How to modify a drive letter

Updated: 12/30/2021 by Computer Hope

Microsoft Windows logo

In Microsoft Windows, dissimilar storage media, devices, and partitions on your computer are identified using drive messages. By default, these letters are assigned automatically. However, if you desire to change a default drive alphabetic character, may exercise so past following the steps below.

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11

  1. Open the Disk Management utility.
  2. Correct-click the volume whose drive letter of the alphabet you want to change and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths option.

Menu for changing a drive letter in Windows

  1. In the window that appears, click the Modify push.

Menu for changing drive letters

  1. In the next window, select the alphabetic character you lot desire from the drop-down menu on the right, then click OK.

Change drive letter window

CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and other devices

In the newer versions of Windows, devices that are not considered to exist volumes (i.e., CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives) aren't listed on the same page equally hard drives, SSDs, and partitions. However, you can conform which section you are viewing, allowing you to assign a unlike drive letter of the alphabet to these devices.

Note

The letter yous assign to these devices must come later that of the hard drive. For case, because your difficult drive is C:, you may only use D: through Z:. If you have multiple hard drives or partitions and your last drive letter is F:, you tin can but modify your device's drive alphabetic character to One thousand: through Z:.

  • Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, and eleven.
  • Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME.
  • MS-DOS and Windows iii.X.

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, seven, viii, 10, and 11

  1. Open the Disk Management utility.
  2. At the superlative of Disk Management window, click the View menu.
  3. In the drop-down menu that appears, select Top, then select Disk List.

Disk list menu in Windows, showing disk drives

  1. Right-click the disk drive whose drive letter you want to change and select the Change Drive Letter of the alphabet and Paths option.

Menu for changing a disk drive letter in Windows.

  1. In the window that appears, click the Modify button.

Window to add or change disk drive letters.

  1. In the adjacent window, select the letter of the alphabet you lot desire from the drop-down menu on the right, and so click OK.

Change disk drive letter window.

Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows ME

  1. Open the Device Director.
  2. Click the plus sign (+) side by side to CD-ROM or DVD/CD-ROM drives.
  3. Double-click the disk drive whose drive letter you want to change.
  4. Click the Settings tab.
  5. Where the computer lists the Offset and stop bulldoze alphabetic character, make your option and and so click OK.
  6. Restart the computer.
  • How to restart Microsoft Windows.

MS-DOS and Windows three.Ten

  1. If you are in Windows, Go out to an MS-DOS prompt.
  2. Type cd\ and press Enter.
  3. Once at DOS type edit c:\autoexec.bat
  4. In the autoexec.bat window, locate the MSCDEX line.
  5. On the MSCDEX line, if it's missing /50:ten (where x is the drive alphabetic character), add /L:D (assigning the CD-ROM to D: and can exist anything up to Z:).
  6. Once changes are made, click File (if you do not have a mouse, press Alt+F), so choose Exit and say Yes to save the changes.
  7. Once dorsum at DOS, type edit c:\config.sys
  8. In the config.sys window, look for anything that says "LASTDRIVE=10" (were x is the last drive letter). If the line is missing, add together LASTDRIVE=Thou (or the letter you want as the ending letter) at the summit of the config.sys file.

Note

The LASTDRIVE must exist a letter between C and Z.

  1. Once changes are made, click File (if you do not have a mouse, press Alt+F), and so choose Go out and say Yes to relieve the changes.
  2. Restart the figurer.
  • How to restart Microsoft Windows.