4 Methods To Hide A Local Drive On Windows 10

Overview

Usually, we use some folder encryption software to hide or lock a folder or file which has confidential data. But, if we have many such folders and files, it is not a good idea to lock each and every folder. A better option would be to move all such files and folders that you want to hide to a drive and hide that entire drive.

There are 4 methods to hide a drive on Windows 10 including through Disk Management, using Group Policy, through Windows Registry, or by using Diskpart command in CMD. We will see these ways step by step so that you can implement the same to hide a drive on Windows 10.

4 Methods to Hide a Local Drive on Windows 10

Method 1: Hide a Local Drive through Disk Management

In Disk Management, we can partition drives, assign drive letters and hide storage drives with sensitive information. To hide a local drive:

1. Press Win + X and click on Disk Management.
2. Right-click the drive you want to hide and select Change Drive Letter and Paths…
3. Click the drive letter and click the Remove button.
4. When the warning message pop up, click Yes to confirm.

If you want to reverse changes to unhide drives, follow the steps:

1. Right-click the drive and select the Change Drive Letter and Paths…
2. Then choose Add… button and click Assign the following drive letter.
3. After choosing a letter from the drop-down box, click OK to confirm.

Method 2: Local Group Policy Editor

1. Press the Win + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open Local Group Policy Editor.
3. Browse the following path: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
4. Double-click the Hide these specified drives in My Computer policy.
5. Select the Enabled option.
6. Under Options, select the drive combinations you want or select the Restrict all drives option from the drop-down menu.
7. Click Apply and OK.

Once you completed the steps, the drives you specified will no longer appear in File Explorer. Besides, you’ll still be able to access the drive content by navigating the location using the drive path in the File Explorer address bar or Command Prompt.

Method 3: Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Type diskpart and click Enter.
3. Type each command line and then press Enter.

List volume
Select volume * (* stands the drive you want to hide.)
Remove Letter *

Once it is completed, your drive is hidden in Windows File Explorer. If you want to revert changes, you can run diskpart again:

1. Type List Volume and hit Enter.
2. Now type select the drive that you have hidden.
3. Now type Assign Letter * and hit Enter.

Method 4: Hide Drives with Registry

This method is not friendly for beginners because the incorrect changes will cause severe damage to your computer. If you still choose the Registry, please remind to back up your whole data on your device.

1. In the Run box, type regedit and click OK.
2. On Registry Editor, follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
3. Right-click Explorer > Choose New > Click DWORD (32-bit)Value.
4. Name New Value as NoDrives and press Enter to ensure.
5. Double-click NoDrives and click on Decimal under the Base part.
6. Type in Value data referring to the following corresponding decimal number. For example, if you want to hide C drive and D drive, you can type 12 (4+8).
7. Click OK and restart your computer.

When your computer starts, your drive is hidden in Windows File Explorer. Besides, you can show hidden drives by going back to delete NoDrives.

Conclusion

The above content is the four common methods to hide a local drive on Windows 10 without a third-party tool. Here, we need to remind you that if you want to access the hidden drive, you can input the drive path (C: or other drives) in the address bar in Windows File Explorer.