MiniTool Partition Wizard Free v11

A full review of MiniTool Partition Wizard Free, a free partition manager tool

MiniTool Partition Wizard Free 11
by Tim Fisher
Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology support experience. He writes troubleshooting content and is the General Manager of Lifewire.
Updated January 23, 2019

MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is free partition management software for Windows that can perform lots of different tasks on hard drives and partitions.

Partition Wizard Free can copy, format, delete, wipe, extend, and resize partitions in Windows.

The review below is of the free version of MiniTool Partition Wizard. There are a few features that require a paid upgrade but the features discussed below are all doable with the free version. See this list of similar free disk partitioning tools if you're after something that MiniTool's partition manager can't do without the upgrade.

MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Pros & Cons

Here are a few things to consider before using MiniTool Partition Wizard:

Pros:

  • Very easy to use
  • Supports common partitioning functions
  • Can extend the system partition without rebooting
  • Sends all changes to a queue to be applied when ready

Cons:

  • Doesn't support managing dynamic disks
  • Shows features that only work in the upgraded version

More Information on MiniTool Partition Wizard Free

  • Supported operating systems include Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
  • Windows can be copied from its current drive to a different one using the Migrate OS to SSD/HD Wizard feature
  • Can create primary and logical disks with any of the following file systems: NTFS, Ext2/3/4, Linux Swap, FAT/FAT32, or left unformatted
  • One button makes it easy to convert an NTFS formatted partition to the FAT file system
  • The cluster size is able to be changed when formatting a partition
  • You can change the drive letter of any partition
  • MiniTool Partition Wizard makes it simple to resize a partition because you can drag the size left or right to alter it, or you can enter the value manually to make it exactly the right size
  • A surface test can be run to check for bad sectors
  • Partitions and disks can be copied over to other partitions or disks
  • The file system can be checked and/or repaired if it is damaged
  • Can apply a custom volume label
  • Supports rebuilding the MBR as well as copying the MBR to a GPT disk
  • Can convert the system disk from MBR to GPT
  • All partitions can be quickly selected to be removed at once
  • Partitions can be hidden, which will prevent them from displaying alongside the other drives and partitions in Windows
  • Partitions can be quickly set as active or inactive
  • A partition can be easily split into two parts, which essentially resizes the partition (even if has data on it), and then creates a new partition from the resulting free space
  • The system partition only, or the entire disk, can be copied
  • You're able to convert between primary and logical partitions 
  • A partition's serial number and Type ID can be changed
  • Lost partitions can be restored using MiniTool Partition Wizard with the included Partition Recovery Wizard
  • All the data on disks and partitions can be wiped clean with common data sanitization methods like Write Zero, Random Data, and DoD 5220.22-M
  • The properties of a partition can be viewed, which includes the Type ID, file system, serial number, first physical sector, and other details

Thoughts on MiniTool Partition Wizard Free

As is true with most of the free disk partitioning tools we've looked at, every change you make to the partitions and disks with MiniTool Partition Wizard will first be reflected virtually, and then sent to the "Operations Pending" section of the program.

This is a great feature because you're able to see how the partition changes you make will play out once clicking the Apply button, all without having to actually wait for each step to complete.

We also like that you can make the system partition larger without having to reboot the computer. Most free disk partitioning tools support this, but not all of them. This means if you have unallocated space that isn't being used, you can quickly apply it to the system partition to enlarge it in a matter of seconds.

The major issue with MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is that some features appear to be an available option only until you click on them, after which you're told you need to upgrade to a paid version to use it.

For example, although basic disks are supported and "Dynamic Disk" options are visible, you can't convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk because the free version doesn't let you manage dynamic disks. You need either the Pro or Server edition to work with dynamic disks.