to be even faster? Watch my 15 tricks to speed up Windows 11. If you got your license, leave a comment and let me know.