How to change drive volume 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 volume label
Windows 10 change drive volume 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 drive 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 or 11 characters for drives using NTFS or FAT file systems.

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

Change drive label from File Explorer

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

  1. Open File Explorer on Windows 10.

  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

  4. Specify a new label for the drive and press Enter.

    Change drive volume label name

  5. Click the Continue button (if applicable).

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

Change drive label from Properties

To rename the drive volume from the Properties setting 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 Properties option.

    Drive properties option

  4. Click the General tab.

  5. Specify a new label for the drive.

    Change drive volume label

  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will apply the new name on the drive.

Change drive label from PowerShell

To set a new drive volume name with PowerShell commands, 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
  4. Type the following command to change the drive label and press Enter:

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

    In the command, change “DRIVE-LETTER” and “NEW-LABEL” for the drive letter and label you want to use (see step 3). For example, this command renames the drive “C” to “Windows:”

    Set-Volume -DriveLetter C -NewFileSystemLabel "Windows"

    PowerShell change volume name

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

Change drive label from Command Prompt

To change the name of a drive with Command Prompt on Windows 10, 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 drive’s letter you want to rename, you can skip to step 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
  6. Type the following command to change the drive label and press Enter:

    label DRIVE-LETTER NEW-LABEL

    In the command, change “DRIVE-LETTER” and “NEW-LABEL” for the drive letter and label you want to use (see step 4). For example, this command renames the drive “C” to “Windows:”

    Label C: System

    Command Prompt change drive volume label

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

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.