On Windows 10, when connecting a removable storage device or an internal hard drive, the system detects and assigns a drive letter automatically to make it usable. However, when reconnecting an external drive (such as a USB flash drive or SD or microSD cards), the system can end up assigning a different letter, which can be annoying.
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If you want to see the same drive letter on a particular device, you can manually assign a permanent letter to any drive connected to your computer, and on Windows 10, you can do this in at least three different ways, using Disk Management, Command Prompt, or PowerShell.
Using this approach will prevent Windows 10 from assigning a new letter or trying to set a letter already in use, which can cause conflicts. Also, it helps to select a drive letter that makes more sense to you.
In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through several methods to manually assign a permanent letter to a drive, as long as you're connecting the drive to the same device and the letter isn't already in use.
Assign Drive Letters Windows 10
How to assign a drive letter using Disk Management
To manage drive letters with the Disk Management tool, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Create and format hard disk partitions and click the top result to open the Disk Management experience.
Right-click the drive and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
Click the Change button.
- Select the Assign the following drive letter option.
Use the drop-down menu to assign a new drive letter.
Quick tip: To avoid the system trying to assign the same letter to another drive, it's a good idea to start adding letters in backward order. For instance, instead of using D, E or F, it better to start with Z, Y or X when assigning a new letter.
- Click the OK button.
- Click the OK button again.
Once you complete these steps, the drive will permanently retain the assigned letter, even after reconnecting it. However, if you connect the drive to another device, it may receive a different letter.
How to assign a drive letter using Command Prompt
While the easiest way to assign a new drive letter is to use Disk Management, you can also use DiskPart in Command Prompt to perform the same task.
To assign a drive letter using Command Prompt, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and then select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to start DiskPart and press Enter:
diskpartType the following command to list all the available volumes and press Enter:
list volumeType the following command to select the volume (drive) to assign a new letter and press Enter:
select volume 3In the command, make sure to change '3' to the number that represents the drive on your device.
Type the following command to assign a new drive letter, and press Enter:
assign letter=ZThe command assigns the letter 'Z' to the drive assuming it's available. However, you need to make sure to change the letter for the one that you want to use.
After completing these steps, similar to Disk Management, every time you reconnect the storage to the same device, Windows 10 should assign the same letter automatically.
Windows Assign Drive Letter Silent
How to assign a drive letter using PowerShell
Alternatively, you can also use PowerShell to change a drive letter on Windows 10 using these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for PowerShell, right-click the result, and then select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to list the available drives and press Enter:
Get-DiskType the following command to assign a permanent letter to the drive and press Enter:
Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter ZIn the command, make sure to change '1' to the number that represents the drive that you want to modify, and change 'Z' for the new letter that you want to use.
Once you complete the steps, the drive will be accessible through File Explorer using the letter that you assigned, and Windows 10 won't try to change it.
Updated March 7, 2019: We revised this guide to make sure it's current with the latest version of Windows 10.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
It’s possible to change the letter assigned to a storage device. The question remains: Why would you want to? Don’t change a drive letter “just because,” though! Randomly reassigning drive letters can lead to unimaginable woe, especially if a program is installed on a drive and you change the drive’s letter. End of warning. Here’s how to assign a storage device a new drive letter:
Ensure that you’re not using the drive.
Make sure no files are open on that drive and no programs are being run from the drive; not even folder windows from the drive are open.
Open the Control Panel.
Open the Administrative Tools window.
In Windows 7, choose System and Security and then choose Administrative Tools.
In Windows Vista, choose System and Maintenance and then choose Administrative Tools.
In Windows XP, open the Administrative Tools icon.
In the Administrative Tools window, open the Computer Management icon.
In Windows Vista, click Continue or type the administrator’s password.
The Computer Management window appears.
On the left side of the window, choose Disk Management.
It’s beneath the Storage heading.
Right-click the storage media you want to modify.
The storage media are listed by drive letter in the upper center part of the window.
Choose the command Change Drive Letter or Paths from the shortcut menu.
A Change Drive Letter or Paths dialog box appears. It sports the icon and letter for the drive you selected and lists any associated drive letters and pathnames.
Click the Change button.
The Add Drive Letter or Path dialog box appears.
A warning dialog box appears if you attempt to change the system drive, such as drive C, or the drive where Windows is installed. Click OK and then Cancel, and then choose another drive.
Choose a new drive letter from the drop-down list.
Only drive letters not currently used by other devices or network drives are available. Because of the limitations of the Latin alphabet, only 26 drive letters are available.
Click OK.
An important warning appears. Some programs rely on consistent drive letters. For example, older software may always insist that the optical drive have the same letter now as it did when the program was installed. Changing the drive letter means that the program cannot find itself and will then refuse to run.
If you want to proceed, click Yes to confirm that you read the warning.
The drive is instantly assigned a new letter. Further, a new window opens, displaying the drive’s contents.
Close any windows that remain opened.
To reset the drive letter, just repeat these steps. You can assign and reassign drive letters all the do-dah day.
See Video 622 for an onscreen demonstration of changing a drive letter.
Windows Phone 8 Wikipedia
It is not advisable to change the drive letter on an internal drive — including internal hard drives, optical drives, and any memory card readers you might have installed. Doing so may screw up previously installed programs.
Be careful when you work with storage media on a technical level! You can easily and irreparably damage the media, losing data stored there. That’s a bad thing, especially for your PC’s main hard drive. Back up your data!
The drive used by Windows is known as the system drive. Its drive letter cannot be reassigned while Windows is running, nor is there really any reason to do so.