You can hide any partition on a Windows computer to protect important data stored on it from being accessed or modified by unwanted persons. This page will share all free methods to hide hard disk partition in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10.
Content Navi
All methods recommended above enables you to hide disk volume for free in Windows. If you want to look for a much easier solution for hiding any partition, you can use IM-Magic Partition Resizer. It is a freeware that is able to hide volume on Windows PC within two simple steps:
Step1. Right click the partition that you want to hide and select "Hide Partition" option.
Step2. Confirm to hide the selected partition and click "Apply Changes" button.
For Windows 11/10/8/7 => Download Partition Resizer Free [100% Free]
For Windows Server 2022-2003 => Download Partition Resizer Server [Free Demo]
Windows Disk Management is Windows built-in tool to manage disk with an easy way on your computer. You can hide disk partition with Disk Management in Windows by following the steps below:
Step1. Open Disk Management on your computer.
Step2. Right click the partition you want to hide and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
Step3. Click Remove button and then click Yes button to confirm to remove the drive letter.
After removing the drive letter of selected partition, this partition would only show in Disk Management with no drive letter, but it would not show up in File Explorer.
You can unhide the partition by adding a drive letter to the partition so that it would be visible in File Explorer.
To hide partition from Command Prompt, it is necessary to know how to access Command Prompt under different Windows OS. Then follow the steps below:
Step1. Type diskpart and press Enter button after opening Command Line.
Step2. Type list volume > select volume number (e.g. list volume > select volume 3)
Step3. Type remove volume number (e.g. remove volume f)
Another way to hide hard disk drive is to run Windows Registry. Now, follow the steps below to hide disk partition from Windows Registry:
Step1. Press Windows + R > type regedit and press Enter button to run Windows Registry
Step2. Locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Step3. Right click Explorer New > DWORD Value (32-bit) and name it as NoDrives.
Step4. Double click this drive and enter the following values to hide the partition you want:
A – 1, B – 2, C – 4, D – 8, E – 16, F – 32, G – 64
Step5. Exist the Windows Registry and then reboot your computer so that the selected drive will be hidden.
Group Policy is another Windows tool that you can use to hide a partition, but it is not available for all Windows computers. Therefore, you can try to open Group Policy on your computer and follow the steps below to hide partition:
Step1. Click Start button > Run > type gpedit.msc and press Enter button to open Group Policy.
Step2. Click Local Group Policy and then User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Component \Windows Explorer
Step3. Click Hide these specified drives in My Computer in the right pane and double click it.
Step4. Click Enabled option and then select the drive you want to hide. Then, click Ok button.
You may need to reboot your computer in order to hide the selected partition successfully.
How to Hide Disk Partitions for Free on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10
Hiding a disk partition can help protect sensitive data or organize your drives. Below are quick guides on hiding partitions across various Windows versions. Follow the steps for your specific OS, or consider using partition management software if needed.
Hide Disk Partition in Windows XP
Windows XP, released in 2001, may not support all current partition-hiding methods. If the steps don’t work, you can use a tool like Partition Magic to hide disk volumes on Windows XP effectively.
Hide Disk Partition in Windows Vista
Though fewer users rely on Windows Vista today, you can still hide disk partitions with compatible software. Simply follow similar steps or try partition management software to conceal disk volumes in Vista.
Hide Disk Partition in Windows 7
If you’re using Windows 7, hiding disk partitions is straightforward with built-in tools. You can follow similar steps as outlined in other versions, or use free partition management software if preferred.
Hide Disk Partition in Windows 8 and Windows 10
In Windows 8 and Windows 10, hiding disk partitions can be done through Disk Management or third-party partition tools. Select a method based on your comfort level for a quick way to manage visibility of your drives.