Rename a Drive and Change Volume Label in Windows 11

You may want to rename a drive and change volume label in Windows 11 to better differentiate your storage options in File Explorer and other apps.  Every time you format a drive without specifying a name, Windows assigns the default "Local disk" name, for example, "Local disk (D:)." You can rename a volume at any time using one of several methods available in Windows 11.

Note: You can also rename a drive in Windows 11 using third-party apps, but we will not cover them in this article as the OS has plenty of built-in tools to perform such an operation.

Rename a Drive in Windows 11

Before you proceed with renaming drives in Windows 11, note that you can use up to 32 alphanumerical characters for NTFS drives and up to 11 alphanumerical characters for FAT drives. You can also use spaces, dashes, underscores, and other symbols.

Using Settings

1. Open Windows Settings using the Win + I keyboard shortcut.
2. Go to System > Storage.
3. Click Advanced Storage Settings.
4. Select Disk and Volumes.
5. Click the arrow-down button next to the drive, which contains the partition you want to rename in Windows 11.
6. Next, select the needed volume. Click Properties.
7. Click Change Label.
8. Enter a new name, then click Apply to save changes.

That is how to change the drive name in Windows 11 using the Settings app.

While the first part of our article applies to Windows 11 only, the below methods also work in Windows 10.

Change a volume label in Windows 11 using Disk Management

1. Press Win + X or right-click the Start menu button. Select Disk Management. You can also press the Win + R buttons and enter the diskmgmt.msc command.
2. In a new window, find the volume you want to rename and right-click it; select Properties.
3. On the General tab, click the text input field at the top of the window. That is where you put a new name for your volume or partition.
4. Enter a new name, then click OK.

Rename a drive in Windows 11 using File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer, then click This PCin the navigation panel. Tip: You can set Windows 11 to always open File Explorer on This PC.
2. Right-click the drive you want to rename and press Rename. As an option, you can select a volume and press F2.
3. Enter a new name for your drive and press Enter to apply changes.

Alternatively, right-click a drive and select Properties. Enter a new name on the General tab, then click Ok.

Change volume label in Windows 11 with Command Prompt

Here is how to rename a drive in Windows 11 using Command Prompt. Keep in mind that you need elevated privileges to perform that action. Tip: You can open Windows Terminal as Administrator in Windows 11 and then open Command Prompt inside it.

1. Run Command Prompt as an Administrator. Press Win + R and enter cmd. Next, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. Enter the following command: label X: NAME. Replace X with the drive letter and NAME with a new name. Here is an example: label C: Windows Drive.
3. Press Enter to rename the drive in Windows 11.
4. Open File Explorer to see a result.

Change drive name using PowerShell

1. Run PowerShell as an Administrator in Windows 11.
2. Enter Set-Volume -DriveLetter # -NewFileSystemLabel "NAME".
3. Replace #with the drive letter and NAME with a proper new name for your volume. Here is an example: Set-Volume -DriveLetter C -NewFileSystemLabel "Windows".
4. Press Enter, then open File Explorer to check if Windows 11 successfully changed your volume label.

That is it. Now you know how to change a volume label in Windows 11.

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