How to create a Dev Drive on Windows 11

Windows 11 introduces a new feature called Dev Drive, which is designed to boost performance for developer-related tasks. If you’re working with large codebases, frequent builds, or complex development environments, setting up a Dev Drive can give your system a performance edge. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about how to create a Dev Drive on Windows 11 and configure it. Please see Harden your Veeam Backup Server with Microsoft AppLocker and How to upgrade Veeam Backup & Replication to version 12.2.

See other relevant guides: Kill Containers and remove unused images from Docker Correctly, Docker Setup: Monitoring Synology with Prometheus and Grafana, and how to Force BitLocker Recovery: Perform BitLocker Recovery via the Self-Service Portal and Helpdesk,

What is a Dev Drive?

A Dev Drive is a specialized storage volume tailored to optimize performance for key developer tasks. It uses the Resilient File System (ReFS) technology, which allows for better performance, security, and more granular control over storage settings.

Dev Drive provides options to fine-tune settings like antivirus configurations, security designations, and administrative control over which filters are applied to the drive.

Now that you know the basics, let’s dive into the details of how to create and set up your own Dev Drive.

Prerequisites

Before you begin setting up a Dev Drive, make sure your system meets these requirements:

• Windows 11, Build 22621.2338 or later (Make sure your system is up to date).
• 16 GB RAM recommended, with 8 GB being the minimum.
• At least 50 GB of free disk space.
• Local administrator permissions.
• Dev Drives are supported on all Windows versions, including Home, Pro, and Enterprise.

If you’re in an enterprise setting, you might need your system administrator to enable Dev Drive security policies before proceeding. After updating your Windows build, a system restart might be required to access the Dev Drive feature.

Please see Configure Windows Device Inactivity Limit Locally and Domain Wide, How to convert a VHDX file to a VHD, and how to fix “Failure 5456: Unable to determine destination disk, partition, and/or drive, see BDD Log“.

Setting Up a Dev Drive

Here’s a step-by-step guide to create your own Dev Drive:

Step 1: Navigate to Dev Drive Settings

Press “Windows + I” keys to open Settings on your Windows 11 machine. Go to System > Storage.

Select Disks & Volumes under Advanced Storage Settings.

Click the option to create a Dev Drive.

Important: Existing storage volumes cannot be converted into Dev Drives. This feature is available only when you are creating a new volume.

Also, see how to Create a Password-Protected VHD Using BitLocker on Windows 11, how to create a BitLocker System Partition [Part 2], and What are System Partition and Boot Partition in Windows?

Step 2: Select Setup Options

When setting up a Dev Drive, you’ll be given three main options:

1. Create a new Virtual Hard Disk (VHD): This creates a new virtual volume, which is easy to move, backup, or resize.
2. Resize an existing volume: You can shrink an existing volume to create new unallocated space for the Dev Drive.
3. Use unallocated space: If you already have free, unallocated space on your disk, you can use it to create your Dev Drive.

Note: The third option will only appear if you have previously set up unallocated space on your disk.

Choosing Between a Disk Partition and a VHD

When creating a Dev Drive, you can choose between using a disk partition or a VHD. Here’s how to decide:

• Disk Partition: This gives you slightly faster performance since it uses your physical disk directly. However, resizing or managing partitions is more complex, and the partition is tied to the specific disk.
• Virtual Hard Disk (VHD): Offers more flexibility. You can easily resize, move, or back up a VHD. It’s also portable—VHD files can be transferred to other machines or stored as backups. However, there may be a small performance trade-off due to the overhead of managing the virtual layer.

Step 3: Creating a New VHD (If Chosen)

For this guide, we will be setting up a Dev Drive on VHD. Select Create new VHD, and click Next.

Virtual Hard Disk Name: Name your VHD. You might want to use something descriptive like “DevDrive” or “DevWorkload.”

Location: Choose where to save your VHD file. The default path is C:\, but if you’re using Dev Home, the default will be %userprofile%\DevDrives. It’s best to use a user-specific directory to avoid unintended sharing.

Size: Assign disk space for your Dev Drive. The minimum is 50 GB, but allocate more depending on your workload.

Virtual Hard Disk Format:

• VHD: Supports up to 2040 GB.
• VHDX (Recommended): Supports up to 64 TB, and it’s more resilient against unexpected failures.

Disk Type:

• Fixed Size: Allocates all the disk space immediately.
• Dynamically Expanding (Recommended): The VHD grows as more data is added, giving you flexibility without consuming too much space upfront.

Once you’ve selected your options, proceed to create your Dev Drive.

How Does Dev Drive Work?

A Dev Drive works by utilizing ReFS, a file system designed for high performance, scalability, and resilience. Unlike the typical NTFS file system, ReFS allows for quicker access to large data sets and offers better protection against data corruption.

Dev Drives are optimized for developer-specific workloads like handling code repositories, package caches, and build output directories. The ReFS format contains features specifically tuned for these scenarios, so tasks like file copying, version control, and building projects will benefit from enhanced performance.

Conclusion

Setting up a Dev Drive on Windows 11 is a great way to optimize performance for your development workloads. Whether you’re working with massive codebases or running complex builds, Dev Drive ensures that your storage is fast, flexible, and secure.

By using ReFS, you get better protection and improved performance for key developer tasks. So go ahead and give your development environment the upgrade it needs by setting up a Dev Drive today!

I hope you find this post helpful on how to create a Dev Drive on Windows 11. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.