How to mount drive on Windows 10
Do you need to mount or unmount a drive on your device? If so, in this guide, you’ll learn about multiple ways to complete this task on Windows 10.
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AlthoughWindows 10can automatically mount a drive, the ability to mount and unmount a drive manually can come in handy in many scenarios. For example, when the system does not automaticallyassign a drive letterupon connecting a new storage device. You formatted a drive using commands, and you did not specify a mount point. Or you need to unmount a device’s storage to make it permanently inaccessible to users.
Whatever the reason it might be, Windows 10 allows you to quickly mount or unmount a drive using a graphical interface with Disk Management or with command-line using the mountvol and DiskPart tools in Command Prompt.
In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk through the steps to mount and unmount a drive (or volume) using the Disk Management graphical console and mountvol and DiskPart command-line tools available with Command Prompt.
How to mount drive on Windows 10
On Windows 10, when you mount a drive manually, you will create a mount point with a drive letter that will make the storage available to users and allow the system to automatically mount the drive with the same drive letter.
You can complete this process in at least three ways with the Disk Management console and the mountvol and DiskPart command-line tools.
Mount drive with Disk Management
To use Disk Management to mount a drive on Windows 10, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the drive will mount and appear in the system to store data.
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Mount drive with mountvol
To use mountvol to mount a drive, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the volume will be accessible through File Explorer and across the experience.
Mount drive with DiskPart
Alternatively, you can also accomplish the task using DiskPart with these steps:
How to unmount drive on Windows 10
When you unmount a drive manually, you will remove the mount point making the storage inaccessible. Also, the system will no longer try to mount it automatically. If you want to make the drive mountable again, you will need to revert the changes (see above steps).
If you want to unmount a drive, you can also use the same Disk Management, mountvol, and DiskPart tools.
Unmount drive with Disk Management
To unmount a drive with Disk Management, use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the drive will no longer be accessible on Windows 10.
Unmount drive with mountvol
To dismount a drive (or volume) with mountvol, use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the mount points will be removed, making the storage inaccessible to users.
Unmount drive with DiskPart
You can also dismount a drive with DiskPart using these steps:
Also, do not confuse mounting a drive with mounting a drive as a folder, which is something different. You can usethese instructions to mount a drive as a folder.
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
