Editions and pricing
Download a free trial of any edition, or buy a license - a one-time purchase with free lifetime upgrades. The trial is fully working, with one limit: it can only set the serial to 1234-5678 (and restore a backup of that change).
Unlimited Company License is available for use on more than 10 computers. It covers both the GUI and command-line editions and allows unlimited use across your company, with free lifetime upgrades. Order the unlimited company license - $149.95.
Common uses
- Restore a serial after reformatting or reinstalling, so your own backups, scripts and drive-specific settings that refer to a volume by its serial keep working.
- Fix duplicate serials from disk cloning or imaging. Cloning a drive copies its serial, so two volumes end up identical. Give each one its own.
- Standardize serials across a fleet for IT asset tracking and inventory scripts.
- Change a serial on the Windows system drive C: (the new serial takes effect after a restart) or on hidden volumes such as EFI and recovery partitions.
What is a volume serial number?
A volume serial number is the XXXX-XXXX identifier Windows generates and assigns to a disk volume when it is formatted (each X is a hexadecimal digit, 0 to F). It is separate from the drive's physical hardware serial number. Normally there is no supported way to change it without reformatting the volume; Volume Serial Number Editor changes it directly.
What it changes, and what it doesn't
- What it changes: only the file-system Volume Serial Number, the software ID Windows shows with
volor in a drive's Properties. - What it does not change: the drive's physical or hardware serial number, your files, or anything outside the boot sector (which it backs up first).
- Who it's for: administrators and owners managing their own drives, after a reformat, after cloning or imaging, or for inventory. Use it only on drives you own or are authorized to manage.
Command-line edition (volsn)
Prefer to automate it? The volsn command-line edition does the same job from the console, so you can script it
or run it across many machines. List volumes with volsn list, read one with volsn get, set a value with
volsn set, or restore a backup with volsn restore, and every command supports --json output.
Download the command-line edition to try it.
Frequently asked
Which file systems are supported?
FAT, FAT32, exFAT and NTFS, on local disks, USB drives and memory cards, including the full 64-bit NTFS serial.
Does it reformat the drive?
No. It changes the Volume Serial Number directly and leaves your files in place. It also backs up the boot sector before every change, so you can restore the previous serial with one click.
Does it change the drive's hardware serial number?
No. It changes only the file-system Volume Serial Number, the XXXX-XXXX value Windows shows with the vol command or in a drive's Properties. The drive's physical hardware serial is not touched.
Can it change a BitLocker drive or the Windows drive?
Yes. It changes unlocked BitLocker drives, including the Windows drive, writing the serial through BitLocker without affecting the encryption. Locked drives are declined. On the Windows drive the new serial takes effect after a restart.
Is there a command-line version?
Yes. The volsn command-line edition does the same job from the console, with JSON output for scripts and automation across many machines.