Partitions can be very useful for different reasons, so having a program designed for this purpose can be very convenient. It is for this reason that today we are going to help you with the question: What are the best programs to partition hard drives on Windows and Mac without formatting ?
If you want to partition your disk but not format the system, you should know that this is perfectly possible, in fact many applications integrate this functionality. Given this we have prepared a list of programs to create partitions that can be very useful.
- Windows includes a built in utility known as Disk Managementthat can be used to partition and format a hard drive. To partition and format the drive with Disk Management, follow these steps: 1. Click on Startand right-click Computer.
- Solution 3: Create One HFS+ Partition for Mac and One NTFS Partition for Windows. Alternatively, you can create 2 partitions on the external hard drive: one is for Mac, and the other is for Windows. As to size for each partition, it depends on your own demands. By this way, you can easily format an external hard drive for Mac and Windows.
On the other hand, keep in mind that this guide is intended only for Windows and Mac, so if you have the Linux operating system, remember that you can always resize partitions in Ubuntu from the console . Without further ado, let’s continue with this list of applications to partition.
What are hard drive partitions?
Step 1 Log in to your Mac, go 'Finder' and click on 'Applications'. On 'Applications', scroll it down till you get the 'Utilities' icon. Then click on 'Disk utility icon'. Step 2 On the top left panel of the new window, click on your hard drive which will be highlighted blue. From within Mac OS X Lion: To restart your MacBook in Windows, click System Preferences in the Dock and click the Startup Disk icon to display the settings you see here. Click the Windows partition you created in the list to select it (the folder icon will bear the Windows logo, and it will be labeled Windows as well). Click Restart, and then. Just like Windows, it also provides a seamless solution to partition hard drive on Mac or un-partition it as well. Mac has a dedicated Disk Utility feature that allows us to manage the hard disk (Macintosh HD) pretty easily. In this post, we will cover the same and teach you how to partition a hard drive on Mac like a pro!
Hard drives are the basic storage units present in our computers, with the passage of time others have also emerged, as is the case with SDDs. In any case, their functionality goes beyond simple storage, since we can perform multiple actions with the storage units .
One of the most recommended measures for hard drives is to create partitions, something very useful to protect our files and better organize information. A partition is a kind of special division that is made to a hard disk.
For example, if you have a 500 GB hard drive, you can divide it into partitions of different sizes . In this way it is possible to create a specific partition for the operating system and others designed for file storage, something that can be useful to protect our information.
To make partitions it is necessary to use certain tools, and that is what we are going to show you today.
What are the best programs to partition hard drives on Windows and Mac without formatting?
There are many applications designed to create partitions of disks and storage units. Each of them can be very functional, in any case it is best to use tools in which it is not necessary to format the disk , such as the ones that we are going to present to you today:
Mini Tool Partition Wizard
Mini Tool Partition Wizard is one of the best free programs designed to create partitions very easily. One of its great advantages is that it can be used by both novices and professionals, since it has a very well thought out and intuitive interface , to which anyone can easily adapt. It can also be downloaded for free from partitionwizard.com .
The program is capable of creating partitions on the system without the need for formatting. In the same way you can also completely format removable drives or hard drives if that is what you need. In turn, the software has excellent compatibility with the majority of existing storage devices.
EaseUS Partition Master Free
The EASEUS company is well known for the vast amount of utility software it has created over the years. It provides the ability to recover your lost data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard , but also offers system cleaners and the EaseUS Partition Master Free tool , which allows you to partition hard drives and other storage units with great ease.
The truth is that it is one of the most complete programs for creating partitions. In the same way it allows you to format, and even convert existing partitions. It is a very effective tool to resize a partition , hide it or move it around. You can download the program for free from its official website
AOMEI Partition Assistant
AOMEI Partition Assistant is a tool designed to create partitions for free. The app works with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 operating systems and even Windows XP. Allowing processes to be carried out effectively within the computer without the need to format.
You can create partitions in AOMEI Partition and many related actions like resizing partitions, joining and separating partitions and even creating bootable drives. Another very interesting aspect that the system integrates is that it allows you to convert partitions from GPT to MBR without major inconveniences.
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Partitioning a hard disk means having the ability to split the disk into multiple units so you can, for example, install multiple operating systems on the same computer, store sensitive data in an independent disk area and so on. In this new guide of today, we will explain in detail how to partition hard disk on Windows and Mac in a very simple and without too many concussions.
Content index
How to partition hard drives on Windows
The latest versions of the Microsoft operating system have an integrated tool that allows you to manage the partitions of an HDD in an easy way. It is a tool that contains only the main functionalities to better manage the unit compared to specific software available online. The tool in question is called Disk Management.
Let’s see how to use it:
- To access the Windows utility simply right-click the Start button at the bottom left and choose Disk Management from the menu that appears. The new window will show you a complete list of the units installed or connected to the computer via USB and a graph representing the various partitions.
- At this point, to create a new partition it is necessary to reduce the size of the already existing ones and then exploit the free space that is obtained.
- First, zoom out a partition by right-clicking on the graph of the one you want to reduce and choosing the Reduce Volume item from the menu that appears.
- After this, indicate the amount of space you want to reduce in MB in the appropriate field and click on Minimize to make the change. Please note that the resizing of a partition does not absolutely lead to the loss of the files saved on it but in any case we always recommend that you make a backup to be more secure. If you do not know which procedure to follow, we suggest that you read our dedicated guide for backing up and restoring files in Windows 10.
- In the next step, proceed with creating a new partition by right-clicking on the unallocated space graph and choosing New Simple Volume from the menu that is shown.
- Now, click on Next, indicate the dimensions always in MB and the letter to assign to the unit (eg A :), choose the file system (eg NTFS or FAT32) and assign a name to the volume (ie the one that appears in This PC).
- Complete the operation by pressing first on Next and then on End.
If your intent was to extend an existing partition because you have unallocated space, then follow the steps listed below:
- Right-click on the partition chart you want to extend and choose the Extend Volume option from the menu that opens.
- At this point, click on Next and specify the amount of MB you want to add to the partition in the appropriate field.
- Complete change before pressing on Next and then Finish.
In case of errors, do not despair because you can delete a newly created partition or an existing one in a very simple way. Just right-click on the volume graph you want to delete, choose Delete Volume from the menu that opens and click Yes to confirm the operation. To delete a real partition and turn it into an unallocated space, instead, you must right click on the available space box, choose Delete partition from the menu that appears and confirm by clicking on Yes.
How to partition hard drives on Mac
As seen on Windows, macOS also integrates a utility that allows hard disk partition and other units in a very simple way. The instrument included as standard by Apple can be found in the Other folder of the Launchpad.
How To Partition A Seagate External Hard Drive For Mac And Windows
Let’s see how to use it to create a partition:
- After opening the Disk Utility tool, select the disk name from the sidebar and then press on Partition you find at the top.
- At this point, click on the + at the bottom left and move the two levers of the partition chart you want to create.
- In the next step, assign a name to the new partition, choose the file system you want to use from the Format drop-down menu and save the changes by clicking Apply.
If the + button can not be clicked, it means that macOS can not create a new partition on the drive without proceeding with formatting. So, in this case, if you want to continue, we recommend that you first back up all the data as these will be completely erased. If you do not know how, refer to our guide on how to backup to iCloud.
If your intent is to resize a partition, then you simply need to move the levers through the mouse of the existing partitions and press the Apply button at the bottom right to confirm the changes.
To delete a partition, instead, select the chart of the one you prefer with the mouse, click on the – place on the bottom left and confirm by pressing on Remove.
How to partition hard drives: other solutions
As reported a few lines ago, in addition to the standard tool Disk Management and Disk Utility for Windows and MacOS, there are programs specifically created for this purpose that offer, however, the additional features. Find a list below.
Partition Hard Drive For Windows And Mac
- Paragon Partition Manager Free (Windows)
- EaseUS Partition Master Free (Windows)
- MiniTool Partition Wizard Free (Windows)
- DiskGenius (Windows)
- Paragon Hard Disk Manager (macOS)