Windows 10 and 11 can hide a partition in a couple of minutes with built-in tools: remove its drive letter, set the “hidden” attribute or hide its icon in File Explorer. All of these only keep the partition out of sight, though. Anyone with administrator rights can bring it back just as quickly.
Below are the built-in methods with their limits, and then a way to hide a partition with a password so that it stays hidden even on another computer.
How to hide a partition with built-in Windows tools
Method 1. Remove the drive letter in Disk Management
File Explorer only shows partitions that have a drive letter. Remove the letter and the partition disappears from This PC, while the files on it stay where they are.
- Right-click the Start button and choose Disk Management.
- Right-click the partition and choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths…”.
- Select the letter, click “Remove” and confirm.
Windows may warn that programs using this letter might stop working; for a data partition that is fine. The letter of the Windows partition (usually C:) cannot be removed.
Limits of this method:
- the partition is still listed in Disk Management, and any administrator can add the letter back in a minute;
- the letter is stored on this computer, so on another PC the partition gets a letter and opens as usual;
- the data is not protected: disk utilities and recovery tools still see the partition and its files.
Method 2. diskpart: remove the letter or set the “hidden” attribute
You can do the same from the command line. Open Command Prompt or Terminal as administrator and run these commands one by one:
diskpart
list volume
select volume 3
remove letter=E
exit
Take the volume number (3 here) and the letter (E here) from the output of list volume. Double-check the letter, label and size: diskpart commands apply to the selected volume, and a wrong number affects a different partition. To give the letter back, select the same volume and run assign letter=E.
For completeness, a volume also has a “hidden” attribute:
select volume 3
attributes volume set hidden
It tells Windows not to mount the volume automatically: the partition gets no letter and does not show up in File Explorer (sometimes only after a restart or after reconnecting the drive). It is not protection: the volume is still visible in Disk Management and diskpart, and attributes volume clear hidden removes the attribute.
Be careful: on disks with the MBR partition style this attribute applies to all volumes on the disk, not only the selected one. Use it only on a separate GPT data disk (in the output of list disk such a disk has an asterisk in the GPT column), and do not experiment on the disk with Windows. If in doubt, just remove the letter.
Method 3. Hide a drive in File Explorer with Group Policy or the registry
This method does not touch the disk: File Explorer just stops showing the drive icon. It is the usual way to hide a drive in Windows 11 when you simply want a tidier This PC.
On Windows 10 and 11 Pro, open the Local Group Policy Editor (Win+R, gpedit.msc) and go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer. The policy “Hide these specified drives in My Computer” offers only fixed choices (drives A to D or all drives), so for other letters the registry is easier.
Windows Home has no Group Policy Editor, but the same setting works in the registry:
- Press Win+R and type
regedit. - Open
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer(create the Explorer key if it does not exist). - Create a DWORD (32-bit) value named
NoDrivesand set the decimal value for the letter: A = 1, B = 2, C = 4, D = 8, E = 16, F = 32, G = 64 (each next letter doubles). To hide several drives, add the values up: E and F = 48. - Restart File Explorer, or sign out and sign in again.
Limits: only the icon is hidden. Typing E:\ in the File Explorer address bar opens the drive, and programs, the command line and Disk Management still see it. The setting applies only to the current user on this computer. To show the drive again, delete NoDrives.
How to hide a partition with a password
The built-in methods hide a partition from File Explorer, but not from an administrator or from another computer. Disk Password Protection works at the partition table level:
- it removes the partition’s entry from the partition table, so Windows and ordinary programs do not see it, and Disk Management shows unallocated space in its place;
- the partition stays hidden after a restart, after the program is uninstalled and when the drive is connected to another computer;
- you can bring it back only with Disk Password Protection and the correct password;
- internal and external drives, MBR and GPT, Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8 and 7 SP1 are supported.
More details are on the features page.
Hide the partition
- Download Disk Password Protection, install it and start it.
- The main window lists all drives and partitions on the computer. Right-click the partition you want to hide and choose the command to enable partition protection. A partition protection wizard in the left panel does the same.
- Enter a password twice. A hint is optional, but it helps you remember the password: the program shows it when you turn protection off. Then confirm.
- After a few seconds the program hides the partition and reports that protection is enabled.
This is what it looks like in Disk Management:
Before: a normal partition (G:).
After: the partition is gone and Disk Management shows unallocated space.
Do not create new partitions in this unallocated space: that can damage the hidden data. The partition also disappears from File Explorer and from any file or disk manager.
Unhide the partition
Start Disk Password Protection, right-click the protected partition and choose the command to disable partition protection. Enter the password you set and confirm. A few seconds later the partition is back with all its files. The same menu also lets you change the protection password.
What you should know
- The Windows partition cannot be hidden. The program does not allow protecting the system and boot partitions. Other partitions, including those on the same disk, can be hidden.
- Hiding is not encryption. That is why it takes only seconds. Data recovery tools can find the partition and read the files, so for confidential data add encryption: Cryptic Disk can encrypt a partition or an external drive, or create an encrypted container (see how to encrypt a volume).
- There is no master password. A forgotten password leaves only data recovery tools, so set a hint.
- It is separate from the boot password. A password on computer startup is another feature of the same program. After you enter it, a hidden partition stays hidden.
Comparison of the methods
| Method | Hidden from | How to bring it back | On another computer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remove the letter (Disk Management, diskpart) | File Explorer | Any administrator assigns a letter | Visible, gets a letter |
| “Hidden” attribute (diskpart) | File Explorer, volume is not mounted | Any administrator with one command | Visible in Disk Management |
Group Policy or NoDrives | Only the icon in File Explorer | Type E:\ or delete the value | Visible as usual |
| Disk Password Protection | Windows and all programs | Only in the program, with the password | Stays hidden |
None of these methods encrypts the data: if the files must stay unreadable even in someone else’s hands, you need encryption.
Which method to choose
- Declutter File Explorer so nobody saves files there by accident: remove the letter.
- Hide a partition from other users and on other computers: Disk Password Protection.
- Protect confidential data: encrypt it with Cryptic Disk and, if you like, hide the partition as an extra layer.
Securing a whole laptop? See our guide to protecting a laptop and its data.
FAQ
How do I hide a partition in Windows 10 or 11 without extra software?
Open Disk Management, right-click the partition, choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths…” and remove the letter. The partition disappears from File Explorer, but any administrator can bring it back.
How do I unhide a hidden partition?
It depends on the method. Assign the letter again in Disk Management (“Add…”) or with assign letter=E in diskpart, clear the attribute with attributes volume clear hidden, or delete NoDrives. A partition hidden with Disk Password Protection comes back when you disable its protection with the password.
Can I hide the C: drive?
No. The partition with the running Windows cannot be hidden with Windows tools or with Disk Password Protection. For the system drive, set a boot password and turn on BitLocker (or Device encryption on Windows Home with compatible hardware).
Is a hidden partition visible on another computer?
After removing the letter or setting NoDrives, the partition is visible on another PC as usual. A partition hidden with Disk Password Protection stays hidden on any computer. Its data is not encrypted, though, so recovery tools can find it.