Unlike external hard drives, you cannot just plug in a new internal storage drive and start using it right away on a Windows PC. You'll need to go through an initial setup process, requiring you to rely on a program called Disk Management.
Most Windows users access Disk Management only when trying to configure new internal drives or manage their existing ones. Therefore, it's understandable if you're not familiar with it. Here, we'll be looking at six different ways to open Disk Management in Windows 10.
What Is Windows Disk Management?
Disk Management is a built-in system utility that lets you perform advanced storage-related tasks like creating or formatting a hard disk partition, resizing a partition by extending or shrinking the volume, etc.
Simply put, when you physically connect a new internal drive to your PC, it's basically a disk with no allocated space in Windows, and therefore, it doesn't show up in the File Explorer.
You can use Disk Management to create a hard disk partition to make your new drive usable in the operating system.
1. Search for Disk Management in Windows
The search feature in Windows 10 lets you open any app on your computer, no matter where they're stored. You can use it to launch a built-in utility like Disk Management too. However, the search results may confuse many people since Disk Management doesn't directly show up here. So, let's clarify this:
- When you type Disk Management in the Start menu search bar, you get an indirect result. But, this is indeed the correct result, and all you need to do is click on Create and format hard disk partitions to launch the Disk Management tool.
- Alternatively, you can type in diskmgmt.msc in the Start menu search bar for a more direct result. Clicking on the best match will simply take you to Disk Management.
Both the search keywords pretty much do the same thing. Although you don't get Disk Management as the result, the best match will still launch the program that you need to initialize or manage your drives.
2. Launch Disk Management From Quick Access Menu
While the search method may be popular among users, launching Disk Management from the Quick Access Menu is the easiest way to open the Disk Management utility in Windows. The best part? You don't even need to use your keyboard, which is unlike any other method in this list.
All you have to do is right-click on the Windows logo at the bottom-left corner of your screen and then choose Disk Management from the context menu.
That was pretty straightforward, right? Now, when the program opens, you'll be able to see the new drive with unallocated disk space.
3. Use the Run Dialog to Open Disk Management
As the name suggests, the Run dialog allows you to open any program on your Windows PC, provided you know the full file path.
You can also run any executable stored in the C:\Windows directory by typing the file name. It can be a great productivity tool if you know exactly what commands to use. Here, we'll be just focusing on the command you need to enter to open the Disk Management utility.
To open the Run command window, you need to press Windows Key + R. Now, type diskmgmt.msc, and hit the Enter key to launch Disk Management.
This way to open Disk Management is preferable if you're busy on the keyboard and don't want to reach for your mouse.
4. Open Disk Management from the Control Panel
If you've been a Windows user for a while, you're probably already familiar with the Control Panel. If not, this is the one destination in your Windows PC where all the important system utilities are located.
Control Panel is primarily used to change system settings, configure your network, manage your devices, user accounts, and more. To access Disk Management from the Control Panel, just follow these instructions:
- In the Start menu search bar, input control panel and select the Best match.
- When the Control Panel opens, select System and Security.
- Next, you need to go all the way down to the bottom of the menu. Under Administrative Tools, you'll see multiple options for disk drives. Click on Create and format hard disk partitions to open Disk Management.
Don't make the mistake of clicking on Administrative Tools because that will open the File Explorer instead.
5. Accessing Disk Management in Computer Management
The Computer Management app houses all the Windows administration tools. At first glance, it would seem very similar to the Control Panel, but it's more streamlined. What's interesting about this method is that the Disk Management tool can be accessed within the app itself. Here's what you need to do:
Find and launch the Computer Management app using Windows Search. On the left pane, upon expanding the Storage category, you'll see Disk Management. Just click on it to access the following panel in the console.
If you're someone who doesn't like to clutter your desktop with too many windows, you'd certainly prefer using the Computer Management app rather than the Control Panel to open Disk Management.
6. Open Disk Management With Command Prompt
Command Prompt is a program that most Windows users are familiar with. For those who don't know, it's basically a command-line interpreter you can use to perform various tasks on your computer.
If you're a coder, you'd love this method. When you're typing away lines of code in Command Prompt, you wouldn't necessarily want to minimize the window just to open up Disk Management, right? Using a command to launch the Disk Management tool would be better than any other way featured here in such very specific instances.
You can find and launch Command Prompt in Windows using a simple search. Once you're in the console, just type diskmgmt and hit the Enter key.
It's that easy. Likewise, you can use the exact command if you're someone who uses PowerShell instead of Command Prompt since it's basically a more advanced command-line interpreter that merges the functionality of CMD with a scripting instruction set.
Launching the Windows 10 Disk Management Utility Is Simple
Although you only need to learn one of these six ways to open the Disk Management utility on your computer, it's always good to know about an alternate option that may be better in certain scenarios. Don't want to take your hands off the keyboard? Use the Run command. Too lazy to lift your hand off the mouse? Use the Quick Access menu.
At this point, it's on you to try these methods for yourself and find out which one works best for you. If you're trying to set up a new drive on your computer and you're not sure how, all you need to do is right-click on the unallocated drive and choose New Simple Volume to get started. Hopefully, you're able to use the on-screen instructions to figure out everything else.
