How to change drive label on Windows 10

Windows 10 lets you rename drives to anything you want, and here's how to complete the task on four different ways.

Windows 10 change drive label

On Windows 10, each drive includes a friendly label name alongside a drive letter to help you quickly determine the device. However, the default names assigned automatically are not descriptive enough to make them useful.

If you want to make each drives more identifiable, Windows 10 allows you to change the drive label to make it more descriptive and easier to find in File Explorer (other than “Local Disk” and “New Volume”). You can use up to 32 characters or up to 11 characters for drives using NTFS or FAT file systems respectively.

In this guide, you’ll learn four different ways to change the label name of the hard drive on Windows 10.

Change drive label using File Explorer

To change the drive label on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Click on This PC from the left pane.

  3. Under the “Devices and drives” section, right-click the drive and select the Rename option.

    File Explorer rename drive label option
    File Explorer rename drive label option
  4. Specify a new label for the drive and press Enter.

    Change drive label name
    Change drive label name

Once you complete the steps, the new label will be reflected on the hard drive.

Change drive label using Properties

To rename drive from the Properties setting, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Click on This PC from the left pane.

  3. Under the “Devices and drives” section, right-click the drive and select the Properties option.

    Drive properties option
    Drive properties option
  4. Click the General tab.

  5. Specify a new label for the drive.

    Change drive label
    Change drive label
  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the new name will appear on the drive.

Change drive label using PowerShell

To set a new drive name with PowerShell, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to list all the volumes and press Enter:

    Get-Volume

    List drives with PowerShell
    List drives with PowerShell
  4. Type the following command to change the drive label and press Enter: Set-Volume -DriveLetter DRIVER-LETTER -NewFileSystemLabel “NEW-LABEL”

    Set-Volume -DriveLetter DRIVER-LETTER -NewFileSystemLabel "NEW-LABEL"

    In the command, make sure to change DRIVE-LETTER and NEW-LABEL for the drive letter and label you want to use (see step No. 3).

    For example, this command renames the drive C to Windows:

    Set-Volume -DriveLetter C -NewFileSystemLabel "Windows"

    Change drive label with PowerShell
    Change drive label with PowerShell

Once you complete the steps, the new label will be reflected on the drive.

Change drive label using Command Prompt

To change the name of a drive with Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to launch DiskPart and press Enter:

    diskpart

    Quick tip: If you already know the letter of the drive you want to rename, you can skip to step No. 6

  4. Type the following command to list all the volumes and press Enter:

    list volume

    List drives with Command Prompt
    List drives with Command Prompt
  5. Type the following command to close DiskPart and press Enter: exit

    exit
  6. Type the following command to change the drive label and press Enter:

    label DRIVE-LETTER NEW-LABEL

    In the command, make sure to change DRIVE-LETTER and NEW-LABEL for the drive letter and label you want to use (see step No. 4).

    For example, this command renames the drive C: to Windows:

    Label C: System

    Change drive label with Command Prompt
    Change drive label with Command Prompt

After you complete the steps, the drive will be renamed. If you’re having trouble using this command because the drive appears locked, then use the PowerShell steps.