{"id":55771,"date":"2020-11-25T14:20:45","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T22:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/\/?p=55771"},"modified":"2026-03-19T07:33:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T14:33:24","slug":"how-to-partition-external-hard-drives-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drivesaversdatarecovery.com\/en-ca\/blog\/how-to-partition-external-hard-drives-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Partition External Hard Drives: A Guide to How & Why"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ever look down when you\u2019re riding in an airplane and notice how land is divided? You have no idea whose properties you\u2019re looking at, how much they own or what they do with their land. But you can clearly see where one field ends and another begins. You can pick out individual yards, tiny houses, swing sets, and gardens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Humans are natural dividers and organizers. Whether we\u2019re looking at the way property lines are drawn or how we landscape and organize our own yards, this partitioning is a part of life. It\u2019s also an excellent metaphor for when we <\/span>partition external hard drives<\/b>. In this post, we\u2019ll look at how to create and manage partitions<\/span><\/p>\n

What does it mean to partition an external hard drive?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Partitioning is just another word for dividing. When you partition an external hard drive you\u2019re splitting the drive up into specific segmented parts. Most hard drives, including external drives, come with a single partition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think of a single partition as one big bucket where all the files will be held in the disk. Most Windows Operating System (OS) and Mac OS installations include the OS itself, programs and personal data all in a single partition. But there is a way to split that one big bucket into several smaller buckets.<\/p>\n

For example, some devices come with a second, smaller partition. This is supposed to be used for recovery purposes in case any part of the hard drive or device fails. But there are many other reasons you might want to partition your external hard drive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why should you partition external hard drives? <\/span><\/h2>\n

Reasons to partition external hard drives include not only improving performance but also aiding in recovery if your hard drive is damaged. And there are some additional reasons:<\/p>\n

Easy backups<\/span><\/h3>\n

When you keep your personal data like music, photos, and documents in their own partition, backing up is a breeze. Instead of copying every system file and program during a backup, you only have to keep a copy of what really matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your data is often protected when in its own partition. And this can be very helpful in the event of a hard drive or system failure. Even if you need to reinstall your OS, your partitioned personal data will be there when the install is complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

Better security<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you partition your external hard drive, one unintended (and lucky!) consequence is that your data may be protected from malware attacks. We\u2019re definitely not recommending you cancel your antivirus subscription, because partitioning is by no means a fool-proof method of protection. But partitioned data does stand a better chance of surviving a malware attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to partition external hard drives <\/span><\/h2>\n

Repartitioning your drives to improve performance and organization can sound challenging. Indeed, you might have asked yourself, \u201cCan I partition my external hard drive without calling in an expert?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, making partitions in an external hard drive isn\u2019t as complicated as it sounds. Microsoft\u2019s proprietary Disk Management utility tool lets you easily partition hard drives without investing in third-party software.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to partition external hard drive sectors, including how to delete external hard drive partitions (Windows 7 only)<\/p>\n

Backing up!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Perform a backup <\/span>anytime<\/span><\/i> you do <\/span>anything<\/span><\/i> to your hard drive. Even though partitions don\u2019t typically cause data loss, backing up protects you from losing important information if the partition process fails.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting<\/span><\/h3>\n

Connect your external hard drive to the computer using the USB cable that came with your disk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cleaning out old data<\/span><\/h3>\n

Next we\u2019ll explain how to delete a partition on an external hard drive (Windows 7 only). With this process, you can both add and remove partitions for portable hard drives.<\/p>\n