How to Change the CD Drive Letter in Windows 10

Easily change the drive letter assigned to your CD or DVD drive in Windows 10 using the built-in Disk Management tool. This process helps resolve potential conflicts or simply organize your drives better.

## Step-by-Step Guide Using Disk Management

Follow these steps to modify your CD/DVD drive's letter:

1.  **Open Disk Management:** Begin by right-clicking the Windows 10 **Start Menu** button (often referred to as the Windows icon) in the bottom-left corner of your screen. Select **Disk Management** from the list of administrative tools that appears. This utility provides an overview of all storage devices connected to your computer.
2.  **Locate Your CD/DVD Drive:** In the upper or lower pane of the Disk Management window, find your CD or DVD drive listed among the volumes. It will typically show its current drive letter (e.g., D:, E:). While a reference notes this process for changing a "specific hard drive letter," the steps are the same for your optical (CD/DVD) drive.
3.  **Access Drive Letter Options:** Right-click directly on the entry for your CD/DVD drive. From the context menu that appears, select **Change Drive Letter and Paths...**.
4.  **Select and Apply the New Letter:**
    *   In the "Change Drive Letter and Paths" dialog box, you'll see the current drive letter listed. To change it, click the **Change...** button.
    *   From the dropdown menu labeled "Assign the following drive letter:", select a new, unused drive letter for your CD/DVD drive. Choose a letter that is not currently assigned to another drive or network location. Picking a letter further down the alphabet (like G, H, I, etc.) is often a good practice to avoid conflicts with removable drives that Windows might automatically assign letters to.
    *   *Relevant detail from reference:* This process utilizes the "Change Drive Letter and Paths" options within Disk Management to modify the drive assignment. A reference outlining these steps describes interaction involving clicking the 'Add' button, then selecting a new drive letter, and finally clicking the 'Change' button to confirm the desired assignment within this interface.
    *   Click **OK** to confirm your selection.
5.  **Confirm the Change:** Windows will likely display a warning message stating that some programs relying on the old drive letter might not work correctly. If you are comfortable proceeding, click **Yes** to apply the drive letter change.

Your CD/DVD drive will now appear with the newly assigned letter in File Explorer and other parts of Windows.