How to partition an SSD: A step-by-step guide

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  • Partitioning an SSD: Requirements

Partitioning the new SSD installed on your PC is a fairly simple process and offers several benefits. Separate partitions allow you to store personal data separately from the operating system files so that you don't lose them when you reinstall the operating system. You can also use separate partitions to dual-boot Windows 11 alongside another operating system or use them to encrypt sensitive files and data.




The best thing about partitioning an SSD is that all the necessary tools are built right into Windows, so you don't need to buy or download any additional tool. The whole process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. If you don't know how to get started, here's a step-by-step guide detailing how to partition an SSD from scratch.

Partitioning an SSD: Requirements

There are some prerequisites you need to meet before partitioning SSD to ensure that you don't encounter any problems during the process.

Make sure there is enough space for partitioning

A screenshot showing the C drive in Windows.


The first thing you need to do is make sure that there is enough space on the drive you want to create a new partition for. You can't create a new partition on a drive that is almost full. Of course, when you partition an operating system drive, you also leave some space free that is needed for system files. As a general rule of thumb, you should leave at least another 50GB free on the operating system drive before making sure you have enough space for whatever you want to create a new partition for.

Create a backup

Backing up a Windows PC with OneDrive


You'll also need to back up your files and important data before you start, in case something goes wrong while partitioning. There are a few different ways to back up your Windows PC, so drop everything and back it up right away if you haven't already.

Identifying the correct drive to partition

A screenshot showing the drive list view in the Windows Disk Management tool.


It is important to identify and note the drive you want to partition. You can skip this if you only have a single drive, but those who work with multiple drives must identify and note the correct one. The chances of accidentally selecting a different drive are high, as additional partitions may appear on the Disk Management screen.

How to partition the SSD

Reach your destination in just a few minutes!

Now that we have clarified all the important requirements, let's look at how to partition an SSD.

We're using a PC running Windows 11 to explain the steps and take screenshots for this guide, but you can follow the same steps on a Windows 10 PC.

  1. Click on the start button and enter Partition.
  2. Choose Creating and formatting hard disk partitions to see a list of all your drives in the Disk management Tool.
  3. You may see some additional drives appear here, but ignore them and locate the drive you want to create a partition for.
    A screenshot showing the highlighted creation and formatting of the drive in Windows.

    A screenshot showing the Disk Management screen in Windows.

  4. Right-click on it and select Reduce volume.

  1. Enter the Amount of space to shrink in megabytes (MB). By default, the size is reduced as much as possible, but you can enter a lower number if you do not need to free up the maximum possible space.
  2. You will now see a new block of unallocated space. Right-click on it and select New simple volume to create a new partition here.
    A screenshot showing the “Shrink drive C:” option in Windows.

    A screenshot showing the option to create a new volume in the Disk Management tool.

  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to give your new partition a Drive letter and a new labelso you can format it as you wish.
  4. Your PC may need a few seconds to process this, but when it's complete, your new partition will appear in File Explorer.
    A screenshot showing the highlighted steps to create a new partition in Windows.

    A screenshot showing the highlighted drive icons in Windows.


Final thoughts

And that's how easy it is to create a new partition for your SSD. You can also follow the same steps as above to easily partition your hard disk drives within a few minutes. There is always a chance that you may encounter issues with the built-in Disk Management tool in Windows 11 that may prevent you from creating a partition.

If you get stuck, you can try using a third-party program. There are many options, but I recommend you check out MiniTool Partition Wizard or Paragon Partition Manager. Both are available in a free version with enough features to help you set up a new partition.

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