How to hide (or unhide) any partition, in Windows (all versions)
If you work with Windows computers and devices that have multіple partitions and hard disks, you may nеed to hide a pаrticular partitiоn. Latеr, you may need to unhide it or re-enable it back, sо that it can be used again. If you need to know how to hide and unhidе partitions in Windows, read this tutorial:
NOTE: This guide works the same in Windows 10, Windows 7, and Windows 8.1. That is why, for simplicity, we use screenshots taken only in Windows 10.
How to hide (unmount) a partition in Windows, using Disk Management
First, you need to open Disk Management. We described all the way to do that, in this tutorial: 9 ways to open the Disk Management tool in Windows (all versions). One method that works well in all Windows versions is to search for "disk management" in the search box near Start (in Windows 10), in the search box from the Start Menu (in Windows 7), or on the Start screen (in Windows 8.1).
In the Disk Management window, identify the partition that you want to hide. You can see it in the list of volumes on the top, on in the graphical representation of all your disks, on the bottom.
Right-click or press and hold the partition that you want to hide (or dismount). In the right-click menu, choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths."
In the "Change Drive Letter and Paths" window, click or tap the Remove button.
You are asked to confirm that you want to remove the drive letter. Press Yes.
You are warned that the drive is in use. Close any apps and files that you have opened, especially those that are stored on the drive that you are hiding. Then, press Yes.
The partition is now hidden (dismounted) and it is no longer accessible in File Explorer of Windows Explorer. Windows remembers the setting you just made, at each login and the partition is no longer available to apps and users unless you choose to unhide it or mount it. You can close Disk Management and resume your work.
How to unhide (mount) a partition in Windows, using Disk Management
When you want the partition available again, you need to unhide it or mount it again. To do that, open the Disk Management tool. In the list of volumes from the top, or in that of disks on the bottom, find the hidden partition and right-click on it. On a screen with touch, press and hold on it. In the menu that is shown, choose "Change Drive Letter and Paths."
In the window that opens, press the Add button.
The "Add Drive Letter or Path" window opens. Here, choose the drive letter that you want to assign, in the dropdown list on the right. Then, click or tap OK.
The partition is now mounted and visible to all users and apps on your Windows installation.
How to hide (unmount) a partition in Windows, using the Command Prompt
You can do the same things you did with Disk Management, using the Command Prompt. Open CMD as administrator, and type the command mountvol Letter: /D and press Enter.
Replace Letter with the actual drive letter of the partition that you want to hide or dismount. For example, to hide the G: drive, you should type: mountvol G: /D and press Enter.
If you would like to know more about the mountvol command and how it works, read this documentation from Microsoft: mountvol.
How to unhide (mount) a partition in Windows, using the Command Prompt
When you want the partition available again, for daily use, you need to unhide it or mount it again. To do that, open the Command Prompt as administrator, type the command mountvol /? and press Enter. This displays all the documentation about the mountvol command and its parameters.
Scroll down until you see a list of all the possible values for the VolumeName parameter, along with the current mount points. Look for the entries with the text "NO MOUNT POINTS." Those entries represent hidden (unmounted) partitions, which can be unhidden (mounted) again.
To mount a partition type: mountvol DriveLetter: VolumeName. The text DriveLetter should be replaced with the letter that you want to use for the partition: D: E: F: and so on. Make sure that you assign a drive letter that is free and not taken by other partitions. VolumeName should be replaced by the text which starts with "\?Volume{". Write the complete and correct value. After typing this command, press Enter to execute it.
You do not receive any messages you just see the partition displayed in Windows, accessible to all apps and users.
NOTE: One tricky part about this method is that, when working on a Windows computer with many hidden partitions, you do not know the Volume ID of the partition that you want to mount for use. To identify the ID of the hidden partition that you want to unhide, you need to open Disk Management, access the properties of that hidden partition, and go to the Security tab. There you see the ID in the Object name field.
How did you hide partitions in Windows?
Now you know two ways of hiding and unhiding partitions in Windows. Try them out and share with us in a comment the method that you prefer. Did you use Disk Management or the Command Prompt? Comment below and let's discuss.