Mount Hard Drive as Folder in Windows - Easy Guide
Mounting a Hard Drive as a Folder in Windows
Receiving a new storage device is often exciting. However, having numerous drives – six or seven, for instance – displayed in My Computer can be less than ideal. This technique allows you to present your drives as folders residing on another drive.
Logically, this creates the appearance of a single drive, while the files are physically stored on a separate device. It’s a useful method for organization and streamlining your file explorer view.
Important Note: This process is exclusively compatible with drives formatted using the NTFS file system.
Accessing Disk Management
To begin, press the Windows key and the 'R' key simultaneously to open the Run dialog box. Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter. This will launch the Disk Management console.
Before proceeding, consider whether the drive has been initialized. Depending on its status, a volume may or may not already exist. We will assume a volume is present for the purpose of these instructions.
Caution: If the drive contains any data, it is strongly recommended to create a backup before continuing.
Deleting Existing Volumes
Within the Disk Management console, the first step is to delete any existing volumes on the target disk. Right-click on each volume and select "Delete Volume" from the context menu. Repeat this process for all volumes on the drive.
A confirmation prompt will appear, asking if you are certain you wish to proceed. Select "Yes" to confirm the deletion of the volumes.
Creating a New Simple Volume
Once all volumes have been deleted, right-click on the unallocated space of the drive and select "New Simple Volume" from the context menu. This will initiate the New Simple Volume Wizard.
Click "Next" to continue through the wizard.
Accept the default volume size to utilize the entire drive capacity. Click "Next" to proceed.
Mounting as a Folder
This is the crucial step. Instead of assigning a drive letter, select the radio button labeled "Mount in the following empty NTFS folder." Then, click the "Browse" button and choose an empty folder on an NTFS formatted drive. This folder will serve as the mount point for the new drive.
Accept the default settings on the subsequent screen and click "Next."
Completing the Process
Finally, click "Finish" on the last screen to complete the process.
The drive will now appear as a standard folder on the drive you selected. However, all files within that folder will be physically located on the separate, mounted disk.
