How to Get Back the Unallocated Space in a Flash Drive

A flash drive is a portable memory module used to store data for easy transfer between computers. While they are convenient, they also come with their share of problems. One potential problem is unallocated memory, where a section of the flash drive becomes inaccessible and unusable. This can happen due to third party diagnostic tools or an improper or incomplete reformat of your flash drive. Unallocated disk space is a problem when it takes up a large, unused portion of your flash drive. Fortunately, Windows comes bundled with a Disk Management program that can configure each drive's memory layout.

Instructions

1. Go to the "Start" menu in Windows. Navigate to "My Computer," right-click on it and select "Manage" from the drop-down menu. This brings up the "Computer Management" window.

2. Select "Disk Management" located under the "Storage" category. This brings up a list of drives, including your flash drive, on the right side of the window.

3. Select your flash drive then right-click to show its drop-down menu. Choose the "Delete Partition" option. This creates the entire flash drive as one portion of unallocated space.

4. Right-click the flash drive again and then select the "New Partition" option. Follow through the "Partition Wizard" dialogue by selecting the partition type you want to create: primary, extended or logical drive. What partition type you choose depends on what function you want your flash drive to serve.

5. Continue through the "Partition Wizard" dialogues by choosing the partition size. You can also assign a drive letter to the flash drive; otherwise the program does it automatically. Additionally, you can type in its "Volume Label," change its format speed or convert it to an NTFS volume. Click on "Finish" to complete the process.

Tips & Warnings

• Backup any data stored in your flash drive before proceeding, as this process will wipe the memory clean.

• Be careful when using Disk Management to delete partitions on your flash drive. Ensure that you do not accidentally delete off partitions from your main drive.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Use Disk Management to Configure Basic Disks
• IT Knowledge Exchange: Allocate Unallocated Space on a Flash Drive