Partitioning the hard drive is one of the first steps in setting up a new computer. According to Wikipedia, disk partition or disk slicing refers to creating new sections on the secondary storage to ensure separate management. When a user formats a new partition with a specific filesystem to make it usable by the device’s OS, it is called a volume.
Most new hard drives feature a single partition, which some users may not prefer. Others may require more partitions to keep their system more organized and efficient. Thankfully, there are numerous ways to create more partitions to ensure that different types of data do not get mixed up.
Macs and Windows PCs offer users numerous ways of partitioning and un-partitioning a hard drive. This article will cover how Mac and Windows users can create and delete device partitions. Moreover, this article will highlight the pros and cons of partitioning a hard drive. Without any further ado, let us get started:
How to Create and Delete Partitions
MacOS
Creating a Partition
One of the most effective ways to create a partition on macOS is to use the Finder utility. You must launch the native macOS utility, open the utility section, click “Disk Utility,” and select the “Partition” option after selecting the volume you wish to partition. Then, select the format and enter the partition’s size, click on “Apply,” select the “Partition” option and click on “Continue.” Once the process is complete, click on “Done.”
Deleting a Partition
If you are wondering how to remove partition Mac, the process is simple and easy to implement. All you need to do to un-partition drives in the form of volumes is open the Disk Utility of macOS, pick the volume you wish to remove, click on the “-” icon, and click on the “Done” option.
Windows
Creating a Partition
To create a new partition on Windows:
- Right-click on the “Unallocated” section and click on the “New Simple Volume” option.
- Click on Next, enter the partition’s size, and click “Next.”
- Assign the format and follow the rest of the instructions.
- Once the process is complete, click on the “Finish” option.
Deleting a Partition
To delete a preexisting partition on Windows, open the Disk Management tool, select the partition you wish to remove, and click on the “Delete Volume” option. You can also use the PowerShell application to get rid of an existing partition.
Pros and Cons of Partitioning a Hard Drive
Now that you know how to create a partition and delete a preexisting one, let us take a look at some of the most prominent advantages and disadvantages of partitioning a hard drive:
Pros
- By partitioning or creating separate regions, users can conveniently manage files of different types on their systems. Partitioning adds more dividers between different data forms; hence, you can create numerous partitions to store other files such as apps, documents, images, etc.
- Partitioning facilitates users’ convenience in installing any operating system on their device. For instance, formatting a partition and reinstalling an operating system is relatively more straightforward than reinstalling an OS on a separate partition. Moreover, Windows partitions also allow users to create a replica of the setup file, which users can use in times of need.
- Partitioning also enhances the drive’s security quotient. It effectively protects the drive from malware attacks. If a malicious file or virus attacks files on your drive, there is a very low chance that it will affect files present in another partition. Moreover, users can also get rid of the malware by formatting their partition and reinstalling the OS.
Cons
- Creating too many hard drive partitions can confuse the user and make it hard for them to track and manage the files in each partition effectively. Moreover, having more than three or four partitions can significantly increase the risk of further issues. For instance, while formatting a partition, you may accidentally delete another one.
- If you use your Mac or PC to perform simple tasks daily and do not store any files on your system, creating numerous partitions can cause more harm than good. Furthermore, if you use only a single operating system on your PC, it would be best not to create more than one or two partitions at most since having more partitions will make using the PC more burdening.
- Creating a single partition is easy, and there is minimal or no loss of space since users do not need to worry about dividing space. However, if you create multiple partitions, dividing and allocating space to each one may become overwhelming.
Creating and using partitions have advantages and disadvantages. If you wish to create or delete partitions or learn about their pros and cons, refer to the steps and points mentioned above.