Difference between Partition, Volume, and Logical Drive
All these terms i.e., partition, volume, and logical drive are data storage units. But there are differences that we have tried to cover in this post below. Let’s learn about them one by one.
What is a Partition in a Windows computer?
A physical hard disk (say HDD) can be divided into different storage units and those storage units are known as partitions. Thus, dividing a hard disk drive into different parts is known as partitions for that particular hard disk. For example, if you have a 1TB hard disk drive, and you divide it into 4 parts (say 250GB each), those parts are called partitions. You can create four primary partitions or three primary partitions and one extended partition. Here is what that means: You can easily create new, resize, and extend partitions on a Windows 11/10 computer using the built-in Disk Management tool or some free third-party Disk and Partition Manager software.
What is a Volume on a Windows computer?
Unless you format a partition, a volume (or logical volume) cannot be created. And, until a volume is not created, you won’t be able to install Windows and add your data. Thus, once you format a partition for a file system (say NTFS file system for Windows), it becomes a volume. In other words, once you format a partition to create a hard drive and assign a letter (say D, E, etc.) to that drive, it is known as volume. You can also extend, shrink, or delete a volume. There are 5 logical volume types which are as follows:
What is a Logical Drive?
A logical drive (or logical volume) is a drive space created logically on top of a physical hard disk. Once you format a partition and assign a letter to it like D, E, etc., (as explained above), it becomes a logical drive that can be used to store files, folders, and other personal data. When you open File Explorer on a Windows 11/10 computer, the logical partitions (such as Local Disk (D:), Local Disk (E:), etc.) present under This PC section are examples of logical drives. So, basically, logical drive and volume are the same terms. Hope this helps.
What is the difference between a Partition and a Logical drive?
Partition (when it comes to a hard disk drive) is a part of a hard disk that you create for installing Windows OS and storing your personal data. There is a primary partition that you can use for installing an operating system. Apart from that, there is an extended partition that you can further divide into multiple logical partitions for storing your data (images, audio-video files, documents, etc.). On the other hand, a logical drive is created when you format a partition and assign a drive letter (including the file system) to it.
Should I use Primary or Logical partition?
Although there is no difference between primary and logical partition in order to store data, it is idle to create a primary partition where you can install Windows and boot your computer. Primary partitions are mainly used for installing an operating system. On the other hand, logical partitions are used for storing your personal data. Read next: Difference between NTFS, FAT32, FAT, and exFAT File Systems.
