If you have a disk that doesn't appear in File Explorer and is listed in Disk Management as Not Initialized, it could be because the disk doesn't have a valid disk signature.

After Computer Management opens, go to Storage > Disk Management.ĭisks that are missing or not initialized, plus general troubleshooting steps.

Type Computer Management in the search box on the taskbar, select and hold (or right-click) Computer Management, and then select Run as administrator > Yes.

How to open Disk Managementīefore we launch into the tricky stuff, here's an easy way to get to Disk Management in case you're not there already: If you still need help, post a question there, or Contact Microsoft Support or the manufacturer of your hardware.

In the Command Prompt or PowerShell window that opens, type “diskmgmt.msc” and press Enter, and Disk Management will open immediately.If you get an error or something doesn't work when following these procedures - don't panic! This topic is just the first thing to try there's also a ton of info on the Microsoft community site in the Files, folders, and storage section about the wide variety of hardware and software configurations you might be dealing with. Click the Start button, type 'cmd' or 'powershell' in the search bar, and then press Enter (you can also use Windows Terminal on Windows 11).

If you want, you can also start Disk Management from the command line. Click Windows + R, type 'diskmgmt.msc' in the input box, and then click “OK”. If you want to use the Advanced User Menu to access Disk Management, you can press the Windows + X key or right-click the Start button and then click “Disk Management”.ĭisk Management can also be started from the Run window. Note: The search result displayed will not be Disk Management, but 'Create and format hard disk partitions'. There are some differences between the user interface of Windows 10 and Windows 11, but the procedure is the same, so don't worry too much.Ĭlick the Start button, type 'Disk Management' in the search bar, and then press Enter or click “Open”. If the Computer Management window is not expanded, click “Storage”, and then click “Disk Management”. To access Disk Management through the Computer Management utility, click the Start button, type 'Computer Management' in the search bar, and then press Enter or click Open. If you want to allocate your computer's hard drive space wisely, here are five ways to open Disk Management in Windows 11. Disk Management is a utility that comes with Windows 11/10 and is mainly used to initialize hard disks, create, resize or delete partitions, change drive numbers, and so on.

Open disk management