Windows 7: Drive Letter - Add, Change, or Remove in Windows 7

   Information

This will show you how to add, change, or remove a drive letter for any drive installed or connected to the computer in Windows 7 and Vista.

   Note

• You can only assign the letters D to Z to each drive on your computer.
• The letters A and B are usually reserved for floppy disk drives. If you do not have a floppy disk drive installed, then you can assign A and B to a drive, partition, or volume if you like.
• The letter C is reserved for the drive or partition that the operating system (Windows 7 or Vista) is installed on. If you multi boot operating systems, then whatever OS that you happen to startup in will always show as the C drive by default. You do not want to change or remove the C: drive letter.
• If you change or remove a drive letter of a drive, partition, or volume that a shortcut or installed program references as their target location, then that shortcut or program may not work afterwards since it can no longer find that drive letter.

OPTION ONE

To Change, Add, or Remove Drive Letter in Disk Management

1. Open the Start Menu, then right click on the Computer button (dark right side) and click on Manage.

A) Go to step 3.

OR

2. Open the Start Menu, then type compmgmt.msc OR diskmgmt.msc in the search box and press enter.

3. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

4. In the left pane of Computer Management, click on Disk Management under Storage. (see screenshots below)

5. To Change a Drive Letter
NOTE: You cannot change a drive letter if the drive is either a system partition or a boot partition, like the partition or drive that Windows 7 is installed on. If you get an error, the partition or drive you are trying to change might be in use. Close any program or window that is using the partition or drive and try again.

A) Right click on a listed drive, partition, or volume letter that you want to change the drive letter of, and click on Change Drive Letter and Paths. (see screenshot below)

B) Click on the Change button. (see screenshot below)

C) Select (dot) Assign the following drive letter, then select an available drive letter from the drop down box and click on OK. (see screenshot below)

D) Click on Yes to confirm changing the drive letter. (see screenshot below)

E) If you get a AutoPlay pop-up window afterwards, then you can just close this. It indicates that the drive, partition, or volume has been assigned the drive letter. (see screenshot below)

F) Go to step 8.

6. To Add a Drive Letter
NOTE: This is to assign a drive letter to a drive, partition, or volume if a drive letter has been removed or does not already have one assigned to it.

A) Right click on a listed drive, partition, or volume that does not have a driver letter that you want to add one to, and click on Change Drive Letter and Paths. (see screenshot below step 5A)

B) Click on the Add button. (see screenshot below)

C) Select (dot) Assign the following drive letter, then select an available drive letter from the drop down box and click on OK. (see screenshot below)

D) Go to step 8.

7. To Remove a Drive Letter
NOTE: This will only remove the drive letter and not the drive, partition, or volume. This can be useful if you are getting a low disk space warning for this drive letter.

A) Right click on a listed drive, partition, or volume letter that you want to remove the drive letter of, and click on Change Drive Letter and Paths.

B) Click on the Remove button. (see screenshot below)

C) Click on Yes to confirm removing the drive letter. (see screenshot below)

8. Close the Computer Management or Disk Management window.

9. Open the Computer window to confirm the changes.

OPTION TWO

To Change or Remove Drive Letter Manually in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu, then type regedit in the search box and press enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

3. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

4. To Change a Drive Letter
WARNING: Do not change the C: drive letter.

A) Right click on a listed /DosDevices\(drive letter) (Ex: /DosDevices\D: ) that you want to change the drive letter of, then click on Rename. (see screenshot above)

B) Rename it with a drive letter that you want to use, and is not already listed here, and press enter. (see screenshot above)
For Example: If I wanted to change it from D: to K: , then I would rename it to /DosDevices\K: instead.

5. To Remove a Drive Letter
WARNING: Do not remove the C: drive letter.

A) Right click on a listed /DosDevices\(drive letter) (Ex: /DosDevices\D: ) that you want to remove the drive letter of, then click on Delete. (see screenshot above)

B) Click on Yes to confirm the deletion. (see screenshot below)

6. Close regedit.

7. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.

OPTION THREE

To Add or Change a Drive Letter in Command Prompt

1. Open either a elevated command prompt in Windows, or a command prompt at boot.
NOTE: Changing the drive letter at boot will not always result in having the same drive letter in Windows. Changing the drive letter while in Windows is preferred.

2. In the command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 6)

3. In the command prompt, type list volume and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: Make note of what the volume # is for the drive label/size that you wanted to add or change the drive letter of.

4. In the command prompt, type select volume # and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: Substitue # in the command with the volume number from step 3 that you wanted to add or change the drive letter of.

For example: If I wanted to add or change the drive letter of my listed volume 1 for my I: System Back drive, I would type the command below exactly and press Enter.

select volume 1

5. In the command prompt, type assign letter=letter and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: Substitue the second letter in the command with the drive letter that you wanted to add or change the drive from step 4 to.

For example: If I wanted to add or change the drive letter of my listed volume 1 for my I: System Back drive from I to E, I would type the command below exactly and press Enter.

assign letter=E

6. When successful, you're done. Close the elevated command prompt, or close the command prompt at boot and restart the computer. (see screenshot below)