This article provides a comprehensive guide on partitioning an external hard drive on Windows in 15 easy steps. The first method involves using Disk Management, where users must first connect the external drive to the PC and back up important data prior to partitioning. Users can then launch Disk Management by pressing Windows + R and typing in diskmgmt.msc in the Run window. After selecting the partition to shrink and choosing the Shrink Volume option, users can enter the desired size to shrink the partition to and click on the Shrink button to see the space they shrank. The next step involves creating a new partition by right-clicking on the unallocated space and selecting the New Simple Volume option. Users can then assign a drive letter and file system, format the volume, and label the new partition. The final step involves clicking on the Finish button to complete the process.

The second method involves using Command Prompt, where users must first open the Command Prompt as an administrator. Users can then type in diskpart and press Enter, followed by typing in list disk and pressing Enter again to see a list of all available disks. After selecting the disk to partition by typing in select disk X (where X is the disk number), users can then type in list partition to see a list of existing partitions. The next step involves creating a new partition by typing in create partition primary size=X (where X is the desired size of the new partition), followed by typing in format quick fs=ntfs and assigning a drive letter by typing in assign letter=X (where X is the desired drive letter). The final step involves exiting the Command Prompt by typing in exit.

In conclusion, this article provides step-by-step instructions for partitioning an external hard drive on Windows using two different methods. By following these simple steps, users can easily create new partitions and organize their data more efficiently.