How to Add A Hard Drive to This PC in Windows 10

By Sophia | Last Updated May 28, 2025

Adding a new hard drive to your Windows 10 PC can expand your storage capacity and improve system performance. Windows 10 makes it easy to set up a new hard drive-whether it is internal or external. Follow these simple steps to initialize, partition, and format your drive so it’s ready to use on your PC.

• Part 1: Add a New Hard Disk to Your PC
• Part 2: Add a Drive to Your Existing Disk
• Troubleshooting Issues on Adding a New Drive

Part 1: Add a New Hard Disk to Your PC

Step 1: Physically Install the Hard Drive

For Internal Hard Drives:

Power off and unplug the computer. Then open the case by removing the marked screws. Secure the new hard drive into an available drive bay using screws or tool-less brackets.

After that, connect one end if the SATA data cable to the new hard drive, and the other end to an available SATA port on the motherboard. As for the SATA power cable, connect it from your power supply unit directly to the hard drive. Finally, reattach the side panel and plug your computer back in.

For External Hard Drives:

Directly plug it into any available USB port on your Windows 10. If the drive has a separate power source, ensure it's turned on.

Step 2: Access Disk Management

1. Open Disk Management.

2. In the Disk Management window, look for a disk labeled as "Unknown" or "Not Initialized" with unallocated space.

Step 3: Initialize the New Disk

For the new disk without initialization, your PC cannot recognize and display it on File Explorer. Thus, you should initialize the new disk in Disk Management.

1. When you open the Disk Management, the Initialize Disk prompt comes. You should select the partition style for the new disk: MBR or GPT.

2. After that, click OK to proceed.

Step 4: Create a New Volume

1. Find the unallocated space of your new drive. Right-click on the space and select New Simple Volume from the menu.

2. The New Simple Volume Wizard will open. Click Next.

3. Enter the desired volume size in MB or accept the default to use the entire disk space. Click Next.

4. Choose a drive letter from the dropdown menu. Click Next.

5. Select the file system (NTFS is recommended). You can also enter a volume label (e.g., "New Drive").

6. All your settings are shown here. Now you can click Finish to complete the Wizard.

Step 5: Verify the New Drive in File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer.

2. Click PC from the right menu. Then you can check the new drive here. You can now use the new hard drive to store files, install applications, or create backups.

Part 2: Add a Drive to Your Existing Disk

If you want to add a new drive to the existing disk, how to make it done? You can follow steps below.

Step 1: Open Disk Management in your computer.

Step 2: Right-click on the Unallocated or free space and choose New Simple Volume in the context menu to continue.

Step 3: The New Simple Volume Wizard comes and just follow the instructions to finish the setup.

Troubleshooting Issues on Adding a New Drive

Drive Not Showing in Disk Management:

• Ensure all cables are securely connected.
• Check BIOS/UEFI settings to confirm the drive is recognized by the system.

Cannot Initialize Disk:

• You can run the system check in Command Prompt using sfc /scannow.
• If the Disk Management cannot be opened, you can use third-party disk management tool to initialize the disk.

Drive Not Appearing in File Explorer:

• Ensure the drive has been assigned a drive letter.
• Verify the partition is formatted correctly.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully add and configure a new hard drive in Windows 10, expanding your system's storage capabilities.

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