Are you looking to tidy up your workspace by hiding volumes in Windows that you don’t often use? While Windows provides a temporary solution, you may notice the hidden volume reappearing after a restart. Luckily, there’s a way to hide these volumes permanently.

Before we start, remember that making changes to your system can have significant effects, especially when using the DiskPart utility or editing the Windows Registry. Always back up your data and double-check all steps.

Hiding a Volume Temporarily

Firstly, here’s how you can temporarily hide a volume using the DiskPart utility:

  1. Open the Command Prompt as an Administrator (Press Win + X -> Choose “Command Prompt (Admin)”).
  2. Launch DiskPart by typing diskpart and pressing Enter.
  3. List all volumes by entering list volume.
  4. Identify and select the volume you want to hide: select volume X (Replace X with the volume number).
  5. Remove the drive letter to hide the volume: remove letter=Y (Replace Y with the letter assigned to the volume).

This will hide the chosen volume, and it won’t appear in File Explorer. However, the volume will reappear after a system restart.

Hiding a Volume Permanently

For a more permanent solution, you need to dive into the Windows Registry:

  1. Press Win + R, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices.
  3. Find the registry key corresponding to the drive letter you want to hide: \DosDevices\X:, where X is the drive letter.
  4. Right-click on the key, select Rename, and change \DosDevices\X: to \DosDevices\ZZX: (ZZ being a unique prefix).
  5. Restart your computer.

Voila! The drive should remain hidden even after a system restart.

Note: Always exercise caution when modifying the Windows Registry as incorrect modifications can lead to serious system issues.

By following these steps, you can create a more streamlined and uncluttered workspace, ensuring that only the most essential volumes are in sight!

That's it for this post, thanks for reading!