Allocate Your Disk Space | How To Allocate A Hard Drive Space?

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Are you running out of storage space on your hard drive? Is your computer running slow due to low disk space? Or maybe you need to store some important files but don’t have enough space? If so, you may be wondering how to allocate a hard drive to get that extra space. Don’t worry, read this article to find out how to allocate a hard drive.

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Allocating a hard drive is very important, especially if you are computer is running slow, or you need some extra space to store your important files. Allocating your hard drive not only increased your storage disk space but also improves your computer's overall performance and health.

So, if you are wondering how to allocate a hard drive or SSD, don't worry. This article got you covered. Whether you're using Windows 10 or another operating system, we'll provide you with simple and easy methods that will help you perform allocate disk space. 

Read the full article to find out how to allocate a hard drive and improve a computer's performance.

What Is Unallocated Disk Space?

Unallocated disk space refers to a section of your hard drive or storage device that does not belong to any partition, making it unusable. This area cannot be accessed to store new data or access any previously stored information. However, you can view it in the Disk Management section of your computer.

It's important to note that unallocated space is different from free space, which refers to the unused area within an existing partition. Unallocated space is the portion of the hard drive that hasn't been partitioned, which means it could contain remnants of data, intact files, or temporary files that have been created and deleted.

In case you are running out of storage space on your Windows 10 computer, it is very important to know the difference between unallocated and free space so that you can maximize the storage capacity of your hard drive. 

By properly partitioning your hard drive and allocating space where needed, you can maximize your computer's performance and ensure that your data is safely stored.

How to Obtain Unallocated Space

Although unallocated space cannot be used to store data, it is still an essential component of your hard drive's storage capacity. Without unallocated space, you cannot extend the size of existing partitions or create new ones. Fortunately, there are several ways to obtain unallocated space on your hard drive:

MethodDescription
Deleting a PartitionIf you delete a partition, the space that it occupied will become unallocated. Be careful when deleting partitions, as this process will erase all data stored in that partition.
Shrinking a DriveWindows allows you to shrink an existing partition to free up unused space. This unused space will then be labeled as unallocated space, which you can use to create a new partition or extend an existing one.
Initializing the DiskIf you're working with a brand-new hard drive, it will be displayed as unallocated space in Disk Management until it's initialized. Once you initialize the disk, you'll be able to partition the space as needed.

Why Hard Drive Becomes Unallocated?

Sometimes, hard drives can become unallocated, which means that data cannot be read, written, or stored on them. Users have reported this issue, and in order to fix it, it's important to identify the potential causes. 

Some of the possible reasons for an unallocated hard drive include

  • Improper partition creation or modification
  • Virus or spyware infections
  • Sudden power disconnection
  • Installation of an additional hard drive
  • Corruption in hard drive

The following section will provide detailed explanations of how to fix an unallocated hard drive.

How to Allocate a Hard Drive?

Allocating a hard drive is crucial to be able to read, write, and store data on a disk or partition. If a hard drive is unallocated, data storage is not possible. Allocating a hard drive involves preparing it for data storage by configuring parameters such as size, label, and file system to the hard drive volume or partition.

To allocate disk space on Windows 10, you can create a new partition or extend the capacity of an existing one. Depending on your requirements, you can choose the appropriate method.

Allocating Disk Space for a New Partition

One easy way to use unallocated disk space is by creating a new partition using the built-in Disk Management utility in Windows.

Follow the below simple steps to create a new partition using Disk Management:

  1. Right-click on the Windows icon on your desktop and select Disk Management.
  2. Right-click on the unallocated disk and choose New Simple Volume from the context menu.
  3. In the pop-up window, click Next and specify the volume size.
  4. Assign a drive letter or path from the corresponding drop-down menu and click Next.
  5. Configure settings such as file system, allocation unit size, and volume label for the new partition, and then click Next.
  6. Finally, click Finish in the elevated window to complete the operation.

Extending the Size of an Existing Partition with Unallocated Space

If you have a computer, you know that you can save files on it, like pictures, videos, and documents. These files are stored on the storage devices of your computer, such as hard drives, SSDs, and external hard drives. 

Sometimes, the drive can become unallocated, which means that you can't use it to save any more files.

To fix this, you can either create a new partition of the hard drive to save files on or add more space to the partition that you're already using. Here's how you can do both of these things:

Solution 1. Create a new partition of the hard drive:

a. Right-click on the Windows icon on your desktop and select "Disk Management."

b. Right-click on the unallocated disk space and select "New Simple Volume."

c. Click "Next" and choose the size for your new partition of the hard drive.

d. Assign a letter or name to your new partition of the hard drive.

e. Choose the format for your new partition of the hard drive and click "Finish."

Solution 2. Add more space to the existing partition

a. Right-click on the Windows icon on your desktop and select "Disk Management."

b. Right-click on the partition of the hard drive that you want to add more space to and select "Extend Volume."

c. Choose the amount of space you want to add to the partition of the hard drive.

d. Click "Next" and then "Finish."

Conclusion

We hope this article helped you to allocate your hard drive. If you have further queries regarding this article, please make use of the comment section below.

About the Author: Tony Landry

Tony Landry is a Web Content Editor at Remo Software. He loves to write, edit, and manage content for users trying to troubleshoot and fix problems on Windows, Outlook, storage drives, and Cloud storage networks. With an aptitude that transcends writing, Tony is recognized as a Microsoft Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint expert. His comprehensive solutions…